10/07/2024
Reddit User: GrumpaDirt - There used to be Langford lake cave, it was destroyed for a highway exit. Part of it is still there, bit it's been cemented off by the city. There used to be a cave on bear mountain, they destroyed it for houses. There's "cougar cave" at the base of my Doug. I believe it's the remains of an old mine, it only goes back about 50-60 feet, and the entrance was back filled a bit, but I was able to crawl through it and I'm a pretty large man. There are old copper mines out in East Sooke park, if you can find them.
HOW DID THE SETTLERS GET HERE?
1861 – The Goldstream Trail was built to enable settlers to take a land route from Victoria to the Cowichan Valley. It was a 6 foot wide rudely built foot path that covered the 40-50 miles between Victoria and the Cowichan Valley. The trail wound gently up the southern, and down the Northern slopes of Goldstream Hill and then traversed the eastern borders of Sooke Lake and Shawnigan Lake to the west side of “Cobble Hill” through the lowlands to Dougan’s cemetery (the only untouched part of the old trail) and continuing over open terrain before turning sharply westward.
It proceeded up a gentle slope and then northward again and, approx a half mile above Cowichan Bay, it turned eastward and down the hill to tide water. The trail was impassable in many places during the winter where bridges had not yet been built but, most times, a man could drive his cattle or transport his worldly goods along to his destination. An able man could walk the distance from Cowichan Valley to Victoria in a single day if necessary. The trail was soon upgraded with bridges and culverts and increased to a width of 10 – 12 feet. This was the only road link between Victoria and the Cowichan Valley for over 50 years.
It followed an existing First Nations Trail that had been used for eons.
1862 - Steamship “Hecate” brought one hundred pioneers to Cowichan Bay, then called Harrisville, after the original settler Sam Harris
1863 – A road was built to connect Mill Bay to the Goldstream trail at Cowichan Bay. This road was later named Telegraph Road after the telegraph was strung in 1879.
1886 – The E & N railway was completed with the Last Spike driven at Cliffside by Sir John A Macdonald.
1911 - The Malahat was completed at the cost of $200 000. The first vehicle to use the route came over the ‘hat in January 1911 through 18 inches of snow. Even in the early days speed traps were set up on the highway and caught many drivers exceeding the 12 mph speed limit. The fine was $20.