Crofton Mill

Crofton is a small west coast town within the District of North Cowichan of southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, east of BC Highway 1 about 74 kilometres (46 mi) north of Victoria.

Westholme is a community located in the Chemainus River Valley alongside the Island Highway, between Chemainus and Duncan in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Chemainus Land District in the District Municipality of North Cowichan. Westholme is one of the original settlements on Vancouver Island. Once a thriving mining and farming community, it is now filled with hobby farms and upscale private estates on large acreages, many of which are owned to this day by the descendants of original settlers to this area. Westholme is divided by the Island Highway. It is bordered by the Somenos Land District to the south, Mount Sicker to the west, the Chemainus River to the north, the Halalt First Nation Reserve to the northeast, and Crofton to the east. It is a peaceful private community nestled in the shadow of Mount Sicker which is on the western edge of this community. The ending to the movie Five Easy Pieces starring Jack Nicholson was filmed in Westholme.The area is served by the coast-spanning Island Highway and the Island Rail Corridor.

Maple Mountain is a mountain on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The mountain is located on the northern side of Maple Bay in North Cowichan, just NE of the city of Duncan.There is a marked hiking trail that goes up Maple Mountain and affords great views of the water, Salt Spring Island and the distant snowy peaks of the mainland. To get to the trailhead, follow Osborne Bay Road north toward Crofton and turn right on Chilco Road. Follow Chilco to the very end and park there. Walk past the yellow gate. Blue flagging tape marks the trail, which is well maintained.

Quamichan Lake (Raven Field) Airport (TC LID: CML2) is located 2.7 nautical miles (5.0 km; 3.1 mi) north northeast of Duncan, adjacent to Quamichan Lake, British Columbia, Canada. The airfield is owned and operated by John Howroyd, who also owns Quamichan Lake (Raven Field) Water Aerodrome. The airfield uses runway 16 for departures, and runway 34 for landings.

Quamichan Lake (Raven Field) Water Aerodrome (TC LID: CRF6) is located on Quamichan Lake, 2.9 nautical miles (5.4 km; 3.3 mi) north northeast of Duncan, British Columbia, Canada. The airfield is owned and operated by John F Howroyd, who also owns Quamichan Lake (Raven Field) Airport.

Quamichan Lake is a lake in the Cowichan Valley region of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, located three kilometres to the northeast of the City of Duncan.Quamichan Lake and its sister Somenos Lake were created 11,000 years ago by receding glaciers. Both lakes contribute to Cowichan River. Quamichan Lake's outflow is Quamichan Creek which joins with Somenos Creek, the outflow from Somenos Lake, which flows to Cowichan River.The Cowichan Watershed Board identifies a common set of conditions for both shallow lakes: excessive nutrient loading from the farms and homes which surround the lakes insufficient "flushing" in summer due to reduced inflows and truncated outflows increased plant growth ("algae-blooms"), and eutrophication (reduced oxygen as the vegetation decomposes) intensified warmingIn autumn 2016, the lake's algae received public attention after news coverage of its killing at least four dogs.

St. Clare's Monastery is a monastery of the Order of St. Clare in Duncan, British Columbia, Canada. The nuns of the order also go by the name "Poor Clares". They are a contemplative community of women who live the charism of Saint Clare of Assisi and form the Second Order in the movement started by Saint Francis of Assisi.

Maple Bay is a seaside community located in the Cowichan Valley of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. A narrow inlet and surrounded by smooth, pebbled beaches, Maple Bay is home to marine activity all year round. Maple Bay is a small town with a population of 2,640. The sheltered haven of Maple Bay is situated halfway up Sansum Narrows, which separates Vancouver Island from Saltspring Island, the largest and nearest of the southern Gulf Islands. Maple Bay is serviced by floatplane, Salt Spring Air and Harbour Air Seaplanes that fly regular scheduled flights several times a day from Maple Bay Marina, to Ganges (Ganges Water Aerodrome) on Saltspring Island and then on to Vancouver (Vancouver International Water Airport/Vancouver International Airport and Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre).There are three commercial marinas, a public dock, as well as the Maple Bay Yacht Club and the Maple Bay Rowing Club. Maple Bay Marina is replacing many older boat sheds with new style, fire resistant yacht enclosures, creating one of the safest and most environmentally responsible marinas in British Columbia. Maple Bay Marina has also been recognised with an Eco-Rating of 5 anchors for their Environmental Best Practices by the Georgia Strait Alliance Clean Marine program.

Chemainus is a community within the municipality of North Cowichan in the Chemainus Valley on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Founded as an unincorporated logging town in 1858, Chemainus is now famous for its 53 outdoor murals. This outdoor gallery has given birth to many businesses, including a theatre, antiques dealers, and eateries. The tourist industry stemming from the murals helped rejuvenate the town after its large sawmill closed in the early 1980s and was replaced by a smaller, more efficient, mill. The name Chemainus comes from the native shaman and prophet "Tsa-meeun-is" meaning broken chest. Legend says that the man survived a massive wound in his chest from an arrow in battle to become a powerful chief. His people took his name to identify their community, the Stz'uminus First Nation, formerly the Chemainus Indian Band. The railway arrived in the 1880s and by the early 1920s the town's population had ballooned to 600 persons. Chemainus was eventually designated a census populated area by Statistics Canada comprising the more built-up residential and commercial neighbourhoods. Its population had further grown to 3,035 residents by 2011. A larger more inclusive Chemainus area is customarily regarded as comprising part of the District of North Cowichan that lies north of the Chemainus River. This is the area covered by the Chemainus Advisory Committee set up as a consultation body by North Cowichan. Chemainus Secondary School is located in the town, and serves as a secondary school for students living in Chemainus, Crofton, and Saltair. A BC Ferry terminal is located in Chemainus, which provides service to Thetis Island and Penelakut Island (previously Kuper). On 13 January 2006, a Boeing 737 aircraft was sunk off the coast in order to build an artificial reef. The sinking was documented in "Sinking Wings", an episode of the Discovery Channel series, Mega Builders.

The Chemainus station is located in Chemainus, British Columbia. The station was a flag stop on Via Rail's Dayliner service. The station closed in 2011 due to poor track conditions.

North Cowichan (Canada 2021 Census population 31,990) is a district municipality established in 1873 on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. The municipality is part of the Cowichan Valley Regional District. North Cowichan is noted for a landscape including forests, beaches, rivers, and lakes. The municipality encompasses the communities of Chemainus; Westholme; Crofton; Maple Bay; and "the South End". The latter is an informal name for a built-up area which is essentially a suburb of the City of Duncan, a separate municipality.

Vesuvius, also known as Vesuvius Bay, is an unincorporated settlement and ferry terminal on the northwest coast of Saltspring Island in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada. It is the eastern terminus of a ferry which connects Saltspring Island to Vancouver Island across Sansum Narrows to Crofton, which is just north of the city of Duncan. Throughout the 1800s, Vesuvius was predominantly composed of African-American settlers and their descendants. Racial tensions arose between August 1867 and December 1868, when three Black men were murdered in the community of Vesuvius Bay. The murderers were largely blamed on the local coastal Indigenous community. This resulted in racial tensions in the area, which led to a dwindling number of Black residents on Salt Spring Island. Much of the youth moved away to Victoria, Vancouver, and on occasion to the United States.It is named for HMS Vesuvius (1839), a ship of the Royal Navy assigned to the Pacific Station at Esquimalt in the 19th Century, and indirectly after Mount Vesuvius in Italy.: 284