Genoa Bay, a wee history…

In 1848, at the age of 10, Giovanni Baptiste Ordano left Italy aboard his uncle’s sailing ship. By 1858 he was a 20-year-old pioneering merchant-trader en route to Cowichan Bay when he notices a small bay to starboard of the entrance to Cowichan Bay and names it Genoa Bay after his birthplace in Italy.  Ordano settles in Cowichan Bay and opens the first store in the area, trading with the Austrian, French and Greek fishermen.

Today our cafe sits on the site of the Genoa Bay Sawmill that was started around 1873 by W.J. Sutton.  At the time it was the largest sawmill in BC and provided most of the wood used to rebuild the San Francisco and Toronto waterfronts. The mill owned large timber berths at Lake Cowichan and would float logs down the Cowichan River, across Cowichan Bay into Genoa Bay.

At its peak the mill employed 125 people and included 61 buildings on its 25-acre site. There was a 112-person rooming house, post office, mill office, lumber sheds, machine shop, stores, a school, recreation hall, numerous company dwellings and a church.  Ships from all nations loaded at the wharves in this sheltered bay. In 1909 a carpenter was making 40 cents an hour, mill hands 2.50 for a 10-hour day and the Chinese workers 12.5 - 15 cents per hour.   

The sawmill ran continuously from 1895 -1925. One reason for the closure was due to a lack of water supply.  Fresh water for the boilers had to be brought over by tanker scow from Burgoyne Bay on Salt Spring Island. “The mill was shutting down intermittently due to an inconsistent water supply and the owner at the time, Mr. Cameron grew tired of this”. ~ Excerpt from Vic Palmer, a saw filer for the Cameron Lumber Company in Genoa Bay 1920

The big “rock” in front of our patio is actually a slag pile, the result of saw filings that were swept into the ocean for 30 years through a hole in the saw filing room floor.

From 1925-1935 the site was in the care of a night watchman, then in 1935 the machinery was dismantled, wharves were rotting and buildings decaying.  On October 4, 1941 permission was given to burn the abandoned sawmill down by the provincial police. Some buildings were salvaged and re-purposed and remain today on private properties in the bay.  Rumors then began that a resort was coming to the old mill site.

It was in 1946 that a new life began for the bay.  Former RCNVR officers RB Bush, FC Russell and JC Davie built a lodge/resort complex with 21 small dwellings, a 12-room lodge for fishermen and a 17-room main lodge with a dining room, a lounge, dance floor and an indoor sports facility.  The resort also included a swimming pool, tennis court, boat sheds and extensive docks.  

In May of 1959 Mr. William Morgan bought the property. So say newspapers of the time, that he was a descendant of Henry Morgan, the buccaneer-turned-governor of the Bahama Islands and other Morgan “rum” people. This had now become the “in” place to vacation and a going concern. Float planes made scheduled stops into the bay on weekends. Boats ran back and forth to Victoria and Vancouver.  Athletic young chaps were known to paddle canoes over from Oak Bay to partake in the Saturday night dances. 

Lack of fresh water continued to hinder the area as it was still being hauled over from Burgoyne Bay.  Captain Morgan departed the lodge in 1964. The core of the building that we sit in today was originally the stores building for the sawmill.  Sometime between 1968-1970 the building was dragged down the hill to the ocean side and re-purposed as a marine supply counter and cafe (apparently, they made great pies) hence the name that it still carry’s today. 

During one of the many renovations/additions’ newspaper clippings from the Victoria Colonist circa 1948 were found in the walls of what is now the kitchen.  The 70’s and 80’s saw additions to the core building to extend what is now the main dining area, followed by the alcove dining area, a new front door and the guest bathroom. In the late 80’s a door was cut into the north facing wall and the outdoor patio was added.

The building had a brief name change in the 90’s but was later returned to its original name.  

Large steel posts and our patio sail were added in 2017 to protect our guests from sun, rain, birds and flying umbrella’s.   

Through the decades the dining areas of the cafe were increased yet the kitchen has stayed at its original size.  We are at our kitchen’s capacity to be able to serve great food in a timely fashion long before all of our seats are filled. Please be patient with us in our attempt to serve you house prepared, locally sourced (as much as possible) meals in our unique cafe, crooked floors, drafty walls and all! 

We love our days in this magical bay in this very special part of the world and we hope that you enjoy your time here as well. Whether you found us by accident, read about us, were recommended to us or we see you every week we thank you for spending your time with us!