Kwakwaka'wakw Dancers of Fort Rupert

This week's North Island historical photo is called "Indian Dancers of Fort Rupert," taken about 1896. Within the big house, large elaborate dances and productions were an important part of the Kwakwaka'wakw culture. Some of the stories portrayed killings and even cannibalism, at times this would include the resurrection of a murdered person or supernatural being. Special effects, such as tubes running under the ground, special material thrown into the fire to make smoke or explosions, and other special effects were used to create an amazing experiences for audiences. Some of the first people to record seeing these events in English expressed their shock and horror at events that were both very scary and seemingly magic.

BC Archives H-04849

RCAF Station Coal Harbour

Previously a small outpost, Coal Harbour became a bustling Royal Canadian Air Force Station during World War II. When the base shut down in 1945 much of the military infrastructure was dismantled, and a small maintenance crew remained. Much of the infrastructure became a busy whaling station. As was the case at the Port Hardy base, many airmen who brought their wives to the base built their own cabins and lived in their own houses. These houses are identified as the homes associated with the RCAF Station, although the photo is dated 1947 and most of the members of the air force would no longer have been on the North Island at this time.

BC Archives g-03958

When World War II broke out, Canada perceived a threat on its Pacific Coast from the Japanese. In 1940 the government authorized the establishment of a Royal Canadian Air Force Station at Coal Harbour. The station supported both initially radio operators, and eventually the No. 120 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron.

BC Archives a-142512

BC Archives a-142516

Coal Harbour's 'Jokerville' BC Archives g03242

Although the 'Jokerville' in Port Hardy is better known, the Air Force employees in Coal Harbour also constructed makeshift cabins just off the base so that their wives could join them during their posting. At its height during the war, the population of Coal Harbour reportedly reached about 1500 people. This was a big change for the small outpost, which spent the previous 50 years mainly as a terminus of the Port Hardy - Coal Harbour trail/road and home to the Hole's hotel & store. In 1927 the Port Hardy - Coal Harbour road became passable by motorized vehicles, it wasn't until the Island Copper Mine opened that the road was paved.

BC Archives G03241

The Steamship Beaver

An icon of the BC Coast, the Steamship Beaver was originally built in England in 1835. Able to proceed under either sail or steam power (via a side paddle wheel), she heralded a new era of coal powered vessels on the Pacific Coast.

The SS Beaver arrived in British waters in the Pacific Northwest in 1836, and in 1837 William Henry McNeill took over as her Captain. As steam power began to replace sail as the preferred mode of transport, the economy and trade on Vancouver Island shifted from the fur trade to the search for reliable sources of clean coal. This resulted in the establishment of Fort Rupert at Beaver Harbour (today Port Hardy), and Fort Nanaimo.

The SS Beaver played a prominent role in early coastal history, serving the needs of the Hudson's Bay Company, transporting trade goods, and shuttling dignitaries around the South Coast until it foundered on the rocks off Prospect Point in Stanley Park in 1888.

Beaver Harbour in Port Hardy and Beaver Cove in Port McNeill are named after this ship. Port McNeill is named after her early Captain, William Henry McNeill, who was also for a time the Chief Factor at Fort Rupert.