Bute Inlet
Story and Photos by Catherine Gilbert
One thing you thing don’t want to miss out on if you are visiting the Campbell River area, is an opportunity to get out and explore the local waters and the magical Discovery Islands. The Museum at Campbell River’s historic summer boat tours get people out on the water to see areas that they normally would not be able to explore, while learning about local history.
I went along on two trips as historic interpreter on behalf of the Museum at Campbell River, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The museum partners with Discovery Marine Safaris, a local wildlife tour operator. The operator’s boats are equipped with toilets, are heated and are designed to provide optimal viewing and photo taking opportunities. They also provide passengers with refreshments, and their skippers are extremely knowledgeable about the area.
The first trip I went on explored the waterways surrounding Sonora Island. Upon leaving the harbour in Discovery Marine’s aluminum touring boat, we discussed the history of Campbell River, and as we headed north through the Discovery Passage, that lies between Vancouver Island and Quadra Island, I pointed out some spots of historical interest on both shores. We traversed Seymour Narrows, famous as the location of Ripple Rock, the treacherous underwater marine hazard that was destroyed in 1958, in the world’s largest non-nuclear explosion.
Our skipper Joel took us as far as the Chatham Point light station, where the Discovery Passage becomes Johnstone Strait, and turned east into Nodales Channel. Our first stop was Thurston Bay, located on the north side of Sonora Island, that once operated as a BC Forestry Service station. Today it is a protected marine park.
Going back out into the calm waters of Nodales Channel, and heading east towards Cordero Channel, we admired the stunning view into Frederick’s Arm, a favourite fishing inlet. When we reached Cordero Channel, we turned south, and went over to the mainland side where ancient red petroglyphs are painted into the rock, still visible after all these years! Further along, we stopped to take pictures of the tugboater’s stop, where tugboaters display names of all the tugboats that went through the area with signs tacked up on the trees.
Next stop was Dent Island Lodge for lunch. The Lodge is lovely wooden building that blends in with the woodland scenery surrounding it. There is a pretty marina in front, and pathways with colourful gardens that wind among the trees. The views from the Lodge are fantastic, especially from the outside patio where we had an excellent meal that included freshly caught sockeye salmon and local halibut.
On our way back, we cruised through Maurelle and Read Islands and down the east coast of Quadra Island. The grand finale for our trip was the opportunity to watch transient Killer Whales in action off the south coast of Quadra, where they splashed and put on a show for their audience in the surrounding boats.
The next tour I went on was a new one that we developed as the result of interest in Yorke Island, where there had been a World War II fort built to defend BC’s coast against Japanese attack. The trip encompasses Hardwicke Island, Port Neville and a tour around Yorke Island. From Campbell River, we were taken by bus north on the Island Highway to Kelsey Bay. On the way, I pointed out historical highlights that include the now closed Catalyst Pulp and Paper Mill; Menzies Bay – named after Captain Vancouver’s botanist, Archibald Menzies and Brown’s Bay Marina and Resort which was built in 1954.
Passing through Sayward, travellers see the famous Cable Cookhouse, built in the early 1960s of cables used in the logging industry. Our destination was the Port of Kelsey Bay which was the home of Salmon River Logging in the late 1930s then later, was a BC ferry terminal. Here, guide and passengers boarded the Tenacious III, skippered by the capable Captain Shaun.
We crossed Johnstone Strait over to Hardwicke Island, where the Bendickson Logging Company thrived for several decades. A local resident, Victor Bendickson, gave us a tour of bunkhouses from the nearby Yorke Island fort, which were floated over when the war was over and used as part of the logging camp.
From Hardwicke, we travelled up the east side of Yorke Island, the site of the fort. The boat stopped at Port Neville, where everyone had a chance to walk up to the original historic Hansen homestead, and view its private museum. On the return trip, we passed Yorke Island on the west side and were able to clearly see the Observation Post, which is one of the permanent structures that form part of the fort today.
Be sure to check the Museum’s website for details on the trips and guides! http://www.crmuseum.ca/historic-boat-tours. Or call for information: 250-287-3103.
Catherine Gilbert is a local historian and on staff at the Museum at Campbell River, and author of Yorke Island and the Uncertain War, defending Canada’s western coast during WWII.