The Canadian Directory of Water Towers and Standpipes is sponsored by "Understanding Your Home" Parksville - British Columbia Photo © Mark Visser Tower Information (05-2001) Location: Signage: Built: Height: Capacity: Missing tower data: Please contact us if you have more information Additional tower pictures / information Parksville Incorporated as a village in 1945, a town in 1978 and a city in 1986The first settler to this area was John Hirst in 1870. The River as it was known remained an outpost until the turn of the century when a road was built from Nanaimo. A post office soon followed, with mail distributed from the cabin of Nelson Parks, Parksville’s namesake. At that time, logging was a major industry and the extension of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E & N) Railway in 1901, spurred Parksville’s growth. City of Parksville Home BC P index

 

Additional Info Phote Credits/information: City of Parksville Tower Location: Hwy 4a and 19 Parksville, BC Tower Information: (05-2001) Built: 1908. Decommissioned: Early 1960's Height: 15.25 m. Cork float mast: 6.1 m. Capacity: 227,304 liters Water Source: Pictures taken 1991/92 Originally built for the E&N Railway line. (Esquimalt and Nanaimo) when this location (train station) was known as "McBride Junction", named after a BC Premier. "McBride" became a town on the mainland and was placed on the BC map. The confusion was too much for shipment of goods so the train station was renamed "Parksville", after the village of Parksville, which was close by and the first postmaster, Mr. Parks. The water tower was saved from demolition in the mid 1990's, removed, restored and relocated to it's current location which is about 91.5 meters west along the tracks from where it stood since it was built. It is believed that this water tower was one of maybe two or three in Canada that never had a "water jacket" around it to stop the water from freezing in the winter. The winters on Vancouver Island are temperate enough not to require this. Excluding a few pieces of wood here and there, everything is original, including the cork float that measured the water inside the tower. The wooden tower is held together with 11 adjustable steel straps. Other sites you may be interested in: Thumbnail Collection of USA Water Towers USA Water Towers and Standpipes Magnetic Hills: CA, USA, Worldwide The History of the Christian Fish Symbol   Home British Columbia Index