Nanaimo, 1966 - Photos Collection

Buckle up if you like Nanaimo history, especially the history of its PLACES.

In the spring of 1966, the Ministry of Transport took "dash-cam video" of many highways in BC, including through Nanaimo. The videos were released on YouTube in 2016 and I've linked to the Nanaimo one below. I have also taken SEVENTY still frames from the video and posted them below with some of my commentary and supplementary images from Streetview and other sources.

If you watch the video, I recommend a desktop computer so that you can pause the video and use the "," and "." keys on the keyboard to navigate frame by frame. But my photos might be easier for you - see down below.

The Video: Driving through Nanaimo in 1966

Starting at the Haslam Creek Bridge: https://youtu.be/y_vzliLaZOg?si=4Y5g4ReWwzJgW8aG&t=238

Photos Taken from the Road Trip Time Machine Video:

Haslam Creek Bridge - This has now been twinned; the bridge seen below is now the north-bound lanes.

The Cassidy Inn is thought to have been built around 1914 - it burned to the ground in 2016.

This service station and store and home(?) was just north of the Cassidy Inn, near where the rest stop would later be built.

Moving north - this is the intersection with Morden Rd. The Ruckledge store (still open today) is seen at left - it would have been built just a few years prior to this, in 1960.

This photo shows the descent from where the Duke Point turnoff is now. The outcrop to the right is recognizable in the modern Streetview photo below this one. It's amazing to see how much the highway was widened in later years.

This photo shows the driver entering Chase River; nowadays this would be just north of the overpass at the Cedar Rd intersection.

Here we see Chase River again - the buildings on the right occupy the space where the RONA store would later be found.

This overpass for the Wellcox spur of the railway still stands 70 years later. It famously had the "Kiss Me, Pierre" graffiti on one of its posts, for years.

The guardrails seen at the side of the road show how the Chase River flows beneath this spot. The building at right is now the Bold Knight Restaurant.

We have now passed Petroglyph Park and we are entering old Nanaimo at the south end of Nicol St. A Mladen Zorkin sign is visible at right - he was the Croatian real estate developer who is responsible for many Nanaimo landmarks including Terminal Park Mall.

This is roughly where, many years later, a concretion in the rocky outcrop was painted to look like the head of an orca emerging from the rock.

We are now closer to where the old Hunt Estate stood near the top of the bluffs - it was a grand manor and later shared the property with a convent. Both are now gone, with a new subdivision (Harbour View St) being built as of 2024. Wooden stairs can be seen at left, climbing toward the old house perhaps.

The Beverly Motel and Auto Court, seen at right and down below, was a fixture in the middle of the twentieth century.

These were the first houses one would encounter on the road in - many on the left are still present today. These next several photos show how Nicol St was quite pretty before it was widened in later years.

That tree on the left is roughly where Alice's Restaurant sits today. That large house to the right is still there. If you compare these images to the modern landscape (see the Streetview image below) you can see how the road was built UP; those houses at right sit further below the road's grade, today.

This is the intersection with Robins St, which is now gone (blocked off). The gas station at left was still used for the purpose until the 2000s when it was decommissioned and sat vacant for years; now it's the site of the Samaritan Place women's shelter.

Moving north - such a nice neighbourhood, really. Television was still inferior to playing outside.

Here is the intersection with Needham St. Today there's a car wash and oil change place on the right side, and the Jolly Miner Hotel (which would have been the Columbus Hotel when this photo was taken) has only recently been demolished (November 2024) - it would be just out of frame to the right.

In the next block north of Needham, there was an iconic Fish'n'Chips place called Bond's. Before my time, but the older locals have great memories of bringing home fish and chips wrapped in newspaper.

Moving further north - that would be Pine St seen at left (which would turn into Fifth St and enter Five Acres/Harewood).

This photo shows the intersection with Farquhar St - the Diplomat Motel at right is still there today, and the construction seen at left is for the Dairy Queen, which opened soon after this photo was taken.
I don't know anything about the store seen at right. 

One more photo showing how pretty Nicol St was.

This is the intersection with Milton St - McDonald's now stands on the right side.

We are starting down the hill toward downtown. That building at right (another Zorkin sign!) is the Arbutus Books store with the iconic arbutus mural painted on the side (Streetview photo below for comparison).

This next photo shows a little further down the hill, where the Gallazin Locksmiths building is now. The retaining wall seen at left is still present today.

The next photo shows 42 Nicol St at left (the white building, built in 1911) which still stands today next to the Caprice Theatre. The firehall's south tower can be seen, still with the pointed pinnacle which was removed somewhat recently.

Here is the intersection with Cavan St. The elaborate pink building at left is the fire house. The big sign at top right says "British Columbia Ferries to THE MAINLAND". The building at center in the background was originally a Sears building, then a Safeway, and is now the casino.

This photo shows the Esplanade St intersection.

The camera is heading toward what would be Harbour Park Mall - the Italian Fountain was still fairly new and can be just barely identified at left in this photo. 

This 1960 aerial photo shows the Sears/Safeway building at center, with the Italian photo below/left of it. The rocky bluff below/right is "Scotsman's Bluff", so nicknamed because it was a place to watch the action in the Central Sports Ground (replaced by the Sears building) without paying admission. The next few photos show that the car with the dashcam video in 1966 followed the road which passes through what is now Port Place Mall, toward Cameron Island.

Approaching Cameron Island - the rubble from the Scotsman's Bluff is visible at right - it was blasted apart in 1965 to allow for the mall to be developed. A rock from the bluff is in Bowen Park with a plaque to identify it (just west of the duck pond amphitheatre).

Ticket booth for the Gabriola ferry terminal.

Turning left onto Cameron Island (hadn't been an island for many decades by this point). This was the Canadian Pacific Steamship Service terminal, later a bus depot, and nowadays it's the site of the Cameron Island condos.

We have now doubled back from Cameron Island and are back on the highway, approaching the intersection with Commercial St. All of the buildings in this photo are now gone, other than the small building at far left (in-print graphic design and sign shop), the "A&B Sound" building, and the Galloway Block (site of Boo Streetwear/Guava).

A closer look at the intersection with Commercial St. The building at right was "Lindsay's", a department store perhaps? The building with the Nabob sign was Edwards Tire, which burned down sometime later. The building to its right would become the A&B Sound building, which still stands.

This view is interesting because it shows how narrow "the ravine" was at this time. The yellow building at right is Nash Hardware, which was later to be Literacy Nanaimo. 

I'm not sure what the building is at left, on the hill. But beneath it is the store that is now the Man Lee store (385 Terminal) which was built in 1933.

This photo doesn't look much different from how this view would be today. Except, instead of AVIS there is a trucker convoy "FREEDOM" mural on the side of that building in 2024.

We are just crossing Comox Rd, about to get onto the Pearson St Bridge - the Civic Arena is just out of sight to the right.

Mid-span on the Pearson St Bridge. To the right you can see how the Queen Elizabeth II Promenade walkway hadn't been constructed yet.

Exiting the bridge at the north end; an old home stands where the Husky gas station would later sit.

Here is the Castaway Motel at left, which is still in business today. To the right, just past another motel, is the old home that would have a great fish and chips restaurant in the 2000s.

This is the intersection with Rosehill St - the Galloway Building at left was built sometime in the very early 20th century and remains a landmark today. The building at right (and the big home behind it) would be replaced by the buildings that now house Midland Tools.

This intersection with Townsite Rd looks quite different today. The stretch of the highway between Townsite and Cypress St was very pretty at this time!

The home seen at left is still standing (it's blue now) - this is Cypress St.

We are now at the intersection with St George St, where there is now a Petro Canada and a Subway, among others. 

Heading north past St George St - the house at right is roughly where the Petro-Can or McDonald's is now.

Here is Terminal Park Mall at right - the building we see is now a BC Liquor Store.

Approaching what would have been called Northbrook mall at the time. The sign at right shows directions to Parksville, Departure Bay, and BC Ferries. The little rocky outcrop at left is easy to identify as it's still there today.

Believe it or not, you used to be able to turn right onto Northfield Rd at this intersection!

Here is the intersection with Bowen Rd at what is now Country Club Mall. Traffic must have been a lighter back then, as this crossing was controlled by a single flashing light?!

This photo shows the stretch of highway heading down to the Norwell Dr intersection where there is now a Chevron. These homes at right are no longer there - it's neat to see how they had those steps down to the road.

Here is the Norwell intersection and the old pedestrian overpass. There is an overpass there today, but it's much newer and not as chunky as this old one.

Here is a glimpse of Long Lake on the right. I suspect that was a hotel/resort of some kind - the rest stop is there now.

This intersection with Rutherford Road looks very different today. North Town Centre mall is now in the location shown at right.

This is the intersection with Turner Road. Picture Cactus Club at right, or think of Dot's at left...

This is the stretch approaching Hammond Bay Rd - the mobile homes at right appear new and ready to be shipped out! That might be the location of the Brick, now.

The photo below is on the curve of the highway adjacent to where Costco is, now.

This final photo shows the approach to the Lantzville turnoff (not visible here) - the land to the right is roughly where Cabela's stands now.

I would appreciate comments below, especially if they have information to fill out what I've written on this page. Thanks for reading!