The Millstone River Basin

The first hydro electric power plant in Nanaimo was located at 200-210 Caledonia Avenue, the last bend in the Millstone River before it empties into a basin which flows into the Pacific Ocean. November, when the rain comes, in the fall, the salmon, Coho and Chum, congregate in the bay, where the Millstone River meets the ocean, before making their migratory trek upstream. The Chum, exhausted by their trek across oceans, lay their eggs in spawning grounds at the basin at the mouth of the river, within a stone's throw from downtown Nanaimo. The more hardy Coho venture further upstream, past the Chum performing their last rites, up the throat of the basin, pirouette their way up the granite falls, rest up around the bridge by the German Club, before they continue upstream, relying on their own devices to navigate the Millstone River through and over a series of dams and runs located in proximity to Bowen Park and Malaspina College, where they eventually lay their eggs to rest, only to die, in spawning grounds as old as the life cycle.

An analysis of the surveyors maps from 1928 show that old Nanaimo and the Millstone River basin was conveyed in a land grant by the Queen to the Hudson Bay Company and in turn parceled by the Hudson Bay Company and conveyed to coal mining and other interests. The grant encompassed an area just beyond Lorne Street and Front Street, along the Millstone River to Broad Street. The maps also show the flow of the Millstone River was altered by rip rap, dynamite and the movement of massive amounts of soil from along the river bank to create a platform for the power plant. To this day there are gaps in the survey and ownership of the land along the bank of the Millstone River at its mouth and along the basin.

Keeping in mind that Edison had discovered electrical power in the 1880's and the discovery was being put to practical use in diverse locations such as Moscow in Russia and New York at the turn of the 20th century, Nanaimo was in illustrious company when the officers of the Nanaimo Electric Light Company announced in 1904 that they were building a brick 70' x 40' building with an iron roof and foundations 13' deep:

"capable of furnishing 450 horsepower from three Pelton water wheels, each 48 inches in diameter, two delivery nozzles to each wheel… two flywheels, eight feet in diameter and with 22 inch faces… and a generator capable of providing 350 kilowatts of power."

to include:

"the steam plant to be moved to the new power house and kept for emergencies."
The power plant serviced an area from the ferry depot in Departure Bay to the town of Duncan. Insurance maps obtained from the Nanaimo City Archives show the Nanaimo Electric Power and Heat Company in operation in 1930 at the location at 210 Caledonia Avenue and in 1957 we see some additional structures such as the Castaway Motel joining the power generation plant on the Nanaimo cityscape.

We can say with some certainty that the power plant ceased operations in or about 1956. Today the concrete foundation of the old power plant remains, covered by blackberry bushes and graffiti. A spot of repose, clarity and reflection for both artist and scientist, who wonder by. On the banks of the Millstone River beside the old man made structure, the power plant, dwells wildlife, and in the river are a dwindling salmon colony of chum and coho, gradually being choked by urbanization and man’s benign neglect. Birdwatchers of Vancouver Island use this river, tributary and basin, to gaze upon Blue Heron, kingfisher, waxwing, gulls, jays, geese on their migratory trips south and north. Besides the sightings of deer, fox, raccoon, and coyote, you may be lucky to gaze upon a seal basking on the large rocks where the millstone river tributary meets basin, sated after having chased and gorged on a feast of spawning salmon.

 

 

Nanaimo was built around king coal. Today the city is a fast growing urban center of 72,000 people, seeking an identity. One of the identities it ought to resurrect is the revitalization of the Millstone River. The Millstone River is one of 20 fish bearing streams of the city of Nanaimo. It flows for 13 km from Brannen Lake to the Straight of Georgia. Maintaining the health of this urban river is a major challenge. The Millstone is a low gradient river with 5 tributaries, and a good rearing habitat for trout, frogs and crawfish. Between the ocean and 12 km of good rearing habitat is a 1 km stretch of falls, cascades and chutes, immediately adjacent to the Millstone Stationhouse development, which is a barrier to upstream migration for most of the year. The system has been stocked with Coho fry, but has not recently sustained a significant run of salmon. Fallen pine and refuse interfere with the Coho’s migratory trek. Upstream from the spawning beds for Chum are infestations of reeds, which impede the flow of granular rock down stream to regenerate the Millstone River basin.

In 1996, there was a study done for the Nanaimo Parks Board. The study although limited in scope recommended a suspended walkway through the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway tunnel built in 1908 to be open 7a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. As well, they suggested a well lit railway crossing walkway to provide a pedestrian alternative for the nighthawks. The recommendations of the report do not address the historical significance of the area: its value as a salmon habitat; the need to improve ingress to and from the German Club along Caledonia. There are choices to be made, such as whether to harness the power of the Millstone as an emergency backup in the event there is a brownout of island power or to increase the summer river flows, which as Nanaimo becomes urbanized have been diminished by 90% in the last 50 years.