Committed to heritage that is inclusive, diverse, & representative of communities past & present.
Vancouver Island Local History Society’s Mission:
- To promote, encourage, and engage the study of local and regional history within the communities of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
- To develop and support local history initiatives that take a critical and exploratory approach to Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations.
- To develop and support projects that are inclusive, diverse, and r
08/17/2026
The next stop for The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab exhibit is Duncan! You can see the exhibit at the Cowichan Branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library beginning August 26th. Check it out with your friends and family, and let us know what you think! TheGreatLandGrab.ca
07/29/2026
We have been getting amazing feedback on The Great Land Grab exhibit from Nanaimo Harbourfront Library visitors! If you think this kind of work is worth supporting, please consider a donation through our CanadaHelps page and help us keep the exhibit accessible to as many communities as possible!
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/vilocalhistory/
Canada promised British Columbia a coast to coast railway when it joined confederation. Learn more about this railway at the Great Vancouver Island Land Grab exhibition, on now at the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library!
"Forests became financial assets,. Large parcels were sold for real estate development, pushing the land even further from return to First Nations..."
Learn more about the E&N land grant through our brand new exhibit: The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab, on now until August at the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library.
06/23/2026
The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab will be at the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library until August 2026. Learn about the history of the E&N Land Grant and how it still affects Vancouver Island today.
06/23/2026
"For the Hul'qumi'num people, access has been denied to these lands. These forestry companies put up steel gates so that you cannot enter those lands without their permission..."
Denied Access | The Great Land Grab Exhibit "For the Hul'qumi'num people, access has been denied to these lands...
06/09/2026
Thank you to everyone who came out to the launch of the Great Vancouver Island Land Grab!! The exhibition will be on at the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library until August 2026. Details about this amazing exhibitions travelling schedule coming soon!
05/31/2026
From June 5th you can view the Great Vancouver Island Land Grab at the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library! This exhibit introduces visitors to the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway Land Grant of 1887 — also known as the great land grab. Through graphic novel and comic style panels, video, and interactive elements, visitors learn what happened, who is affected, and what it means for today.
GreatLandGrab.ca
The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab explores the history and legacy of the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway land grant of the 1880s. In exchange for building a railway across the island, nearly two million acres of land were transferred to private ownership. Much of this land had supported First Nations communities for thousands of years. Today, these lands are still largely held by private forestry companies and investors, shaping how land is used and treaty negotiations unfold.
This travelling exhibit looks at what happened, who was affected, and why the story still matters today. Through video, archival photographs, maps, and interpretive displays, visitors can explore how colonial land policies reshaped Vancouver Island and continue to influence communities, forests, and land rights today. The exhibit invites visitors to ask questions about property, responsibility, and the future of these lands.
See The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab travelling exhibit, now on tour!
Dans les années 1880, la Colombie-Britannique et le Canada ont cédé à la compagnie ferroviaire Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway Company près de 2 millions d'acres de terres, ainsi que des fonds et des droits d'exploitation des ressources, en échange de la construction d'une ligne de chemin de fer. Cette vidéo présente aux spectateurs l'histoire et l'héritage de cette «grande prise de terres»
Découvrez l'exposition itinérante actuellement en tournée : TheGreatLandGrab.ca