Bones Bay facts for kids

Bones Bay is a significant place located on the north side of West Cracroft Island in British Columbia, Canada. It sits within the traditional territory of the Namgiis Indigenous Peoples, near Clio Channel. This area holds important history, especially regarding a difficult time in 1862.

During that year, a terrible smallpox disease spread. Many Indigenous people from Fort Victoria became sick. They were sadly forced to leave their homes by British police, who even burned down their houses. The Namgiis People bravely prepared a safe place at Bones Bay for about 25 Haida canoes carrying these sick people. This site became a quarantine area, where the Namgiis provided water, food, shelter, and comfort to the Haida refugees. Most of the Haida people who came to Bones Bay did not survive, but the Namgiis offered them care and support during this tragic event. At the time, the Governor of British colonists, James Douglas, contributed some money to a Christian effort to build a place for the dying. Jewish merchants also wrote to James Douglas, asking him to stop the forced removal of people.

Bones Bay's Later History

From 1952 to 1963, Bones Bay was a stop for steamships. These ships would visit, especially in the summer, if there was freight to pick up or deliver. A guide to the region's waters from 1965 described Bones Bay as a former fishing settlement. It once had a cannery, which is a factory where fish are processed and preserved, but this cannery was no longer working. However, from June to September, a fish scow (a type of boat) was often moored there, offering limited amounts of gas. By 1967, a report mentioned a cannery was operating again. But by 1987, there was no longer any permanent settlement at Bones Bay. The official name and status of the area were removed in 1988.

Why is it Called Bones Bay?

The name Bones Bay is thought to have come from a visit in 1876. A boat, possibly HMS Amethyst, carried Lord Dufferin, who was then the Governor General of Canada, and his wife. They were on a trip up the coast. One of the crew members, Patrick Riley, said that the Amethyst crew often put on shows for their shipmates and visitors. The name Bones Bay might remember one of these performances that took place in these waters. Nearby Minstrel Island and Sambo Point have names that are also related to this history.

Another idea for the name's origin comes from Jack Dorman. He was the person who started the Bones Bay Cannery. The nearby Dorman Island is named after him.