Black Diamond City

Jan Peterson's new book, Black Diamond City, chronicles the evolution of Nanaimo from original Native settlements to coal company town to diversified Victorian-era community. She uses original diaries, journals, letters, logs, and reports to vividly describe incidents within Native, British, and Chinese communities, including the peace-making tragedy of Chief Wun-wun-shun; the horrific migrations of coal miners and settlers; and the building of the island railway. The narrative includes chiefs, coal barons, ship captains, shopkeepers, schoolteachers, miners, mayors, missionaries, explorers, and doctors, and is accompanied by an extensive mix of maps and archival photos.