In 1886, the last spike of the E&N railway was driven at Mile 25 - Cliffside, Shawnigan Lake. Six months later, the first hotel opened on the waterfront in a choice spot along the rail line. It didn’t take long for Shawnigan Lake to become the destination for well-to-do merrymakers from Victoria.
It was suddenly very accessible for people from Victoria to enjoy the pristine beauty of Shawnigan. The train regularly brought hundreds of visitors to Shawnigan on the E&N Railway for dances, regattas, rowing competitions, special excursions and picnics. With this surge in popularity, Victorians started buying large tracts of waterfront for summer homes early in the Century, many of which have been passed down through generations.
Lori Treloar is the Executive Director for the
Shawnigan Lake Museum. Lori grew up in Victoria, and when she was nine, her Grandmother bought a cottage for the family at Shawnigan Lake. It was love at first sight!
She moved to Shawnigan permanently in 2002. When Lori visited the Museum to volunteer, as she had a background in education, she suddenly became the person in charge. That was 20 years ago. Her passion for Shawnigan has led to contributing to the community on multiple committees, projects and the production of Shawnigan’s monthly newspaper.