There is much archeological evidence that Vancouver Island First Nations regularly crossed Vancouver Island to trade in a variety of food and goods. These likely included eulachon grease coming from the Mainland Inlets and whale oil and meat coming back from the West Coast of Vancouver Island, among many other items.
These 'grease trails' were well known and well used, probably for thousands of years, saving First Nations people the treacherous voyage around Cape Scott by dugout canoe.
In 1852 Hamilton Moffat, an employee of the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Rupert was directed to traverse Northern Vancouver Island on the known Indigenous ‘grease trails’ with the help of a number of hired guides. Moffat started his journey on July 1. On the first day of his trip he travelled from Fort Rupert to Whulk and hired six guides at the ‘Namgis village at the mouth of the ‘Nimpkish River. July 2 the group travelled T’sleith Lake (Nimpkish Lake) and visited a ‘Namgis village on the lake before camping for the night by the Oakssey River (Nimpkish River).
The evening of July 2 a significant rain event started, and the next morning the group faced rapids as they made their way up the River. On July 3, halfway to the second lake, which was 12 miles distant, the group stopped at a halfway house at Waakash. The morning of July 4 the continued up the Nimpkish, skill a steady series of rapids, and arrived at another fishing village. The had hoped to be able to obtain some salmon, but the run had not yet started and the were only a few trout available. The party then negotiated a part of the river which was much more shallow en route to Lake Kanus.
While exploring the area they came upon a village on the edge of a lake, which he estimated to be about ten miles long, which was the home of the Saa Kallituck. This was a small tribe, of about sixty people, who were reclusive and lived in the Interior part of the Island. Moffat was told they spoke a variant of Nuu-Chah-Nulth, which caused the Nootka to fear them, thinking them ghosts of their ancestors.
By the morning of July 5 the party had reached an impressive mountain with a falls Moffat noted. he indulged in a diversion trying to reach the peak but was stopped due to the excessive snow, and returned to the camp. On the day the party portages the height of land, and followed a River (which disappeared three or four times) down toward the West Coast. The party reached the ocean that evening but made camp, and travelled the next day to Nootka. They reached Friendly Cove on July 6, five days after leaving the East coast of Vancouver Island.
The purpose of this trip was to assess the interior resources which might be utilized by the HBC, including timber, and to assess future trade routes.
In 1862 Lieutenant Philip James Hankin and Dr. Charles Beddingfield Wood (ship's surgeon) of the Royal Navy decided to try to become the first non-natives to cross Northern Vancouver Island by foot. Adam Grant Horne had previous crossed the Central Island from Big Qualicum to Port Alberni in 1856.
Hankin was the Lieutenant of the HMS Hecate, a British surveying vessel. The Hecate was 860 tonne, 5 gun, paddle wheeled sloop which used a combination of sail and steam power.
On May 25, 1982, Hankin and Wood were dropped off by the Hecate at Kyuquot, on the West Coast. They planned to follow the overland trade route utilized by local First Nations. They were told that the journey would take four days.
The two traveled from Kyuquot to the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations village at Aktis Island by canoe. They stayed a few days on the island due to bad weather, and noted that the whole village seemed to participate in organized sports. Hankin noted that the local Chief, who was phonetically referred to as both "Clan-Ninick" and "Kai-ne-nitt", was a young man in his early 20s who seemed extremely well respected by his people.
Six local guides were recruited at Aktis who were each paid five blankets and two shirts, while three hundred blankets were given to the chief to thank him for his hospitality.
The party traveled to the head of Tahsish Inlet (which in Nuu-cha-nulth means "place where the water ends and we have to walk"), and then Hankin and Wood journeyed overland via Atluck Lake, Hustan Lake, Anutz Lake, and down the Nimpkish River to Nimpkish Lake.
Hankin and Wood found the trip more challenging than they had anticipated.
Hankin named the river connecting Hustan and Anutz Lakes "Famine River," as the party's provisions were depleted by that stage of the trip. They had hoped to procure some wild game along the way to supplement their provisions, but were largely unsuccessful. Once back on the coast Hankin and Wood traveled by dugout canoe to Fort Rupert, where they were reunited with the Hecate.
Hankin was the Lieutenant of the HMS Hecate, a British surveying vessel. The Hecate was 860 tonne, 5 gun, paddle wheeled sloop which used a combination of sail and steam power.
On May 25, 1982, Hankin and Wood were dropped off by the Hecate at Kyuquot, on the West Coast. They planned to follow the overland trade route utilized by local First Nations. They were told that the journey would take four days.
The two traveled from Kyuquot to the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations village at Aktis Island by canoe. They stayed a few days on the island due to bad weather, and noted that the whole village seemed to participate in organized sports. Hankin noted that the local Chief, who was phonetically referred to as both "Clan-Ninick" and "Kai-ne-nitt", was a young man in his early 20s who seemed extremely well respected by his people.
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| Indigenous canoe in Nimpkish Lake - 1894. Photo by William Bolton. | BC Archives H-05516 |
Six local guides were recruited at Aktis who were each paid five blankets and two shirts, while three hundred blankets were given to the chief to thank him for his hospitality.
The party traveled to the head of Tahsish Inlet (which in Nuu-cha-nulth means "place where the water ends and we have to walk"), and then Hankin and Wood journeyed overland via Atluck Lake, Hustan Lake, Anutz Lake, and down the Nimpkish River to Nimpkish Lake.
Hankin and Wood found the trip more challenging than they had anticipated.
Hankin named the river connecting Hustan and Anutz Lakes "Famine River," as the party's provisions were depleted by that stage of the trip. They had hoped to procure some wild game along the way to supplement their provisions, but were largely unsuccessful. Once back on the coast Hankin and Wood traveled by dugout canoe to Fort Rupert, where they were reunited with the Hecate.
The Moffat Islands in Chatham Sound were named after Hamilton Moffat, who in addition to his time at Fort Rupert (for at least a portion of his time there being in charge of the Fort) also worked for the HBC at Fort Simpson and Fort Kamloops.
There are a number of coastal features names after Hankin, including Hankin Point in Quatsino Sound, Hankin Rock in Clayoquot Sound, the Hankin Mountain Range on Vancouver Island, and Hankin Ledge Point in Principe Channel.
The Daily Colonist - November 19, 1967.
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