1877

The Wharf Hotel was built by Joe Rodello (later renamed the Elk Hotel). The hotel was leased to John Carthew from 1878 – 1880. Later when George McDonald bought the hotel in 1880 it became the social centre for the community.  George had seven daughters (many sources said there were 8 daughters but we have not been able to identify an 8th) who were all musically oriented and the family would put on lavish performances for audiences that included the Royal Navy.

A. G. Horne purchased land on Wharf Street up from Rodello’s store (across Front Street now Beaufort) and built a store of his own. He always felt that the HBC should have purchased land on Wharf Street and not operated the stores on the river estuary near the Indian Village.

1st School of Comox built on Anderton Road – had one room for grades 1 through 8 – it closed in 1927 when the Little River, Nobb Hill and Comox schools were consolidated at Comox.

During this time frame there was only two teams of horses in the valley and some huge oxen. There were a few wagons and one buggy owned by HBC storekeeper. Most vehicles were homemade carts, sleight and drags.

Some of the land was divided off by rail fences. There was no post and wire or board fencing.

There were large droves of pigs that ran at large and were marked like cattle.  Some times a herd of pigs would be penned where they would rout and clear out the fern roots and in short order would have so successfully turned over the land that it could be harrowed and then planted with almost no other work.  From time to time a pig or two would be caught and fattened up on milk and potato feed then sold, usually in Nanaimo.

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