The first Europeans to explore Vancouver Island were the Spanish, under Juan de Fuca, who sailed up the west coast of the North American continent in 1592. At the time of his exploration, the area was inhabited by Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo) people, who lived in large longhouses. The remains of such buildings can still be seen in Nanaimo today.

The city of Nanaimo, located on Vancouver Island of British Columbia, is over 150 years old. It is British Columbia's third oldest city.   In 1853, the Hudson's Bay Company built a trading outpost here; however, unlike all other trading outposts established by the company, this fort focused on coal mining rather than fur trapping. Miners and their families quickly came to settle the island, and peace was quickly made with the native tribes of the region, notably the Snuneymuxw. The original Nanaimo Bastion (as the fort is known) of the first European settlers on Vancouver Island is today a museum that is open to the public May through September. The new Nanaimo Museum will open in July 2008 and will feature exhibits about the area's history.  

Up until 1860, the settlement was known as Colviletown, but in that year, the town’s name was changed to ‘Nanaimo,’ a word that comes from the language of the Snuneymuxw people, meaning ‘gathering place.’ One of the largest explosions in Canadian history occurred in this town in 1887, when the Nanaimo Mine Explosion killed 148 miners. By the mid-1900s, the coal industry had declined and lumber became a bigger player in local economy, but even today Minetown Days are sometimes celebrated on Vancouver Island.