Sidewalking Cumberland
As many people have, we had our winter vacation canceled (again)... So once more, we looked inward to the our island for yet another little getaway and decided on Mt. Washington. Despite living here since 1995, I had never been there and actually, 1995 was also the last time I had been skiing. On the way up we thought that if we were going to go, a proper Comox Valley ski trip had to include a stop in Cumberland.
Like Mt. Washington, I had never been to Cumberland, despite having visited Courtnay and Comox both many times before. I am not sure what I pictured, I knew that it had had some rough times, but that it was now in the midst of a bit of a hipster renaissance. So I suppose I thought about Nelson but smaller. In some ways I would say that is accurate though I also kind of pictured it as much smaller than it was, though it is by no means a large town.
Before the arrival of settlers, the K’ómoks people had lived and thrived in the area that Cumberland now sits in for thousands of years. The K’ómoks Nation website is truly a great resource to learn about the people and this area of the island and I encourage you to visit it.
The first parts of a settler town, had its start in the 1850's with the discovery of coal seams nearby. This settlement was initially named Union, after the original mining company in the area. Not much happened in these early days, until the Dunsmuir family came along and bought out the small operation. In 1889, the town got its new name and was officially planned out. The town grew quickly and sported a fairly grand main street as well as a number of hotels, banks and churches. You can read more about the history of the town on the Cumberland Museum and Archives site here or the Cumberland History site here.
Getting to Cumberland off the Inland Island Highway is easy and way closer to the road than I thought. You turn off at the same exit as you would to head into Courtenay, but turn left and drive under the highway. It is about five kilometres west, which is considerably closer than it is to get to Courtenay in the other direction. I appreciated the myriad of environmental banners along the road into town which aligned with my assumptions of what awaited me at the end of the road. I didn’t expect the large number of house lined streets with the houses packed close together like you would find in Fernwood or James Bay. The high piled snow on the sides of the road certainly added to the scene as well. The age of the houses really made it seem like a bit of a storybook.
Eventually, you will make it down to Dunsmuir Avenue which runs east-west and is near the south end of town. It actually feels a little odd to have the town centre so off centre, but I think this is something common in some of these old resource based towns. One of the mines was located to the western end of the town centre and you would usually want to have some distance between where you lived and where you mined. If you have visited Rossland or Trail, Cumberland has a similar feel to it, but on a smaller scale, especially at this time of year where the hills rise just past town and were covered in snow. One of the places that I would like to see in less snowy times is #6 Mine Park which really sits just outside the central part of the downtown and shows just how close the mines were.
When we got there we were focused on lunch and went to Biblio Taco to to eat. While the food was being cooked for us, I went out to see what else Cumberland had to offer. The main street has a number of old buildings and as you make your way west you will eventually come to the Waverly Hotel. If you have not read Glen Mofford’s book on the hotels along the E&N Railway, I would highly recommend you put it on your list. There is a chapter on the Waverly Hotel, which perhaps does not look like it did back at the turn of the 19th Century, but still has been a perennial presence. Another block along you come to the Cumberland Museum and Archives which I did not have time to visit on this occasion but it looks quite large and impressive, with a row of recreated old false fronted buildings.
Walking back along Dunsmuir, I paused a few places. First was the closed, Ilo Ilo Theatre, that had a damaged but very cool piano outside the front door. The next tempting spot I saw was the Moon’s Records Shop that seemed to be somewhat of a modern curiosity shop with skateboarding thrown in for fun. Definitely cool. I have also heard good things about the nearby Whole Glow Cafe, which is a vegan eatery.
After finishing my delicious enchiladas (not traditional, but good). We headed over to the Cumberland Grind to grab some coffees for the drive up the mountain. This was one of the best coffees I have had without a recommendation on the Island. I am always cautious walking into an unknown place, but the americano was strong and smooth.
The final stop before we left town was the at least locally famous Cumberland Village Bakery to get some donuts. There was a line-up, but it was all locals, while I waited, I got some excellent suggestions on what I should be choosing, though it was mixed with a little chiding that I was there way too late in the day to get the best selections. What I loved about it, when I finally got inside, was that it was a real old school bakery. Despite what Cumberland may present itself as, there were no hemp seed muffins or lavender donuts here. I am sure both can be tasty, but really appreciate a real old school bakery. I walked out with two glazed, two chocolate dipped and a butter tart (with raisins and no nuts!), definitely a great place.
While it was just a short pause on a trip up-island, Cumberland is definitely going to make it on the return very soon list. At the very least, this is a short hop off the highway for coffee, much closer than Courtenay and I want to get inside that museum next time I am nearby too.
For my next trip, I would love to hear where in Cumberland I need to make sure I check out. Please leave details in the comments!
