In the spirit of "Paddling Through Time", let's take a look at a few of the many historical sites on the Northwest coast. Cruising along the shore by kayak can be a great way to appreciate Northwest history because it was intimately connected to travel on the sea.
This is hardly surprising. Before roads and bridges, our predecessors found boat travel essential in order to move around the steep, forested coastline that meanders for over 30,000 kilometres in BC. Over the centuries, boats have been essential, from sailing ships through coal driven steamers to the wide assortment of vessels cruising the coast today. Including, of course, us back-to-wine-cheese-and-basics sea kayakers.
THE HISTORICAL NUTSHELL
The first European to visit? Not surprisingly there is controversy on who and when. An inconclusive case can be made for sailors from the Far East popping by-the historical record is as vague as the evidence. Did Sir Francis Drake first sail up the Strait of Georgia way back in 1579 and conspire with the Queen to hush up the discovery? Did Juan de Fuca really discover the strait named after him back in 1592?
Historians can haggle-but it was another century and a half before Captains Cook and Quadra roamed into BC waters, in part because Spain and England were concerned about Russian fur traders working their way down from the Aleutians.
Trade was important-everybody was looking for the legendary 'Northwest Passage'. Trade with First Nations began as well-the Nuu-Chah-Nulth on the west coast of Vancouver Island met most of the passing European ships. Sea otter pelts were in demand and the species was driven to the brink of extinction in exchange for the practical benefits of European technology.
Don't knock it. We take things like wool blankets for granted now. And have you ever tried day to day cooking without metal pots and utensils?
While relations between the residents and the new arrivals were generally better in British Columbia than in the USA, illegal whiskey trading, land alienation and the devastating smallpox virus took a huge toll on the integrity of First Nations' cultures.
Spain and England haggled over land even as captains Quadra and Vancouver helped each other map it. By the 1800s though, Spain's power faded, Britain wasn't much interested so the Hudson's Bay Company became the dominant power in the area. There was some haggling with the Americans as lines were drawn on the map but it would take a series of gold rushes in the BC interior before Europeans really started to colonize the coast in any numbers.
SCATTERED BONES OF HISTORY?
So what's there for us kayakers to see? In the relatively short time since Europeans and Asians poured into BC looking for gold we have left more than our fair share of historical evidence. First Nations garbage heaps consisted mainly of shells piled up over thousands of years. But in a mere 150 we have clearcut much of the coast and built cities of cement and steel near river mouths and harbors. Most of us modern paddlers take to sea kayaks to get away from the "evidence" of our culture, not to seek it out.
But there are some interesting spots to explore, locations and relics which help us appreciate what the not so distant past was like. Take the advice of George Santayana-"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". For travelers, aquatic or otherwise, getting a sense of history allows us to better appreciate places we visit. Who knows? We might even learn from someone else's past mistakes.
Wave after wave of fortune seekers and settlers have left their mark on the coast. Depending on where you paddle, you've probably come across bits of history like the ubiquitous old logging sites or fascinating (but crumbling) fish salteries. This month's checklist takes a look at specific sites-some well preserved, others that will take plenty of imagination. All will help paddlers appreciate what it was like to cruise the coast not so very long ago. Slip into your kayak and let your paddle take you quietly back into the past.
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FURTHER READING
For a fascinating, sensitive and in-depth account of how the Gulf Islands were won, try Chris Arnett's 1999 The Terror of the Coast (Talon). It describes the murders, brief warfare and subsequent trials involving British warships and First Nations.
For an eclectic, intriguing and often silly assortment of coastal history tidbits, look for Ted Stone's 1998 BC History Along the Highways & Waterways (Red Deer Press).
BIO: While nearly condemned to repeat a history course he took back in university, Bryan Nichols has since learned to appreciate the topic and always reads those road and waterside interpretive signs.
Checklist # 20 - Historical Sites
 FRIENDLY COVE-Nootka Island 1793 (treaty signed)
Remote and obscure now, this was the first hub of European visits to the Northwest. Both trading and survey ships often stopped by and it was here that representatives of England and Spain haggled over who had rights to what. Peaceful compromises were made, setting a Canadian style long before confederation. Drop by-the site is packed with historical tidbits including cemeteries and an old church.
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 TONQUIN EXPLODES-Village Harbour Clayoquot Sound 1811
A few years later and a little further south, things were far from friendly. An arrogant Captain apparently insulted the local Chief with whom he was trading, resulting in a surprise massacre of most of the crew of the American ship Tonquin. Four survivors were caught and killed trying to escape in a dinghy but the last, James Lewis, stayed hidden onboard the ship. The next day as it was being looted he set off kegs of gunpowder. The devastating explosion destroyed the Tonquin along with Lewis and approximately 200 Clayoquots.
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 GANGES HARBOUR WAR-Saltspring Island 1860
White settlers got a terrifying look at local revenge warfare when Cowichans camped in Ganges harbor massacred a canoe full of Bella Bella en route to Victoria. After an hour long gun battle only a woman and two children (depending on the account) were spared from a group of 14. Deadman Island (named for unrelated burials) looks tranquil enough now but it's a good reminder that canoe travel in the 1800s could be very dangerous.
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 BRITISH CAMP IN THE USA-San Juan Island 1860-1872
You'd be surprised how many "wars" get started when Americans shoot trespassing English pigs. A crusty British magistrate stirred up the pot by over reacting-tempers flared, warships and troops arrived but cooler heads prevailed. Over a decade of arbitration later we ended up with that line on the map dividing the American San Juans from the Canadian Gulf Islands. The former British Camp in Garrison Bay is a lovely spot to visit and soak up some diplomatic history.
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 LAMALCHI BAY "WAR"-Kuper Island 1863
Trouble escalated as settlers moved into the Gulf Islands but the government repeatedly delayed deals with the local First Nations. After several terrible murders, a British warship seeking justice attacked a native village on Kuper Island and was promptly beaten back by gunfire from strategic points on shore. Humiliated, they returned to raze the entire village and hunt down the suspects, eventually hanging some of them in a dubious trial dubbed "judicial murder" by the papers of the time. Paddling past this (now) quiet bay you can see the twin points of land that allowed the native warriors their brief victory.
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 QUARRIED SANDSTONE SINKS-Newcastle Island 1872
This small island near downtown Nanaimo has a fascinating history of mining. Coal seams here were invaluable to the steamships of the era and later surveys found the sandstone to be excellent for imposing architecture. A load of such sandstone bound for the San Francisco mint on The Zephyr was lost off of Mayne Island in a snowstorm. The wreck was discovered in 1976 and a massive column was returned to the shoreline at the quarry site on Newcastle. Circumnavigate this excellent island park by foot and by kayak for a great trip into history.
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LEPER COLONY-D'Arcy Island 1891-1924
A dark bit of BC history can be found at the north end of tiny D'Arcy Island, now a Marine Park off Sidney. A public health scare in 1890 prompted the government to isolate Chinese immigrants with leprosy, marooning them on remote little islands. Supplies were only occasional and no medical care was provided, leaving the unfortunates to slowly die or attempt escape. Many believe it was simply another attempt to discourage Chinese immigration. Whatever the reason, the sole person left in 1924 was removed and the island is now a great place to paddle. |
 FORT RODD HILL-Esquimalt 1895
Lurking on the beautiful rocky bluffs just west of Esquimalt Harbor, the remarkably well preserved remains of Fort Rodd are well worth a visit. Bunkers, disguised spotlights and "disappearing" guns all help remind us that visitors from the sea are not always welcome. This is a national historic site along with Fisgard Lighthouse (the oldest in Canada) so there is plenty of interpretive info to soak up.
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 SMUGGLING-Smuggler Cove Marine Park
There are numerous coastal nooks and bays named for the smuggling trade over the years. Booze, Chinese immigrants and wool (oddly enough) were particularly lucrative contraband throughout the Northwest. This wonderful maze of inlets on the Sunshine Coast was a base for an unpleasant character reputed to shackle his human cargo to heavy weights he could easily ditch if pursued by the authorities.
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 POTLATCH PARTY IS OVER-Alert Bay 1922
Church and State ganged up on the First Nations tradition of holding potlatches, wealth distribution ceremonies that often involved (as all good ceremonies should) plenty of revelry. All sorts of fascinating stuff was confiscated and the unrepentant were arrested as the federal government attempted to suppress native culture in the interests of assimilation. Times change-many of the artifacts have been returned and ironically Alert Bay, with its totems, new Big House and active cultural center, is now one of the best places on the coast to appreciate First Nations culture.
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 ISLAND PIONEERS-Jedediah Island
This fine addition to the provincial Marine Parks system has great paddling and hiking. There is plenty of evidence of pioneer life on a remote island-farm buildings, an old orchard and even feral goats with Spanish ancestry. To get a sense of the lifestyle, bring along the book "Jedediah Days" by Mary Palmer, who lived here for many years.
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 BROTHER 12-De Courcy Chain1927-1933
A popular day or weekend trip in the Gulf Islands brings paddlers past sites where Brother 12 convinced a number of rich and reasonably famous people to join his Aquarian cult. The De Courcy chain was purchased, the colony was built and weird rumours abounded. Dissenters eventually went to court and Brother 12 vanished along with his allegedly sadistic consort, Madam Z. Lost gold bars and a disappearing dominatrix? Now that's history!
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