Duncan is located on the TransCanada Highway #1 on Vancouver Island, on the east coast of Vancouver Island, and 50 km South of Nanaimo, and 60 km north of Victoria.
Duncan is a 4,300 population town is now the commercial centre for the Cowichan Valley’s 50,000 residents. The 2,000 member Cowichan Indian band, known for their sweaters and totems, have a reservation nearby. Duncan is named for an enterprising farmer, William Duncan, who let passing coal trains in the 1880s make a whistle stop on his property.
Today, Duncan is known as the “City of Totems”, with over 41 erected since 1985, linked by a trail marked with yellow footprints. In 1988, the world’s largest totem was carved here. The town has several fine museums and attractions.
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Duncan Attractions
Quw’utsun’ Cultural and Conference Centre (formerly, The Native Heritage Centre)
200 Cowichan Way, 1 block north of Hwy 1
250-746-81198
Website
Dedicated to the preservation of the culture of Northwest Coast Indians, and offers native handicrafts and foods. See demonstrations of carving, basket weaving and interpretive dance. Allow 1 hour. Open mid-May to mid-October daily 9:30 am to 6 pm, and 10 am to 4 pm the rest of the year. Admission charged.
The Cowichan Valley Museum
130 Canada Ave, Duncan, BC V9L 3Y2
250-746-6612
Website
Come and enjoy the fascinating history of the Cowichan Valley at the Museum in the former 1912 Train Station. Local artifacts from homes, farms, and doctors, surrounded by impressive totem poles and gardens.
The Cowichan and Chemainus Valleys Ecomuseum Society
130 Canada Ave, Duncan, BC V9L 3Y2
(250-746-1611)
Website
This is a museum without walls, with tours and trips to area sites, and located on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples.
BC Forest Discovery Centre & Museum
2892 Drinkwater Rd, Duncan, V9L 6C2
Highway 1, 2 km north of town
250-746-1251
Website
40 hectares (99 acres) of Douglas fir forest. Exhibits portray the history of BC’s forestry industry through indoor and outdoor displays, including a sawmill, a planer mill, a pit saw, a blacksmith’s shop, and a working narrow-gauge steam locomotive. Open May – September daily 9 am to 6 pm. Admission charged