05/16/2026
Hear yee, hear yee! A special notice: did you know that Monday May 18th, 2026 is International Museum Day?
This year the theme is “Museums Uniting a Divided World”.
Come visit our museum this weekend! We are installing a special Exhibition - "The None Came Back" exhibit.
World War II created a divided world of fear. One of those fears was the invasion of Japan. Japanese Canadians up and down the coast of Canada were moved away from the coast and put into camps. The Japanese Canadians that were taken from Chemainus never came back.
"1942
THE JAPANESE by Jack Howe
Until early 1942 there were many Japanese in Chemainus; businessmen, millworkers and fishermen. There were two Japanese enclaves in Chemainus. One of these was at the head of the Bay - this area is now used for lumber storage and the Company incinerator. This was the Okada settlement. Mr. Okada had the boom contract for the mill. At that time there was no Camp Boom.
In addition to Mr. Okada and his family there were a number of other residents. Among these were Sekot Ghigetomi, Fujimoto, and Fukamoto.
The other Japanese area was between Esplanade and Maple Streets and Oak Street and about 60 feet north of Brenton's parking lot. About half way between Oak Street and this boundary there was a road or alley running from Esplanade to Croft Street.
Among the businesses in this area were: I. Kawahara - Hauling - Taxi - and General Store. 2. Hakashima - General Store and Fish Shop. This store was on Maple Street next to the present Bargain Mart. 3. Tanina - (where the bakery is located) Store Slot Machines - Ping-Pong - Candy - To***co. Some of the families living in this area were Furuya, Kusuda and Otes.
The laundry was on the comer of Oak and Maple. Nakashimas' store was next to it. There were garden plots at comer of Oak and Croft and Kawahara's store was on the comer of Oak and Esplanade. There was an entrance off Oak Street to an enclosed area. There were in this part a barber shop, pool hall and bath house. Also some dwellings.
There were more dwellings on the north side of the alley from Esplanade to Croft Street. Between these homes and the northern boundary were the Judo Hall on Esplanade and the school on Croft Street. The Japanese children would attend the public school and after that would attend the Japanese school.
On the comer of Pine Street and Esplanade there was a very large two-storey home. This was owned by Shige Yoshida. His father, a long-time resident of Chemainus was well known in the mill as "Henry Ford." He was driver of a cut-down Ford Model T which was used to haul iron wheeled trailers loaded with lumber.
When the Japanese were moved away this house was sold by the government for $720.00 without the sanction of the owner. The above was told us by the former owner. Harry Higashi was head millwright in the mill. George Tanina was carpenter. The head oiler was Japanese.
It was a sad and heart-rending sight that day around Easter 1942.
A long line of Japanese, old people, young people, boys, girls, babes-in-arms slowly wending their way to the ship at the dock, waiting impatiently to take them away from their homes.
They were being taken to Vancouver, this they knew for certain but after Vancouver - a mystery. Where they would be sent or how they would be treated they did not know.
One can imagine their thoughts - What will happen to us, our homes, our gardens, our furniture, our cherished possessions? Would someone place a flower on the graves of their loved ones?
We in Chemainus know." from "Memories of the Chemainus Valley", pg 335/336
Come in and read all about it.
