Mural #18 Julia Askew-First Child Of European Ancestry Born In The Chemainus Valley

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 town of Chemainus. She was delivered on February 22, 1871 at Horseshoe Bay, with a Native midwife in attendance.

Julias parents were the builders and owners of the second mill in Chemainus, and Isabel Askew continued to act as resident manager for many years after her husbands death.