Qualla: The Nanaimo Bastion: An Octagonal Fort Built on Black Rock https://qualla.com/nanaimo-bastion en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:12 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: The Nanaimo Bastion: An Octagonal Fort Built on Black Rock https://qualla.com/nanaimo-bastion The Nanaimo Bastion: An Octagonal Fort Built on Black Rock: Introduction https://qualla.com/nanaimo-bastion/ In 1849, a Snuneymuxw chief named Che-wich-i-kcan mentioned to a blacksmith in Victoria that there were burnable black rocks near his village. That offhand remark changed the course of Vancouver Island. The Hudson's Bay Company, already pivoting from fur trading to resource extraction, sent Joseph William McKay - a multilingual Metis clerk born in Quebec who spoke Michif, English, French, and several Indigenous languages - to investigate. When McKay confirmed the coal deposits, the Company abandoned its mining operations at Fort Rupert and moved south. By 1853, construction had begun on an octagonal wooden tower at the edge of Nanaimo Harbour. The Bastion, as it came to be known, would serve as McKay's office, the settlement's arsenal, and its last refuge.

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]]> Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/c/0/x/z/nanaimo-bastion-wp/c0xz-the-nanaimo-bastion-an-octagonal-fort-built-on-bla-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full The Nanaimo Bastion: An Octagonal Fort Built on Black Rock: Built Without Nails https://qualla.com/nanaimo-bastion/ The Bastion was constructed using the piece-sur-piece method - timbers laid horizontally across each other with tenons cut into the ends and inserted into vertical posts. Nails were expensive on the colonial frontier, so the builders used as few as possible. The logs were squared...

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]]> Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/c/0/x/z/nanaimo-bastion-wp/c0xz-the-nanaimo-bastion-an-octagonal-fort-built-on-bla-built-without-nails.mp3 0:06 2 full The Nanaimo Bastion: An Octagonal Fort Built on Black Rock: McKay's Office and the Coal Trade https://qualla.com/nanaimo-bastion/ McKay used the first floor as his office for the day-to-day management of the coal settlement. From here he oversaw the mines, ordered supplies, and maintained correspondence with Fort Victoria using small "express canoes" that carried messages and passengers between the outposts...

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]]> Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/c/0/x/z/nanaimo-bastion-wp/c0xz-the-nanaimo-bastion-an-octagonal-fort-built-on-bla-mckays-office-and-the-coal-trade.mp3 0:06 3 full The Nanaimo Bastion: An Octagonal Fort Built on Black Rock: Saved Twice https://qualla.com/nanaimo-bastion/ By 1891, the Bastion had outlived its military purpose and faced demolition. The city of Nanaimo, recognizing the building's historic value, purchased it for $175 and moved it across the street from its original location - to what is now the parking lot of the Dorchester Hotel. N...

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]]> Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/c/0/x/z/nanaimo-bastion-wp/c0xz-the-nanaimo-bastion-an-octagonal-fort-built-on-bla-saved-twice.mp3 0:06 4 full The Nanaimo Bastion: An Octagonal Fort Built on Black Rock: Coal Tyee's Legacy https://qualla.com/nanaimo-bastion/ The Bastion's story begins and ends with the Snuneymuxw people. Chief Che-wich-i-kcan, known historically as "Coal Tyee," opened the door to an industry that transformed the region. The coal he revealed attracted the Hudson's Bay Company, the Company built the Bastion, the Bastio...

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]]> Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/c/0/x/z/nanaimo-bastion-wp/c0xz-the-nanaimo-bastion-an-octagonal-fort-built-on-bla-coal-tyees-legacy.mp3 0:06 5 full