Black Gold . . .

Nanaimo was founded by the Hudson's Bay Company to exploit coal reserves discovered in the area.  On December 26, 1874, Nanaimo was incorporated as a City.  A timeline for Nanaimo is posted by the Nanaimo Daily News.

Dominion Post Office . . .

From confederation in 1867 to the early part of the twentieth century, the federal Department of Public Works employed a "Chief Dominion Architect". It was the role of this position to design all federal government buildings within the "Office of the Dominion Architect".   Several notable architects were employed in this role, including Thomas Seaton Scott (1872 – 1881), Thomas Fuller (1881 – 1896) and David Ewart. During the latter's tenure (1896-1914), a very familiar style of post office was created.

Known as "Romanesque Revival"  these buildings belong to a  large group of recognizably similar buildings across western Canada, all of which were variants on a common theme rather than identical structures shaped from a single standard plan.

All were built of limestone and brick and incorporated a clock tower.   Most were replaced by "modern" post office buildings in the 1970's and many still exist and have been re-purposed.  The only such structure on Vancouver Island is the current City Hall in Duncan, BC.

Duncan, BC City Hall
Former Dominion Post Office built in 1914