What did they use as a model for Minetown ?
Nanaimo began as a trading post in the early 19th century ; 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 ) .