Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre

Courtenay, British Columbia, in the heart of the Comox Valley, has a museum. As most small cities and towns do. In 1988, the local history nature of this museum changed forever with the discovery of an Elasmosaur along the Puntledge River west of the city. With it, the modern day Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre was born.

This plesiosaur discovery is notable for being the first Elasmosaur in B.C. and the first of its kind to be found west of the Rocky Mountains. Palaeontologists from the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta helped identify the fossil. It has since been excavated and additional large reptiles have also been discovered.

The Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre has many marine fossils on display as well as offering fossil tours to see the fossil sites along the river. Notably, you are allowed to keep any fossils you find on the tour (equipment supplied). Courtenay is a lovely city with gorgeous geology on one side and Georgia Strait on the other. Stop by the museum to learn about its history and see the amazing creatures that lived here long ago.