| Ladysmith
& District Historical Society |
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History of Town of Ladysmith
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In the 1890's these coal seams were nearly worked out and so a new mine at Extension, eight miles northwest of Oyster Harbour was opened. It was called Extension as it was an extension of the seam at South Wellington . The intention was to ship the coal through the existing wharves, but Robert Dunsmuir had previously had a dispute with the Western Fuel Company, over whose land the railway would have to go, and access was denied.
During all this activity, the Boer War in South Africa was being waged, with the town of Ladysmith, South Africa, being besieged for 118 days. It was in 1900 that Dunsmuir heard of the relief of Ladysmith and renamed the town Ladysmith (ten streets are named after generals of that war). The population now about 1,000, continued to grow and the town prospered, largely due to ships' crews looking for provisions and entertainment. Trains carried miners to Extension and brought coal back.
About 1898, copper was found on Mount Sicker some 14 miles to the south. Ore was brought via the E&N to the smelter at Ladysmith which was up and running in 1902; however, this only lasted until 1912.
In the 1930's the demand for coal was falling off, partly due to coal being replaced by fuel oil in ships and elsewhere, and because of the general countrywide depression. These issues and the fact that the Extension seam was running out, caused the closure of the Extension mine in 1931.
Much work has been done to preserve the heritage of the town. An artifacts heritage walk, the revitalized downtown and the construction of an amphitheatre have all contributed to making Ladysmith the award-winning town it is today. ---------------------------------------------------- Kit
Wilmot, 2004
The article above was reprinted from the Ladysmith Centennial Souvenir Book, an award winning publication. We still have copies left of this book. You can purchase it at various retail outlets in Ladysmith or directly from our office. Book picture is clickable for a bigger view. ---------------------------------------------------- How Ladysmith streets were named We have compiled a short article about how Ladysmith streets were named. There are 10 major individuals remembered in the streets of Ladysmith. Here is a brief biography of them . ---------------------------------------------------- Historical Buildings & Artifacts The "Heritage By The Sea" theme has been retained in the historical preservation of the buildings. When the mines in the Nanaimo area closed buildings were either disassembled and moved or put on the train and and eventually relocated in Ladysmith. A good number of these buildings have remained. Kit Willmot has worked very hard on a "Heritage Walk" to intoduce people to the buildings. The chronicle of Ladysmith is an ongoing project of the Historical Society. Most of the buildings below 6th date back to the very early history. If you know anything about the past history of your building you are encouraged to pass it on to us. This could eventually lead to an actual historical classification system for the town. As well we would really like to have a "then and now" photo gallery of buildings. Check out our Heritage Buidings section for more details. Most folk are aware that there are a number of significant artifacts in various locations of the town. Be sure to take our Virtual Artifact Tour in the directory at left.
Railroads in Ladysmith
The very first rail line to appear in what was then called Oyster Harbour was built for the coal mines. Unlike Nanaimo, we never had the opportunity to see wooden rails. The first ones in that area were just that. Wood rails, with cars often pulled by oxen. The first locomotives there were small ones from England. By the time our "founder" Robert Dunsmuir was involved mining was at a pretty good clip in the areas North of us. However, nothing lasts forever and the mines in that area started to fall off. Mining was moving constantly South, and along with that was the need to ship as close to the mines as possible. So, railways came South. Ladysmith was founded because of Robert Dunsmuir, but his son James was the actual founder. Without the railway there would be no town here. The fist line brought coal from the Extension Mine (painting above). Dunsmuir used the rails to transport his miners to and from the town. It was the first time that miners lived in towns, not at the mine itself. The Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway was built by Dunsmuir for the government to get material to the thriving Royal Naval Base at Esquimalt. It is in fact the second railway after the CPR to be built in British Columbia. It may have been motivated by politics, but it has been politics that have kept it going too! It is one of the very few regularly scheduled passenger services today. All thanks to the citizens (and area politicians) who saw fit to get involved. When mining died off we went through a period of inactivity and depression. Until the logging companies started! The Comox Logging Company grew to be one of the largest and most profitable operators of trains on Vancouver Island. Along with other companies rail lines were extended out to Cowichan Lake (and almost Alberni) and north to Nanaimo and Nanaimo Lakes. Railways were everywhere.
The advent of Truck Logging spelled the end of the logging railways. Tracks were pulled up and the paths they took abandoned. But, the E &N as we refer to it soldiers on. Robert Dunsmuir's railway continues to carry people, both tourists and locals up and down Vancouver Island. Hopefully with the new agreements it will continue to do so for many years to come. It is too bad, but there are now generations of people in our area who have never rode on a train! If you have gotten this far, it is possible that you might just be a fan of Steam. So, in response to many requests here is a bit of a ramble on the Romance of Steam. (Painting by Paul Grignon with permission of the artist. Done from a photo in Nanaimo Museum captioned Extension Mine)
Art Williams The history of Ladysmith has been rather tame. Other than mine disasters life was fairly quiet. However, along with Brother 12 in the Cedar area we had our own personal villian. Art Williams, the Legendary Wizard of Ladysmith cut quite a path through our area in the early 1970's. Click here for a chronicle of his deeds. ----------------------------------------------------------- The 5 Cent Candy War
Signs were painted, Parker actually decorated his old car, a 1923 McLaughlin. A parade was staged, and it was so successful they actually turned around and went back up the street. In an article in the Ladysmith Chronicle when Parker was 77 he was quoted as saying "folks should protest in a constructive, peaceful manner about things they don't think are right". Unfortunately, the price went up and continues to do so. The candy bars get smaller, but maybe that is because our hands were getting bigger! image is clickable for larger picture ----------------------------------------------------------- Veterans in Ladysmith As of this writing we have just passed November 11, a day to remember the veterans who served our country in all the wars we have suffered through. As part of our Heritage Cookbook we have had a number of families who have generously offered to share their pictures and stories. Naturally there are also pictures of significant importance to put on our website. Ladysmith was named after a part of a war, so remembrance should be significantly important. Click here for a small part of pictures we have already received of people in Ladysmith & District who have served for us. -------------------------------------------------------- Ladysmith Cemetery One of the projects that The Society wants to move on with is a history of the Cemetery. A project aimed at this has been one of the identified priorities of The Society. All the early history of mining, notably the disasters, can be followed by the graves in the cemetery. The legacy of the early pioneers is also reflected here. Mike Armstrong of Malaspina University College has compiled a very nice presentation. That and the listing of graves is all available in our section on the Ladysmith Cemetery. ----------------------------------------------------------- Centennial 2004 In 2004 Ladysmith celebrated its Centennial. 12 descriptive panels were created showing the various eras that the town went through. We have them here as "pdf" files (Adobe Acrobat). If you wish to view them, click here. -------------------------------------------------------------- Today's News Is Tomorrow's History. Make History Today!
-------------------------------------------------------------- BC Archives The British Columbia Archives contains 464 on line references and photographs about Ladysmith. If you have some time here is a link to them. Close the browser when you are done and you can return here.
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This page was updated March 15, 2008 by Thomas Wagner
Before
coming to the history of Ladysmith, we must go back a few years to that of Nanaimo
, just to the north. The prosperity of that city came from coal in and around
the area, especially Wellington to the south, that was shipped through the city's
extensive wharves at Departure Bay .
Accordingly,
James Dunsmuir decided that Oyster Harbour would be the shipping port, and in 1898,
construction of a railway extension to Oyster Harbour began, together with building
a coal washer (slack from which forms Slack Point), bunkers and wharves. Miners
started moving from Wellington to Extension, but Dunsmuir said he did not want
them to live near the mine, but to move to Oyster Harbour . While some did remain,
most did move, bringing homes, shops, hotels and churches with them. They were
loaded onto rail flat cars, brought to Oyster Harbour and re-assembled. 
Over
the next few years the population rose to almost 5,000 in 1913, but miners began a strike
which lasted over a year; it was a bitter one with much damage to machinery and
houses, and much animosity between strikers and non-strikers. Many people and
business left to look for better opportunities.
In
1933, a violent windstorm blew down thousands of trees in the hills behind Ladysmith.
Three years later the Comox Logging and Railway Company started logging and shipping
logs through the harbour. This was Ladysmith's mainstay until about 1986. Today,
there are still two sawmills. Logs are exported through the harbour. 
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In all of Ladysmith's history, from coal to logging, to where we are now the railways have been the one consistent factor. The trains took the miners and loggers to work. It was here first, and is still here.
The area North of Ladysmith named Diamond was named because the railway tracks crossed there. The large piece of cast metal in the middle of the rail (called a Frog) was shaped like a diamond. Miners used to meet there to board the mine trains, and it was often referred to as "the Diamond". The name has stuck to this day. The levers that operated the track's directions are on display on First Avenue. 
