On September 16, 1945 a crowd gathered at the historic Bastion in Nanaimo to honor Joseph William McKay, a British Columbian Métis. The occasion was the unveiling of the following bronze plaque commemorating Joseph William McKay as the Founder of Nanaimo. This plaque is firmly affixed to the outside wall of the Bastion in a prominent position.
Fort Nanaimo was built under the direction of the Joseph William McKay of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) in 1852 pursuant to the instructions of Governor James Douglas. The prior year McKay had learned from Chief "Coal Tyee" of the existence of coal at this site. The Fort was located on Nanaimo Harbour on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island. The settlement that grew up around this mining post has developed into the City of Nanaimo.
Today, the bastion is a museum. The second floor contains examples of the Bastion’s armament. As a defensive structure, the Bastion had two six-pount carronades for short range defense and may well have stored other firearms and gunpowder reserves. Along with the heavier cannons outside, their purpose was more ceremonial than defensive. The bell above the door on the outside of the second floor was originally mounted nearby on a nine metre pole, and was used as a signaling device, principally to announce the time, as watches and clocks were uncommon.
