View source for Colliery Dam Park

[[File:Colliery-Dam-path.jpg|thumb|right|One of many paths at Colliery Dam Park, across the street from [[827 Nanaimo Lakes Road]]. <small>(Photo:&nbsp;Richard&nbsp;Powell)</small>]]

[[File:Colliery-Dam-bedrock.jpg|thumb|right|Moss-covered bedrock at Colliery Dam Park, exposed due to seismic activity resulting from the [[#Chase River Fault|Chase River Fault]] which runs below the park. <small>(Photo:&nbsp;David&nbsp;Stanley)</small>]]

[[File:Colliery Map.png|thumb|right|Map of notable locations in the Colliery Dam Park area. The red dot denotes Lisa's [[burial]] location.<small>(Click&nbsp;to&nbsp;enlarge)</small>|link=https://lisamarieyoung.ca/w/images/5/52/Colliery_Map.png]]<!--Media:Colliery_Map.png]]-->

== History ==

'''Colliery Dam Park''' (with adjacent ''Nanaimo Lakes Road Park'') is a million-square-meter (1km²) forested public park in Nanaimo, located between Harewood Mines Road and Nanaimo Lakes Road. The park features a network of trails, dog off-leash area, as well as free swimming and fishing.<ref>Brent Patterson, Council of Canadians (June 16, 2014), ''[https://canadians.org/analysis/win-colliery-dam-park-saved "Win! Colliery Dam Park Saved!"]''</ref>

The Colliery Dams were built in 1910 by the Western Fuel Company to supply water for coal washing and use by miners, mules and horses in the mines, and subsequently supplied water to most of the homes in South Harewood.<ref name="n20220101"><span class="n logo"></span>Nanaimo Parks, Rec & Culture (January 1, 2022), ''[https://www.nanaimo.ca/parks-search/Parks/12-Colliery-Dam-Park "Colliery Dam Park"]'' <span style='font-size:66%;'>n20220101</span></ref>

In 2012 the city announced they would remove the dams due to seismic risks,<ref name="nnb20121030">Toby Gorman, <span class="nnb logo"></span>Nanaimo News Bulletin (October 30, 2012), ''[https://www.nanaimobulletin.com/news/city-approves-removal-of-two-dams-in-colliery-dam-park-1019189 "City approves removal of two dams in Colliery Dam Park"]'' <span style='font-size:66%;'>nnb20121030</span></ref> but after considerable [https://www.collierydams.org public protest], $7 million was spent to save the dams.<ref name="n20161003">Poul Rosen, <span class="n logo"></span>City of Nanaimo (October 3, 2016), [https://www.nanaimo.ca/docs/your-government/projects/2015-colliery/update-1.pdf ''"Lower Colliery Dam - Auxiliary Spillway Final Costs"'' <span class="pdf icon"></span>] <span style='font-size:66%;'>n20161003</span></ref>

'''Colliery Dam Park is directly across the street from [[827 Nanaimo Lakes Road]]''' and was rumoured to have significance to Lisa's disappearance.

This page lists some of these reported ties.

<big><u>See also</u></big>
* The dams are a registered federal [https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=6181 heritage site].
* [[wikipedia:Chase_River#Colliery_Dam_Park|Colliery Dam Park & Chase River Fault]] on Wikipedia
* [https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Ananaimo.ca+colliery+dam+park Colliery Dam Park] on <span class="logo n"></span>nanaimo.ca
* Colliery Dam [https://www.nanaimo.ca/parks-search/Parks/12-Colliery-Dam-Park Park info]
* [[:File:Geotechnical-Report-Colliery-Dam-2014.pdf]]
* [[:File:Colliery-Dam design-alternatives-2015.pdf]]

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== Harewood Mines &times; Nanaimo Parkway ==

{{NDN20020725-psychic2.png}}

Following a tip received soon after Lisa's disappearance from a Pennsylvanian psychic, 
Lisa's grandfather Chief Moses Martin led a team of Tla-o-qui-aht band members to search ''"an area just south of the Parkway near the Harewood Mines Road area"'' on July&nbsp;24<sup>th</sup>,&nbsp;2002.{{NDN20020725}}

The area searched is about 700 metres from the location of the [[827 Nanaimo Lakes Road|1<sup>st</sup> houseparty]] to which Lisa and Dallas were taken on Canada Day 2002<!-- &mdash; and Lisa's actual burial location.{{Hand1}}-->.{{NDN20030529}}{{CN20201217}}{{Hand2}}

<br style="clear:both"><small>Google Street View from Nanaimo Parkway at Harewood Mines Road, Nanaimo circa 2009</small>
<shtml keyname="lmykey" hash="e205b6cabc59941c6abc6595928fff545e290eef2ebd5728d66d68b5320048c8"><iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!4v1712983291410!6m8!1m7!1snznvO1evOe1D9AD9-x2Nhw!2m2!1d49.14218185943755!2d-123.9650234478442!3f333.25974483256067!4f-2.3267182777575925!5f2.299968626952992" width="100%" height="400" allowfullscreen loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" title="Google Street View of Nanaimo Parkway at Harewood Mines Road"></iframe></shtml>

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== Upper Reservoir ==

{{NDN20030726a.png}}

Around July 25<sup>th</sup>, 2003, a pair of Tla-o-qui-aht divers &nbsp; Lisa’s uncles, Andrew Jackson and Terry Tom{{NDN20030726}} &nbsp; attempted an underwater search of a water reservoir at the Colliery Dam,{{NDN20030725}} following a tip from [[wikipedia:Chemainus|Chemainus]] psychic Christine Brant, who claims to be a medium. Brant said she connected to Lisa and the missing woman ''"described an area with three connected bodies of water, a flat-roofed building and grown-in paths."''. Don Young, Lisa's father, said the description fits the Colliery Dam area, and, in fact, the family believes Lisa was at [[827 Nanaimo Lakes Road|a party]] just a few blocks away on the night she went missing led to the underwater search. ''"It's frustrating for us that, after all this time, Lisa still hasn't been found,"'' he said. ''"My family is looking for closure."''{{NDN20030726}}{{NDN20030725}} The dive found no signs of Lisa.{{NDN20030729}}

The reservoir is about 400 meters from the location of the [[827 Nanaimo Lakes Road|1<sup>st</sup> houseparty]] to which Lisa and Dallas were taken on Canada Day 2002{{NDN20030529}}{{CN20201217}}{{Hand2}}<!-- &mdash; and Lisa's actual [[burial]] location.{{Hand1}}-->.

<span style="font-size:92%"><span class="info" style="height:15px; width:15px; background-size:15px 15px;"></span>''News reports differ on whether the Upper or Lower reservoir was the target of the search.''{{NDN20030726}}{{NDN20060707}}</span>

<small>Google Street View of Upper Colliery Dam reservoir, Nanaimo circa 2009</small>
<shtml hash="0cceea355819f94305c9d83dfb1d3fb111c05672d21c2e0d1981f59e89268954"><iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!4v1665999799608!6m8!1m7!1s79X7y0_5U2ydAwXOAypkYA!2m2!1d49.14832454764027!2d-123.9670338799327!3f194.00374941635295!4f-8.71229596936358!5f0.6459416816999902" width="100%" height="350" allowfullscreen loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" title="Google Street View from Upper Colliery Dam"></iframe></shtml>

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== Dogwalker's Distress ==

Around 6:30pm on July 1<sup>st</sup>, 2002, a man walking his dog with friends at Colliery Dam Park claimed that he experienced a brief yet intense period of emotional disturbance. <!-- The man stated firmly that he does not believe in psychics, nor other "supernatural" events, comparing the experience to an electric charge passing through him, but with a specific, identifiable set of negative emotions, travelling through the park in a straight line.--> Afterwards, the man was immediately convinced that someone had just died, violently, nearby. This was 3 days before the news of Lisa’s disappearance was first in the newspaper.{{Hand1}}

The following day the man returned to the park and began an organized search that continued into 2003.  <!--Once news of Lisa’s disappearance was in the news, he said he was sure that she was who he had been searching for.-->

The incident occurred exactly 1 kilometre from the location of the [[827 Nanaimo Lakes Road|1<sup>st</sup> houseparty]] to which Lisa and Dallas were taken on Canada Day 2002.{{NDN20030529}}{{CN20201217}}{{Hand2}}<!-- &mdash; and Lisa's actual burial location.{{Hand1}}--> Both locations lie upon the [[#Chase River Fault|Chase River Fault]].

<small>Google Street View of the actual location of the "dogwalker's incident", near Lower Colliery Dam's reservoir</small>
<shtml hash="1df5b8a32459e53a9a497a94946c2d16d3a6cb7faf6486849d3449f94a65f038"><iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!4v1712982300657!6m8!1m7!1sA7tAyOapphmVPuve0GAG6Q!2m2!1d49.14892555220162!2d-123.9624104457692!3f224.92986926297627!4f-9.334896983636668!5f0.7820865974627469" width="100%" height="400" allowfullscreen loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" title="Google Street View near Lower Colliery Dam reservoir, Nanaimo"></iframe></shtml>

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== First houseparty ==

The first houseparty to which Lisa and Dallas were brought on the night of Lisa's disappearance was located at [[827 Nanaimo Lakes Road]], which is directly across the street from Colliery Dam Park.  More information [[827 Nanaimo Lakes Road|here]].

<small>Google Street View of 827 Nanaimo Lakes Road</small>
<shtml hash="b2018cea54330edb128ef4661bb4143a5159ae053c1ce22348bb253d00835645"><iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!4v1665998025638!6m8!1m7!1sxnZ3B48Ea6Y0Y97gsO9f4Q!2m2!1d49.14489902283333!2d-123.9744358458675!3f283.3434092349571!4f10.429243941302403!5f2.328953428650363" width="100%" height="350" allowfullscreen loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" title="Google Street View of 827 Nanaimo Lakes Road"></iframe></shtml>

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== Makayla Chang ==

[[File:Makayla-Chang.gif|thumb|right]]
{{GN20170518a.png|left}}

In April 2023, 60-year-old Steven Bacon was convicted for the 2017 murder of 16-year-old Makayla Chang.{{CN20180630}}<ref name="cbc20230414"><span class="cbc logo"></span>CBC News (April 14, 2023), ''[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/makayla-chang-homicide-verdict-1.6811675 "Nanaimo teen Makayla Chang's killer sentenced to life in prison"]'' <span style='font-size:66%;'>cbc20230414</span></ref>

The two had met at the Tim Horton's on Wallace Street.<ref name="tc20230415">Louise Dickson, <span class="tc logo"></span>Times Colonist (April 15, 2023), ''[https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/steven-bacon-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-murder-of-makayla-chang-6856209 "‘Cowardly, vicious crime’: Man, 60, sentenced to life for murder of Nanaimo teen"]'' <span style='font-size:66%;'>tc20230415</span></ref> Bacon reportedly spoke on multiple occasions of Lisa's disappearance &mdash; specifically her rumoured burial in Colliery Dam Park &mdash; and the lack of police progress in the case.{{Hand2}}

Bacon contacted the MCFD about adopting Makayla.  When Makayla turned 16, the relationship became sexual.<ref name="tc20230415"/>

On March 17, 2017, Bacon strangled Makayla to death. Bacon's friend and landlord, Kenneth Postman, used his taxi &mdash; a wheelchair-accessible van &mdash; to move Makayla's body to Colliery Dam Park, burying her in a shallow grave.  The next day, Bacon fled on the first ferry from [[Departure Bay]] and hitchhiked across Canada.<ref name="tc20230415"/>

Police found Makayla's body at Colliery Dam Park in May of 2017.<ref name="nnb20200618">Chris Bush, <span class="nnb logo"></span>Nanaimo News Bulletin (June 18, 2020), ''[https://www.nanaimobulletin.com/news/makayla-chang-murder-investigation-concluded-says-nanaimo-police-1081403 "Makayla Chang murder investigation concluded, says Nanaimo police"]'' <span style='font-size:66%;'>nnb20200618</span></ref>

{{NNB20200103a.png}}

In 2020, Makayla's mother was questioned by RCMP in relation to '''Lisa Marie Young''''s disappearance{{NNB20200103}}, possibly indicating that [[RCMP disorganization with Makayla Chang murder revealed connection to Lisa's case|investigators suspected a connection]] between the two murders.

In April of 2023 Bacon was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 20 years.<ref name="tc20230415"/>

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== Chase River Fault ==

[[File:ChaseRiverFault-flyover-thumb.gif|right|thumb|Animated flyover following the path of the ''Chase River Fault'' through Gabriola Island and Vancouver Island|link=Media:ChaseRiverFault-flyover.gif]]

The Chase River Fault, a [[wikipedia:Strike-slip tectonics|strike-slip]] tectonic [[wikipedia:Fault (geology)|fault line]] bisects the park, along the path of the Chase River and the [[wikipedia:reservoir|reservoirs]] which make up the Colliery Dam.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Doe |first=Nick |date=2012-01-21 |title=Gabriola's shape — including some surmises |url=https://www.nickdoe.ca/pdfs/Webp220c.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617114702/https://www.nickdoe.ca/pdfs/Webp220c.pdf |archive-date=2022-06-17 |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=nickdoe.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Seward |first=Toby |date=2015-07-08 |title=Colliery Dams, Nanaimo BC, Lower Dam - Development of Design Alternatives |url=https://www.nanaimo.ca/docs/your-government/projects/2015-colliery/report-9.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623063431/https://www.nanaimo.ca/docs/your-government/projects/2015-colliery/report-9.pdf |archive-date=2022-06-23 |access-date=2022-06-23 |website=City of Nanaimo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bickford |first=Corilane |date=1993-03-23 |title=Geology and Petrography of the Wellington Seam, Nanaimo Coalfield, Vancouver Island |url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/download/pdf/831/1.0052902/3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227123918/https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/download/pdf/831/1.0052902/3 |archive-date=2020-02-27 |archive-format=PDF |access-date=2022-06-15 |website=University of British Columbia |format=PDF}}</ref> Evidence of the fault in the form of striking [[wikipedia:fissure|fissure]] crevasses and [[wikipedia:chasm|chasms]] can be seen in several locations within and around the park. One such chasm known to locals simply as ''The Abyss'', located about 1&nbsp;kilometre from Colliery Dam, has become a popular destination for tourists, hikers, and [[wikipedia:geologist|geologists]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nanaimo |first=Tourism|date=2020-01-15 |title=A Local's Guide To The Abyss & Extension Ridge Trail |url=https://tourismnanaimo.com/blog/a-locals-guide-to-the-abyss/ |access-date=2022-06-23|website=Tourism Nanaimo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parcher |first=Kim |date=2021-04-01 |title=The Abyss and Hidden Labyrinth in Nanaimo |url=https://vancouverislandview.com/the-abyss-and-hidden-labyrinth-in-nanaimo/ |access-date=2022-06-23 |website=Vancouver Island View}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=White |first=Stephanie |date=2020-08-02 |title=BC Has A Hidden Abyss Where The World Splits In Two |url=https://www.narcity.com/vancouver/nanaimos-abyss-is-an-unreal-sight-where-the-world-splits-in-two |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623123833/https://www.narcity.com/vancouver/nanaimos-abyss-is-an-unreal-sight-where-the-world-splits-in-two |archive-date=2022-06-23 |access-date=2022-06-23 |website=Narcity |location=Vancouver BC}}</ref>

The Chase River Fault happens to run directly below both [[827 Nanaimo Lakes Road]] and the location of the "[[#Dogwalker's Distress|dogwalker's incident]]".  

<big><u>See also</u></big>
* [[wikipedia:Chase River#Chase River Fault|Chase River Fault]] on Wikipedia
* [[:File:Chase-River-Fault-Nick-Doe-yellow.png|Path of Chase River Fault]] (Nick Doe)
* [[827 Nanaimo Lakes Road#Chase River Fault|Chase River Fault]] in [[827 Nanaimo Lakes Road]]


== Aerial tour ==

<small>Aerial tour of Colliery Dam Park (video by [https://bravenetmarketing.com/ 5 Star Media Group])</small>
<shtml keyname="lmykey" hash="a16a32d6766cb16a088933442c84c06d2036114affd3f3e6d68c39b2cc89a863"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/123468791?h=ae5559d09e" width="640" height="360" allowfullscreen loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" title="Aerial tour of Colliery Dam Park"></iframe></shtml>


<div style="line-height:85px">
<span style="float:left;">[[File:Lisa-Searches-thumb.png|border|70px|frameless|link=]]</span> &#9654; '''Watch our video''' &rarr; ''[[:File:Lisa-Searches.mp4 | Official RCMP Searches]]'' <small>([https://youtu.be/ZTU5w4kVqG0 YouTube])</small>
</div>
<div style="line-height:85px">
<span style="float:left;">[[File:Lisa-Psychics-thumb.png|border|70px|frameless|link=]]</span> &#9654; '''Watch our video''' &rarr; ''[[:File:Lisa-Psychics.mp4 | Psychics & Colliery Dam]]'' <small>([https://youtu.be/P7hKG2bvR70 YouTube])</small>
</div>

== Sources ==
<references/>

[[Category:Family searches]]
[[Category:Makayla Chang]]