Powell River Historical Museum & Archives
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ƛaʔamɛn / Lund


ƛaʔamɛn (Klah ah men)
Meaning: A place to head towards. A place of refuge.
Klah ah men was always a village site for the Tla'amin people, and the name refers to it being used as a place of refuge for the Tla'amin Nation.

"No matter which way the wind is blowing, there would always be a protected side of the bay. Our people said that some of the homes here were built up on stilts over the rocky foreshore. Lund was the site of some battles between the Tla'amin and Laichwiltach people who moved down towards Campbell River from further North. Some of these battles the Laichwiltach won, but others were won by the Tla'amin. In recent memory, elders of the Tla'amin Nation talked of fishing for herring right from the wharf using a herring rake, they were so abundant in those days they were an easy catch." - Drew Blaney, Tla'amin Nation

Klah ah men was a thriving village of permanent and winter residents and must have been an impressive and vibrant community that provided protection and refuge . With the arrival of European colonists during the last decades of the 19th century traditional ways of life and settlements were drastically changed. The implementation of the Indian Act in 1876 brought an abrupt end to the traditional Tla’amin way of life in Klah ah men and dispossessed most First Nations communities of their traditional lands as well as their cultures.

In 1889 Fred and Charles Thulin arrived, and founded a new settlement on the native village site. They built a wharf and put up buildings and services to support commercial logging and fishing. They called their settlement Lund, after a town in Sweden and because it was an easy name to remember and spell. The Thulins built a store, post office and in 1895, opened the first licensed hotel outside of Vancouver. The hotel operating today was built in 1918 after a forest fire had destroyed the original building.

In 1954, the first land route to Klah ah men/Lund was opened and saw the end of steamer services two years later. Depending whether you are an optimist or pessimist, Klah ah men/Lund is the end or beginning of Highway 101.
Picture
The following story was printed in The Powell River News, March 28, 1935. Click to enlarge.
Picture
New fisherman's harbour in Lund, 1957. (ID 2007.50.11993-2)
Aerial view of Lund looking south towards Savary Island, n.d. (ID 2007.28.2218-6)
Original Lund Hotel built in 1891 in the middle of the image. It was destroyed by fire in 1918. Photo taken in 1891 (ID 1967.2.3)
The original Lund Hotel with a fruit orchard and the Malaspina Hotel which was the second hotel built by the Thulin family, 1915. (ID 1967.27)
Malaspina Hotel in Lund. The lady on balcony extreme right is Mrs. Thulin and the man on ground extreme right is Fred Thulin, 1891. (ID 1967.2.11)
The first Lund Hotel with Fred Thulin standing behind the horse and Charles Thulin holding the wings of the eagle, 1891. (ID 1967.2.12)
Malaspina Hotel with the original Lund Hotel behind, 1900-1905. (ID 1967.2.13)
Lund: on the left is the warehouse on the wharf, and the Malaspina Hotel with the general store in front. The first Lund Hotel is in the middle . To the right; house, tug, second school building and barn, 1912. (ID1967.2.16)
Tug departing Lund; Fred Thulin on the left, and to the extreme right is Skipper Hendrickson, 1910. (ID 1967.2.21)
Remodeled beverage room/beer parlour in the Lund Hotel (the second one built). Left to right: Gerald Thulin, Cap Powell, Holger Thulin, 1947 (ID 1967223)
Lund harbour, hotel and tugs, 1915. (ID 1967.2.24)
View of the Lund Harbour, 1968. (ID 2016.13.33)
Lund Community Hall, 1990. (ID 1967.1.14771-2)
Carvers Coffee House in Lund, 1993. (ID 19671148151)
New fisherman's harbour in Lund, 1957. (ID 2007.50.11993-2)
The Lund Hotel showing the road side, parked cars and cedar trees, 1977. (ID ND010443)
Lund Hotel looking east from the wharf, 1977. (ID ND010458-2)
Lund Hotel, "Breakwater Inn" ; Roy Edmondson, Bruce Baerman, Gerald Thulin, 1962. (ID ND014944)
Lund Marina Ramp and Floats., 1964. (ID ND015552)
Lund Building Machine Shop; built in 1906 by Frank Osborne, photo taken, 1969. (ID ND017481)
Lund Aerial View of Water Front, 1969. (ID ND017930)
Lund Breakwater, 1969. (ID ND017930-4)
Lund Marine Limited (Sorensen's), 1971. (ID ND019152)
The nameplate, all that is left of the old steamboat The City of Lund, now hangs over the stage of the Lund Community Hall. Mrs. Jens Sorensen, social convener of the Lund community club admires the nameplate, a reminder of the early history of the town, 1971. (ID ND019153).
The tug, Dolphin, built in Lund in 1902 by Charles and Fred Thulin, 1915. (ID ND026523)
Lund; New Fisheman's harbour, 1956. (ID ND026532)
Lund Boardwalk, 1990. (ID ND027100)
Eileen Whittle adds new extension to the Lund Handcrafts, 1976. (ID ND028161)
Fully operational water wheel near the Lund harbour. The wheel is fed by a flume and was built by Katimavik students in 1977. Photo taken in 1980. (ID ND029294)
Dance Band playing at Lund. Included are: Bert Ouston, Rod McAllister, Jim Tait, and Rhoda Simpson, 1930-39. (ID ph001987)
Lund, harbour, hotel, and boats, 1954. (ID PH003452)
Picture

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  • Exhibits
    • Current Exhibits
    • Forestry Building
    • Virtual Exhibits >
      • Symphonies of the Sunshine Coast
      • Capturing Mountains
      • Story of Cedar
      • Powell River Firsts
      • Rod LeMay Collection
  • Collections
    • Objects
    • Archives >
      • Research Requests
      • Indexes & Finding Aids
      • Archival Descriptions
      • Powell River Digester
      • Phone Books & Directories
      • Good Citizen
      • Record of Military Service
    • Local History Books
  • Programs
    • Public Programs >
      • Speaker Series
      • Artifact
      • Papermaking
    • School Programs >
      • Educator's Survey
    • Online Programs >
      • Portal To the Past
      • The Coast Memoirs
      • A Taste of Powell River's History
      • The Crafty Corner
      • Blast from the Past
      • Dive Into the Archives
    • Historical Tours
    • Memoirs
  • Learn
    • First Nations History
    • Place Names
    • Forestry History
    • Community History
    • Heritage Stops
    • Blog
  • Support
    • Membership
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Careers
  • About
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Name Change
    • Our Mandate
    • News & Reports
    • Staff & Board
    • Contact Us