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Mount Benson Regional Park

webmaster — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 00:53:25 +0000

Mount Benson Regional Park webmaster Sun, 10/30/2022 - 02:53

Mount Benson, (Halkomelem: Tatch-to-lan, Taitookton; Chinook jargon: Wakesiah) is a mountain located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia located 9 km (5.6 mi) west of Nanaimo. At one time, there was road access to the peak as there was a fire lookout at the summit. Today, the road is closed to vehicles but the mountain has become popular with local hikers as it has great views of the Strait of Georgia, the mainland Coast Mountains of British Columbia, the Nanaimo River valley, and the Vancouver Island Ranges, including Mount Arrowsmith.

Mount Benson was named in 1859 by Captain Richards, RN, after his friend Alfred Robson Benson, MD, a physician from Whitby (Yorkshire), who was in the Hudson's Bay Company service 1857-62.

During the last ice age, most of Vancouver Island was covered in a sheet of ice almost 2 kilometres thick, including the area around Mount Benson. Only peaks above that, such as nearby Mount Arrowsmith, poked through the ice sheet. The movement of the ice rounded off lower mountains like Mount Benson giving them the rounded shape they have today. Peaks above the ice sheet remained jagged.

Most of the summit is relatively flat and rounded with several small lakes, surrounded by clearcuts.

Mount Benson Regional Park is a regional park, comprising 212 ha (520 acres) of land on the upper north-east slope of Mount Benson, that was established in July 2008 on land acquired in 2005 by the Regional District of Nanaimo and the Nanaimo and Area Land Trust. There is no road access to the park itself as all of the old access roads to have been blocked off. Access to the park is from a parking lot on Benson View Road by Witchcraft Lake in Nanaimo. Only a portion of the mountain is within the park not including the twin summits.

The park area is the headwaters of the Millstone River and, to the east, the Chase River.

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Mount Benson Regional Park

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Kapyong Memorial at Radar Hill, Tofino

webmaster — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 23:39:56 +0000

Kapyong Memorial at Radar Hill, Tofino webmaster Wed, 10/26/2022 - 01:39

Battle of Kapyong

Some of the heaviest fighting our soldiers experienced in the war took place during the Battle of Kapyong in April 1951. The battle was a turning point in the Korean War and the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry helped prevent a potentially costly defeat for the South Korean and United Nations forces.

The nighttime battle required unimaginable bravery. It cost 10 Canadians their lives and left another 23 wounded. The heroic efforts of these soldiers and the Battalion as a whole did not go unnoticed. The 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was awarded the United States Presidential Unit Citation – a very rare honour for a Canadian unit.

(from Korea Veterans Association)

"The Battle of Kapyong (22–25 April 1951), also known as the Battle of Jiaping was fought during the Korean War between United Nations (UN) forces—primarily Australian, Canadian and New Zealand—and the Chinese Communist People’s Volunteer Army. The fighting occurred during the Chinese Spring Offensive and saw the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade establish blocking positions in the Kapyong Valley, on a key route south to the capital, Seoul. The two forward battalions—3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) and 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI)—supported by a New Zealand artillery battery, occupied positions astride the valley and hastily developed defenses. As thousands of South Korean soldiers began to withdraw through the valley, the Chinese infiltrated the brigade position under the cover of darkness and assaulted the Australians on Hill 504 during the evening and into the following day. Although heavily outnumbered, the 27th Brigade held their positions into the afternoon before the Australians were finally withdrawn to positions in the rear of the brigade, with both sides having suffered heavy casualties. The Chinese then turned their attention to the Canadians on Hill 677, but during a fierce night battle they were unable to dislodge them. The fighting helped blunt the Chinese offensive and the actions of the Australians and Canadians at Kapyong were important in assisting to prevent a breakthrough on the United Nations Command central front, and ultimately the capture of Seoul. The two battalions bore the brunt of the assault and stopped an entire Chinese division during the hard fought defensive battle. The next day the Chinese withdrew back up the valley, in order to regroup. Today, the battle is regarded as one of the most famous actions fought by the Australian and Canadian armies in Korea."

Radar Hill

In 1998, in recognition of the efforts and sacrifices made by the veterans and their families, a cairn was placed on Radar Hill in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and the traditional territory of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations, dedicated to the battle of Kapyong and its importance as a turning point in the Korean War. At the same time, to reinforce our enduring bond with South Korea, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve was proudly twinned with Hallyo Haesang Sea National Park in Korea.

Canada Remembers

Every year in April, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is honoured to host the Korea Veterans Association’s ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong. When this ceremony was first held in 1998, it carried deep significance as it was the first time that the Canadian Korea Veterans were able to wear on Canadian soil the medals awarded during the Korean War. This ceremony continues to carry great significance – reminding each of us of the bravery, strength and sacrifices made by the young men and women who risked so much to serve their country.

Lest We Forget

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Alberni-Clayoquot

Radar Hill, Alberni-Clayoquot

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WIshbone

webmaster — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 03:02:50 +0000

WIshbone

Event date/time

Wednesday, March 16, 2022 - 18:04

webmaster Thu, 03/17/2022 - 04:02

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10 people

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Great Canadian Companies - Stanfields

webmaster — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 22:33:44 +0000

Great Canadian Companies - Stanfields webmaster Thu, 01/06/2022 - 23:33

Confederation Bridge

webmaster — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 05:00:53 +0000

Confederation Bridge webmaster Fri, 12/03/2021 - 06:00

Various proposals for a fixed link across the Northumberland Strait can be traced as far back as the 1870s when the provinces' railway systems were developed. Subsequent proposals arose during federal elections in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The ebb and flow of public support for a fixed link was indirectly tied to the varying levels of federal investment in ferry and steamship connections to the province over the years, finally culminating in a proposal in the mid-1980s which resulted in the construction of the current bridge.

The bridge is a two-lane toll bridge that carries the Trans-Canada Highway between Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island (at Route 1) and Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick (at Route 16).

It is a multi-span balanced cantilever bridge with a post-tensioned concrete box girder structure. Most of the curved bridge is 40 metres (131 ft) above water with a 60 m (197 ft) navigation span for ship traffic. The bridge rests on 62 piers, of which the 44 main piers are 250 m (820 ft) apart. The bridge is 11 m (36 ft) wide.

The speed limit on the bridge is 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) but can vary with wind and weather conditions. When travelling at the speed limit, it takes about 12 minutes to cross the bridge.

Be sure to visit the website for up to date weather information before visiting...

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Game Changers - Viola Desmond-Davis

webmaster — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 02:18:30 +0000

Game Changers - Viola Desmond-Davis webmaster Wed, 03/03/2021 - 03:18

Malahat Summit Viewpoint

webmaster — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 20:06:03 +0000

Malahat Summit Viewpoint webmaster Sun, 01/03/2021 - 21:06

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L'Anse aux Meadows

webmaster — Sat, 01 Feb 2020 20:32:08 +0000

L'Anse aux Meadows webmaster Sat, 02/01/2020 - 21:32

Many believed that Christopher Columbus was the first european to discover North America in 1492. That was until 1960 when Norwegian explorer and writer, Helge Ingstad. He was making an intensive search for Norse landing places along the coast from New England northward. At L’Anse aux Meadows, a local inhabitant named George Decker, led him to a group of overgrown bumps and ridges that looked as if they might be building remains. They later proved to be all that was left of that old colony. For the next eight years, Helge and his wife, archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad, led an international team of archaeologists from Norway, Iceland, Sweden, and the United States in the excavation of the site. According to a 2019 PNAS study, there may have been Norse activity in L'Anse aux Meadows for as long as a century.This proved that Christopher Columbus was not the first European in North America.

There are Norwegian legends around Leif Ericsson that vaguely tell of the settlements in what is now Greenland to Newfoundland (known the as Vineland), retold by Adam of Bremen, a German cleric.

"He (The Danish king, Sven Estridsson) also told me of another island discovered by many in that ocean. It is called Vinland because vines grow there on their own accord, producing the most excellent wine. Moreover, that unsown crops abound there, we have ascertained not from fabulous conjecture but from the reliable reports of the Danes."

The belief is that it had been an outpost for ship repair. Perhaps the reason that there are no trees in the area to this day. Evidence of butternuts that grow further south have been found, which eludes to Vikings exploring the coast further to the south. Butternuts are not known to grow north of New Brunswick. Also Eleanor Barraclough, a lecturer in medieval history and literature at Durham University, suggests the site was not a permanent settlement. There had been no graves, tools for agriculture or remains of livestock common to the time found.

The history of the area goes much farther back then the Viking settlement. There is evidence of yarn that predates the settlement which was found December 23, 2018 by Michele Hayeur Smith of Brown University in Rhode Island

"They clustered into a period from about 100 AD to about 600-800 AD – roughly 1,000 years to 500 years before the Vikings ever showed up. (The Dorset)are manipulating the kinds of fibres you find in your environment at least as early as 100 BC."

L'Anse aux Meadows is one of the most historically interesting places to visit in North America. There are many secrets that have been revealed about the peoples who have inhabited the area. Quite positive there will be many more!

Historical

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viking.lam@pc.gc.ca

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows

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L'Anse aux Meadows

Influences - Rush

webmaster — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 23:27:36 +0000

Influences - Rush webmaster Sat, 01/11/2020 - 00:27

Malaspina Galleries

webmaster — Wed, 25 Dec 2019 23:29:45 +0000

Malaspina Galleries webmaster Thu, 12/26/2019 - 00:29

Malaspina's lost galleries became something of legend before it was rediscovered by Professor George Davidson in 1902. Professor Davidson was intrigued after reading the book, Voyage Around the World... By Spanish explorer Alejandro Malaspina. In the book there was an illustration of the galleries. Though this illustration was said to be of a formation in the neighbourhood of the Port of Descanso in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Professor Davidson knew the area quite well and became frustrated that he could never locate the Gallery. He enlisted help from John Devereux, dock master at Esquimalt, asking Devereux to bring his 27 years of experience sailing the coast, and his contacts with “the lighthouse people, the telegraph people, and Catholic missionaries” to bear on the question of where the curious rock formation illustrated in the Voyage Around the World... might be found.

Malaspina Galleries, officially named the “Galiano Gallery” by the Geographic Board of Canada in 1906. Since then there has been some debate regarding the actual name of the landmark. Having Galiano’s name on Gabriola had proven too difficult for many writers, even E.O.S. Scholefield, who would be one of the first to hunt for the gallery. In his book of B.C. History, published in 1914 and the standard reference of B.C. history for many years after. He included a copy of the illustration from Malaspina’s Voyage around the world... and labelled it: “View of natural gallery on Galiano Island”. Others, not surprisingly, followed his lead.

The Snunéymux people held this landmark in high-regard because of it's inexplicable shape. Appearing as a wave frozen in time by some mysterious force, holding it over the many thousands of years.

Weird

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Gabriola Island