Nanaimo is the second largest city on Vancouver Island and is often referred to as the 'Harbour City." It began as a trading post in the early 1800s; in 1849 the Snuneymuxw chief Ki-et-sa-kun ("Coal Tyee") informed the Hudson's Bay Company of the presence of coal in the area, and in 1853 the company built a fort known as the Nanaimo Bastion (still preserved). Subsequently the town was chiefly known for the export of coal. In the 1940s, lumber supplanted coal as the main business.