The Comox Museum is once again, open to the public.

鈥淲e are very pleased to welcome the public back to our museum,鈥� said Pam Moughton, chair of the Comox Archives and Museum Society. 鈥淥pening hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.鈥�

The newest display shows a brief timeline of Comox. The First Nations occupied the Comox area for thousands of years. However, they were decimated by the smallpox epidemic of 1862 and government policies that removed people from their hereditary lands to make way for colonial land settlement. By 1864 the K鈥檕mok鈥檚 First Nation were being confined to reservations and their former lands were made available for colonial settlement.

In the 1860s, settlers began arriving in Comox. They were given land at minimal cost in return for improvements. By 1874 a wharf was built that allowed commerce and trade with the outside world. A small community built up around the wharf. Hotels, stores, schools and churches were built and the Royal Navy established a base at Goose Spit.

Photos and maps show how the landscape changed to became present day Comox.

Comox museum is also known for its rotating vintage fashions, graciously on loan from Linda Hargreaves. The new display features cocktail dresses and accessories from the 1950s and into the 1960s when cocktail parties were stunningly popular. A major source of entertainment, everyone attending a cocktail party dressed up and the birth of the cocktail dress came about. A fun glimpse into a different era. Also on display are paper cut-out dolls from the 1940s and 50s.

The Comox Museum is located at 1729 Comox Ave., opposite the Comox Centre Mall. Admission is free.