Exploring A Forgotten Coastline

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Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Taylor’s presentation, based upon her books and tours aboard the historic Columbia III, will provide a rare view of the islands and inlets of the inner coast between North Vancouver Island and the mainland.

Her slides include both contemporary and archival images of places like Kingcome Inlet and Bute Inlet, the Discovery Islands off Campbell River and the Broughton Islands off Port McNeill.

“Only a few of the islands in this region are accessible by ferries,” says Taylor, “so it tends to be a forgotten stretch of the coast.” That wasn’t always the case. The islands have been home to First Nations people for thousands of years and once supported large populations. “In the Village Island area, off Alert Bay,” says Taylor, “there are clusters of old village sites, marked by sparkling white clam shell beaches. The shells are evidence of centuries of use. And in one spot there are still totem fragments and the remains of a traditional big house.”

Some of these villages were still in use less than a century ago, when there were logging and fishing camps scattered throughout. They were serviced twice-weekly by freight and passenger boats from Vancouver and many of the camps were clustered around schools, stores and small hotels.

Taylor’s research for her books, including Tidal Passages, A History of the Discovery Islands, has fleshed out tales of some of the remarkable individuals who lived on the islands. “It’s not an easy place to live,” says Taylor, “between the mountains, wind, extreme tides and weather. If you wanted to farm you chose the Comox Valley or points south. To live to the north you had to be an adventurer, ready to tackle anything.”

An example of one such man is Hans Hansen of Port Neville, across from Sayward. He rowed up the coast from Vancouver in the 1890s with one good hand and a metal hook on the other. He chose a spot that reminded him of his Norwegian homeland and cleared the first growth trees to create a homestead that remains in the family.

“While the stories of the men and women who once lived on these islands are fascinating,” says Taylor, “I think it’s the rugged beauty of the place that will really strike people’s imagination.” Places like Desolation Sound Marine Park deserve their reputation as a major destination for boaters, according to Taylor, but she claims the drama of the mountain scenery in Bute Inlet and Kingcome Inlet is even more impressive.

Jeanette Taylor’s slide presentation will include a reading list and some tips on ways to visit the islands and inlets by kayak or with tour operators affiliated with museums in Campbell River, on Cortes Island and in Alert Bay.

You will find more information about Jeanette Taylor’s tours aboard the Columbia III, which once plied these same waters as a hospital mission ship, at www.mothershipadventures.com.