Crofton, British Columbia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Crofton
Community
Crofton, British Columbia Location in Vancouver Island Show map of Vancouver Island Crofton, British Columbia Location in British Columbia Show map of British Columbia
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Region	Vancouver Island
Regional district	Cowichan Valley Regional District
Municipality	North Cowichan
Population  (2021)
• Total	1,446
Time zone	UTC−08:00 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−07:00 (PDT)
Postal code	V0R 1R0

Crofton is a charming small town located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It's part of the District of North Cowichan. You can find it about 74 kilometers (46 miles) north of Victoria, just off BC Highway 1.

Crofton's Early History

Who Were the First Settlers?

In the mid-1800s, several families moved to this area. They claimed land, built homes, cut down trees for wood, and started farms. The land that would become Crofton was included when the District of North Cowichan was officially formed in 1873.

How Crofton Began with a Smelter

Henry Croft, the person Crofton is named after.

In 1900, a man named Henry Croft bought land near Osborne Bay. His plan was to build a smelter (a factory that melts metal from ore) and a town around it. Construction began in 1901.

The village of Crofton was officially started in 1902. That same year, the smelter opened. Henry Croft also extended a railway line from his copper mine to Crofton, making it easier to transport materials. However, the mine stopped working in late 1902, and the smelter closed in 1903 because it ran out of ore.

Later, in 1906, another company bought the smelter. It operated for a while but closed again in January 1908 due to falling copper prices. Henry Croft passed away in 1917, and the town named after him was struggling.

Logging and Timber in Crofton

Shipping Logs by Rail

During the 1910s, a company called Westholme Lumber Co. used a special narrow-gauge railway to bring logs from nearby forests to Crofton. By the mid-1920s, the larger Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway (E&N) also reached Crofton. This new railway line, called the Crofton Spur, helped ship logs from the Osborne Bay wharf.

Trains would bring raw logs from the forests. These logs were then prepared in the water and loaded onto ships to be sent to other places. Many timber companies, like Industrial Timbers Ltd and MacMillan Bloedel Lumber Co., used Crofton to ship out their wood products.

The Crofton Pulp and Paper Mill

The Crofton Mill, a major part of the town's industry.

The Crofton pulp and paper mill is a very important part of the town's economy. It first opened in 1957. Over the years, the company that owns the mill has changed several times.

Working Towards Cleaner Air

Sometimes, people worried about the air quality because of the mill's emissions. To help with this, a special Clean Air Concert was held on September 17, 2004. Famous musician Randy Bachman organized it to raise money for a study about the mill's emissions. Many well-known bands and artists, like the Barenaked Ladies, Neil Young, and Randy Bachman himself, performed at the concert. It took place in Duncan, which was the closest suitable place.

In 2001, a layer of ash fell over the town, staining many houses. It was discovered that the mill's burning process was the cause. The mill owners paid for a big cleanup of Crofton and improved their burning methods to prevent it from happening again.

Crofton's Ferry Service

Connecting to Salt Spring Island

The old smelter wharf in Crofton was changed into a ferry terminal. In 1955, a ferry service started from here to Salt Spring Island. Today, BC Ferries operates this route every day. Some tourists who visit Crofton also use the ferry to explore the area.

Crofton Today

Community Life and Recreation

In recent years, the community of Crofton has focused on forestry and outdoor activities.

In the early 1990s, the Crofton Community Centre Society started building a beautiful walkway along the shoreline. This path is called the Seawalk. In 2002, which was Crofton's 100th anniversary, the first part of the Seawalk was finished. By 2014, all three parts were complete. The Seawalk now stretches for over one kilometer, from the wharf and ferry terminal all the way to Crofton Beach. It's a great place for a walk!

Water and Transportation Updates

In 2000, the town's water supply was changed from Crofton Lake to the Cowichan River. This ensured a better water source for the community.

In September 2006, Crofton became part of a regional bus network. This made it easier for people to travel to nearby towns like Duncan and Chemainus. Before this, the only public bus service was a long-distance route between Victoria and Nanaimo that didn't stop in Crofton.

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