No. 1 Mine
Nanaimo was founded as a coal-mining settlement in 1852. Its most productive mine, No. 1, opened in 1881. From the bottom of the main shaft, one-half mile south of here, a labyrinth of workings extended for miles under the sea. These operations were served also by a shaft on Protection Island at the harbour's entrance. Until No. 1 closed in 1838, it was the oldest operating mine in the province.
From BC's Stops of Interest