Julia Askew-First Child Of European Ancestry Born In The Chemainus Valley

Mural #18

Mural #18 - Julia Askew-First Child Of European Ancestry Born In The Chemainus Valley3.05M X 1.5M (10’ X 5’)  Mill Street
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Artist: Elizabeth Smily
Painted in 1986. Restored in 2009 by Cim MacDonald.

Julia Askew was the first of seven children born in Chemainus to Thomas George and Isabel Julia Askew. An older brother was born in Victoria two years earlier, but Julia was the first child actually born in the young community of Chemainus. She was delivered on February 22, 1871 at Horseshoe Bay, with a Native midwife in attendance.

Julia’s parents were the builders and owners of the second mill in Chemainus, and Isabel Askew continued to act as resident manager for some years after her husband’s death.