Founded in 1913

Founded as a sawmill town in 1913, Youbou embraces a rich past that's closely tied to the trees, mountains, and lake around it.

Dive into our history in the interactive timeline below.

Pre-Colonial

The Ts'uubaa-asatx — People of the Lake

Long before any sawmill or railway, the land around Cowichan Lake was home to the Ts'uubaa-asatx people, whose name translates to "People of the Lake." Their traditional territory spans the entire Cowichan Lake watershed. The lake itself was known as Kaatza, the Cowichan word for "big lake." The Ts'uubaa-asatx are linguistically and culturally distinct from their Cowichan neighbours, with roots to the Ditidaht group of peoples who originally spoke a South Wakashan language.

1887

Ashdown Green's survey

Surveyor Ashdown Green reported that the Ts'uubaa-asatx had once been a large tribe but had been nearly wiped out by conflict with the Cowichan Tribes and Ditidaht. Early European settlers described them as a small group living in bark-constructed houses. Their population had declined dramatically due to warfare, diseases brought by European settlers, and the forcible seizure of their land.

1913

Empire Lumber Company starts up a saw mill. The photo shows the steam skidder that was brought up the lake in 1913 to Cottonwood (before it was named Youbou) and was used in logging the then future town site of Youbou and to supply logs for the new lumber mill.

1918

First lumber shipped from Cottonwood Mill

The Cottonwood Mill, also known as the Medina Mill, shipped its first load of sawn lumber. The mill had been built by Empire Lumber Company in 1913 to process smaller logs, but its first shipment was delayed by the First World War.

1922

Mill boom and bust

By 1922, the mill could cut 30,000 feet of lumber per day with 30 employees. But a recession in late 1922 shut the mill down until 1925.

1925

Miss Redhead's class of 1927

The first Yount School opens at Mile 83 on the CNR line, in a converted bunkhouse. The first teacher was 18-year-old Eleanor Redhead, with 13 students including three from Sweden who spoke no English. The school had no paint inside or out — just bare boards. Windows on the south side gave a view of Cowichan Lake. Students' feet were always cold in winter as wind blew up through cracks in the floor. Here you see Miss Redhead's class of 1927 on the steps of the original school.

1926

The town's name changes from Cottonwood to Youbou (after CC YOUnt and W BOUton). CNR gas car service extends to Youbou. Youbou Post Office is established. Stanley Gordon opens the first store.

1928

Construction begins on a new sawmill.

1929

Industrial Timber Mills takes over the mill. The road to Youbou opens to traffic. Vancouver Island Coach Lines starts bus service to Youbou.

1930

Youbou Road officially opens

1931

Youbou residents own and operate 42 cars. Direct mail service starts. First sea plane lands at Youbou. By this year there were 31 students in the former bunkhouse school.

1932

Nixon Creek logging operation closes

Closure of the logging operation at Nixon Creek brought the total number of students at the bunkhouse school up to 38. A larger school was sorely needed.

1933

ITM Mill is used as a background for the first Canadian talkie movie, Crimson West.

1934

Yount School class of 1934

Mr. Roy H. Temple's class at the first Yount School — the converted bunkhouse at Mile 83 on the CNR line. This was one of the last classes held in the original school before the new building opened in September 1935.

1935

A new two-roomed Yount Elementary School (70' x 30' with an 8' basement) opens on Hemlock Street in September, named after C.C. Yount, Vice-President of the Empire Logging Company. The first principal was Charles Herbert Christopher with 16 senior students; Miss Addie Mitzie Thicke taught 26 juniors.

1937

The Community Hall is built.

1938

The Community Church is built, housing Catholic, United, Anglican, Lutheran, and Seven Day Adventists. Plymouth Brethren (Sunday afternoon service) and Oxford Group are said to have worshipped in the church as well. A wooden dam is built on Youbou Creek and a second one is installed up the creek.

1939

In the first week of World War II, 34 men leave the Youbou Sawmill to join the Armed Forces. A ship carrying lumber from Industrial Timber Mills is torpedoed and sunk en route to England. By the end of March, Yount School was filled to capacity with 80 students, indicating a third classroom was needed.

1940

A branch of the Canadian Red Cross is formed at Youbou.

1940

A branch of the Canadian Red Cross is formed at Youbou. A third classroom opens at Yount School in January, along with added toilet facilities and improved lighting.

1941

Mill day shift workers

This image depicts 15 day shift workers from the #2 and #3 Planer

They are positioned inside a warehouse amidst tall stacks of wooden planks, with six on a dolly, seven standing, and two on elevated metal joists. The primary function of the planer, their key equipment, is refining rough lumber to specific dimensions.

1942

An East Indian cremation is performed at the mouth of Cottonwood Creek. Two more classrooms are added to Yount School.

1943

The fourth drive for Victory Bonds and War Savings Stamps totals nearly $47,000 in 10 days. The first Youbou Regatta is held. The Snack Bar is built, with the second story being added in November 1948.

1944

The Woodland Theatre opens. A forest fire burns 7 miles of mountainside behind Youbou. The paving of Youbou highway is completed. The police station opens on May 15, housing an office and a jail cell.

1945

Yount School is recognized as "one of the most modern and best equipped schools in the country." The first kindergarten starts with Mrs. Bruce as teacher. The Youbou Dumbbells baseball team plays in Provincial Championships — Vancouver Island Champs in 1945, 1946, and 1947.

1946

British Columbia Forest Products purchases the mill. The first May Day Celebrations are held at Yount Elementary. On June 23 at 10:13 a.m., Canada's largest recorded on-land earthquake (magnitude 7.3) struck central Vancouver Island. In Youbou, a piece of land at the mouth of Cottonwood Creek dropped into Cowichan Lake, triggering a localized tsunami and permanently altering the lake's west shore. The Open Burner, which burned for 20 years, is dismantled when a barker is installed.

1947

The Canadian Citizenship Act allows residents to obtain citizenship regardless of country of origin, enabling South Asian families to grow deeper roots in Youbou. Multiple generations would go on to work the mill as a means of raising their families and building lives. A Pro-Rec (Provincial Recreation) League plays in the Cowichan Lake area.

1948

Yount School expands again

By 1948 there were 167 children in Grades 1 to 8 and 47 in kindergarten. Another two-room addition was added along with a radio and intercom system. The Youbou Flying Club forms. A bunkhouse fire is started by arson and kills 2 men.

1949

A flood at Cottonwood Creek takes out the bridge and the railway crossing at Yap Alley

1950

A fire starts on the south side of lake, looking over (Billy) Goat Island.

1951

Youbou Bowling Lanes and upper hall are built adjacent to the Community Hall. The community now has three grocery stores: Brunings Low-Cost Grocery, Hills and Norm's Market, and the Red and White department store.

1952

A branch of the Royal Bank of Canada opens in Youbou. The police station closes in November. The post office name "Youbou" is formally adopted on March 6.

1953

Yount Elementary School 1953

Yount Elementary School

1954

Youbou receives automatic telephone service.

1955

Youbou gets power from BC Power Commission for a cost of $85,000. Timberjack, which had its beginning at Youbou, is shown at the Woodland Theatre. On November 3, a torrential downpour demolishes the Hydro Station on Coon Creek.

1956

The Youbou Mill whistle ends twenty-five (25) years of service. Youbou Television Ltd. brings TV to the community by Clarence Severson (the first in BC).

1957

The last logs are dumped into Cowichan Lake from Nitinat. The camp is closed.

1958

The last CNR steam train leaves Youbou.

1974

On November 18th, the Frog Rock is blasted away in front of a home.

1984

The longest craneway in the British Commonwealth (half mile) is dismantled.

1985

The Snack Bar burns to the ground. The 50th Anniversary for Yount School is held.

1987

Yount School renovation

Renovations costing more than $120,000 were completed. This included removing a section that had been added in the 1940s and bringing the whole school up to modern standards.

1988

The Youbou Post Office closes on February 24, but post boxes remain open until about 2000, when super boxes are installed throughout Youbou. The fire department uses the building. The last train leaves Youbou on March 27, with few cars because of the condition of the rails. The caboose from that train is at the Kaatza Station Museum in Lake Cowichan. The sawmill is purchased by Fletcher Challenge, then later by TimberWest.

1994

A new firehall is built, funded by the Cowichan Valley Regional District.

2000

The sawmill is closed and dismantled in 2001.

2001

On January 26, TimberWest closes the Youbou sawmill, throwing 220 workers into unemployment and ending 73 years of continuous production. The closure was connected to the removal of Clause 7 from Tree Farm Licence 46, which had contractually tied wood to the Youbou mill. TimberWest pivoted to exporting raw logs rather than processing locally. The closure sparked the Youbou TimberLess Society, which forged a historic "Tree-Huggers and Tree-Cutters Alliance" — displaced workers and environmentalists uniting against raw log exports and old-growth liquidation. The 50th Anniversary is held for Youbou Lanes.

2007

Yount Elementary School closes in June after enrollment plunged to just 13 students, six years after the sawmill went silent.

2008

Yount School re-opens temporarily

Yount School re-opened to take in A.B. Greenwell School students and staff after their school closed due to mold contamination. A water system is completed throughout Youbou in three sections (Creekside/Lakeside, Central from Price Road to Youbou Bar & Grill, and Townsite) with the ability to link them.

2013

Yount School permanently closes

Yount School permanently closed on June 30 after 77 years in operation. The Youbou Community Association began exploring repurposing initiatives for the school in 2015, including plans for a daycare, affordable housing, a café, and overnight accommodation for visitors heading to west coast trails.

2024

Cowichan Lake Arts Centre opens

The Cowichan Lake Arts and Culture Society (CLAC) opened the Cowichan Lake Arts Centre on Youbou Road, run as an artist cooperative with a shop, open studio, workshop space, and gallery. It serves not just Youbou but the wider Cowichan Lake area.

2025

Arts Centre celebrates first anniversary

The Cowichan Lake Arts Centre celebrated its first anniversary in early 2025, marking a year of community gatherings, exhibitions, and workshops.

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The History of Youbou

Before Youbou: The Ts'uubaa-asatx

Long before any sawmill or railway, the land around Cowichan Lake belonged to the Ts'uubaa-asatx people — whose name translates to "People of the Lake" — and who have resided along Cowichan Lake since time immemorial. Their traditional territory spans the entire Cowichan Lake watershed, including the mountain ranges circling the lake and all tributaries flowing into it. Due to its central Vancouver Island location, the area was a distinct trading zone with neighbouring tribes.

The Ts'uubaa-asatx are linguistically and culturally distinct from their Cowichan neighbours. They are a distinct tribe with roots to the Ditidaht group of peoples, who originally spoke a South Wakashan (Nootkan) language. Over time, they adopted the Hul'qumi'num dialect of their dominant Salish neighbours and are now classified as part of the Hul'qumi'num linguistic group. They are currently working to revive their original language and culture with support from the Nuu-chah-nulth and Ditidaht peoples.

The lake itself was known as Kaatza — the Cowichan word for "big lake." At over 30 km long, Cowichan Lake is the second-largest freshwater lake on Vancouver Island, after Kennedy Lake.

The Ts'uubaa-asatx were once a numerous people, but their population declined dramatically due to warfare with neighbouring tribes to protect their land, diseases brought by European settlers (smallpox, flu, and others), and the forcible seizure of their land. In 1887, surveyor Ashdown Green reported that they had once been a large tribe but had been nearly wiped out by conflict with the Cowichan Tribes and Ditidaht. Early European settlers described them as a small group living in bark-constructed houses.

The impacts of colonization continued well into the 20th century. Their children were forced to attend Residential School, scattering families far from home. Many never returned. Racism drove more members away. Today, approximately 30 people reside on the reserve, with many more wanting to come back home. The Nation is actively working on cultural revitalization, economic development, and treaty negotiations as part of the Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group.

Cottonwood Becomes Youbou

The area where Youbou sits was originally called Cottonwood. The Empire Lumber Company secured large blocks of timber around Caycuse and Youbou in the early 1900s. By 1913, the E&N Railway's Cowichan Lake subdivision was completed, providing a rail link from Duncan to Lake Cowichan. Separately, Canadian National Railway built their own line to Youbou from Deerholme — this CNR line was extended to Cottonwood by 1925.

Empire Lumber Company built a small mill at Cottonwood in 1913 to process smaller logs. The Cottonwood Mill, also known as the Medina Mill, shipped its first load of sawn lumber in 1918, after delays caused by the First World War.

The town's name changed from Cottonwood to Youbou around 1927–28, named after two officers of the Empire Lumber Company: C.C. Yount, the general manager, and W. Bouton (also spelled "Bouten" in some sources), the president. CNR gas car service extended to Youbou at the same time. The post office name "Youbou" was formally adopted on March 6, 1952.

The Mill Town Era (1920s–2001)

By the mid-1920s the mill was growing fast. By 1922, it could cut 30,000 feet per day with 30 employees. A recession in late 1922 shut the mill down until 1925. The modern-day Youbou mill was constructed in 1927, and by 1925–28 the operation was producing 30,000–40,000 board feet of lumber daily. It was, according to cowichanlake.ca, possibly the oldest freshwater sawmill in BC. Its craneway was described by Canada's Historic Places registry as one of the longest craneways in the British Empire in the early 1900s. The Kaatza Station Museum describes the mill at its peak as "the largest mill in Western Canada" — though the federal Historic Places registry uses the more conservative description of "one of the largest sawmills in the Lake Cowichan area." The truth likely depends on the era being referenced.

The community infrastructure followed the mill's growth. The first school was operational by at least 1927 (a converted bunkhouse). A new and much larger Yount Elementary School opened on Hemlock Street in September 1935, and by 1945 it was recognized as one of the country's most modern and best-equipped schools. In 1929, an eight-mile stretch of highway was completed connecting Youbou with Lake Cowichan. The Community Hall was built in 1937, and the Community Church was built the same year — notably housing Catholic, United, Anglican, Lutheran, Seventh Day Adventist, Plymouth Brethren (Sunday afternoon), and Oxford Group services all under one roof.

Other community milestones from the YCA timeline: by 1935, Youbou residents owned 42 cars. Direct mail service started. The first seaplane landed at Youbou. In 1928, the ITM mill was used as a backdrop for the first Canadian talkie movie, Crimson West. A Snack Bar was built in the mid-1940s, the Woodland Theatre opened, and a police station with an office and jail cell opened in 1951. By 1951, the community had three grocery stores: Brunings Low-Cost Grocery, Hills and Norm's Market, and the Red and White department store.

At its peak, Youbou reached around 2,000 residents.

The South Asian Canadian Story

One of the most significant threads in Youbou's history is the role of South Asian Canadian workers, primarily Sikh Canadians. Youbou is one of several Cowichan Valley towns with a significant South Asian community history stretching back over 130 years, deeply tied to the forestry industry from the early 20th century until the 1980s.

The mill site has been recognized for its historic, cultural, social, and economic significance to the history of South Asian Canadians in BC. It employed many South Asian immigrants and represents their contribution to the province's resource-based economy. This significance grew especially after 1947, when the Canadian Citizenship Act allowed residents to obtain citizenship regardless of country of origin, resulting in the growth of South Asian families in Youbou. Multiple generations worked the mill as a means of raising their families and building lives.

The labour movement was central to this story. Organizer Darshan Singh Sangha, who arrived in BC as a 19-year-old UBC student in 1937, used Punjabi-language pamphlets and fiery rhetoric to rally South Asian workers to the International Woodworkers of America (IWA). When the Youbou mill manager tried to evict Sangha for talking to the workforce, 90 South Asian employees gathered outside in the rain and told the boss that if he were thrown out, they would all leave too. Sangha was allowed to stay. By 1943, the IWA sub-local at Youbou reported that South Asian workers were 100% unionized.

The Cowichan Lake area was, alongside Paldi and other mill towns, one of the formative communities for BC's South Asian diaspora. Bunkhouses and cookhouses served the labourers at the mill, and the community eventually connected to the Lake Cowichan Sikh Temple, which still stands today.

The 1946 Earthquake

In June 1946, Youbou was shaken by one of the most significant geological events in Canadian history. On June 23 at 10:13 a.m., Canada's largest recorded on-land earthquake struck, centred in the Forbidden Plateau area of central Vancouver Island near Courtenay.

The magnitude is cited differently depending on the measurement method: commonly given as 7.3 on the Richter scale (per Natural Resources Canada and many local sources), though modern moment magnitude estimates range from 7.0 to 7.2. Shaking was felt from Portland, Oregon to Prince Rupert, BC. The earthquake knocked down 75% of chimneys in the closest communities and caused extensive landslides across the island.

Per local records preserved in the YCA timeline, the earthquake caused a piece of land at the mouth of Cottonwood Creek to drop into Cowichan Lake, triggering a localized tsunami and permanently altering the lake's west shore. This specific local impact is documented in community history sources but is not prominently featured in the broader seismological literature, which focuses on the island-wide damage and the dramatic rock avalanche at Mount Colonel Foster that created Landslide Lake.

The Mill Closure and Aftermath

On January 26, 2001, TimberWest closed its Youbou sawmill, throwing 220 workers into unemployment and ending 73 years of continuous production (dating from the 1927/28 modern mill construction). The company claimed unprofitability, but this was widely contested.

The closure was connected to a controversial deal: Clause 7 of Tree Farm Licence 46, which contractually tied wood from TFL 46 to the Youbou mill, was edited out of the renewed TFL 46 contract in 1997 by ministry bureaucrats under NDP Forests Minister David Zirnhelt. TimberWest then pivoted to exporting raw, unprocessed logs to US and Asian mills rather than processing them locally.

The closure was the last for the sawmilling industry on Cowichan Lake and had a devastating impact on the regional economy. But it also sparked something unexpected: the Youbou TimberLess Society, formed by displaced workers, forged a historic alliance with environmentalists — dubbed the "Tree-Huggers and Tree-Cutters Alliance." Both groups united against raw log exports and the liquidation of old-growth forests, paving the way for cooperation between forestry workers and environmental organizations across the Island.

The Youbou Mill site is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places, recognized for its significance to South Asian Canadian history and BC's forestry heritage. One source (Vancouver Island View blog) dates the registration to February 2020, though the exact date could not be independently confirmed from official sources. What remains of the physical site consists mostly of wharf remnants and wood pilings, visible at a distance from the town.

Youbou Today

Youbou is home to roughly 1,400–1,450 people. The mill is long gone, but the town is far from a ghost of its industrial past — it's a living, active community that's found a new identity.

The bones of the old town are still standing: the 1937 Community Hall remains the centre of community life, hosting bowling, dances, pickleball, and events year-round. The Community Church is still active, with services and community gatherings. The volunteer fire department continues to serve the area.

The commercial heart of Youbou is small but vital. The Youbou Bar & Grill is the neighbourhood pub and restaurant with a lakeside patio. Arise Café is both a coffee shop and a community gathering point. The grocery store and gas station round out the essentials — without them, it would be a long drive to Lake Cowichan for basics. These aren't just businesses; they're the infrastructure that keeps a small town functioning.

The arts scene is thriving. The Cowichan Lake Arts and Culture Society (CLAC) opened the Cowichan Lake Arts Centre on Youbou Road in 2024, run as an artist cooperative with a shop, open studio, workshop space, and gallery. It serves not just Youbou but the wider Cowichan Lake area, and celebrated its first anniversary in early 2025.

There's a lot happening on any given weekend. Live music has become a regular fixture — at the hall, the pub, and Arise Café — ranging from community music nights to punk fests to themed dance parties. Drag shows have drawn sold-out crowds. The Youbou Community Association (YCA) anchors the calendar with yearly traditions like Crab Fest, the New Year's Eve party, and the Broom Bust invasive species campaign, alongside publishing the Youbou Connector newsletter and keeping the community connected online.

Arbutus Park still has the Big Pool. The logging roads still head west toward Nitinat and Bamfield. And the annual Youbou Regatta still marks the heart of summer. Youbou has evolved from a company town into something more resilient — a community held together not by a single employer, but by the people who choose to be there.

Key Sources

  • Ts'uubaa-asatx Nation (tsuubaaasatx.ca) and Ts'uubaa-asatx Economic Development (tsuubaaasatx-ecdev.ca)
  • Canada's Historic Places Registry — Youbou Mill (historicplaces.ca)
  • Kaatza Station Museum & Archives (kaatzastationmuseum.ca)
  • Youbou Community Association — Then & Now timeline (youbouyca.com)
  • Wikipedia — Youbou, British Columbia; Lake Cowichan First Nation; 1946 Vancouver Island Earthquake
  • Union Zindabad — Darshan Singh Sangha (pressbooks.pub/unionzindabad)
  • South Asian Canadian Digital Archive (sacda.ca)
  • Ancient Forest Alliance — "The Closure of the Youbou Sawmill, 10 Years Later"
  • Vancouver Island View — "Explore Youbou and its Hidden Charms" (vancouverislandview.com)
  • cowichanlake.ca — Youbou community page
  • vancouverisland.com — Youbou page
  • BC Geographical Names (apps.gov.bc.ca)
  • Natural Resources Canada — Earthquakes Canada (earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca)
  • Lake Cowichan Gazette — "The Big Three Cowichan Lake Area Lumber Mills"
  • Cowichan Valley Citizen — "New Cowichan Lake Arts Centre opens in Youbou" (June 2024); "Cowichan Lake Arts Centre celebrates first year in Youbou" (April 2025)
  • Cowichan Lake Arts and Culture Society (cowichanlakeartsandculture.org)
  • Youbou Community Association — Youbou Connector newsletters (youbouyca.com)