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以下の文章は、今後サイト更新時に日本語に翻訳される予定です。

Chemainus, a name derived from a Shts’emines settlement in the region, was established with the construction of a sawmill in 1862, and development was boosted by the arrival of the E&N Railway in 1888. Japanese Canadians began arriving before the turn of the twentieth century to work in the mill and nearby logging camps. The population grew to about forty families, and those not employed in the lumber industry often worked in retail, cartage, taxi services, barbering, tailoring, and laundry. Fishing boats from Chemainus harvested salmon, cod, and herring, and sold their catch to processors on Reid, Valdez, and Galiano Islands.

In 1931, there were 1,295 residents in Chemainus and approximately twenty percent were Japanese Canadians. They lived in three distinct areas of the community. The Okada Camp, located on mill property, had a store, gardens, a playground and a bunkhouse. Several Japanese Canadian families lived in Chinatown, also on mill property. The Oak Street neighbourhood (Maple and Esplanade streets), was a mix of residential and commercial properties and was where most Japanese Canadians lived.

In 1930, Edward Shige Yoshia formed the first Japanese Canadian Boy Scout troop after being excluded from the local troop. The community hall on Croft Street was the social and cultural centre of the community and the venue was used for the Kyoritsu Chemainus Japanese Language School, judo tournaments, musicals, plays, funerals, receptions, and other activities. The Chemainus Nippons baseball team played in various Vancouver Island leagues.