Hartley Bay facts for kids
Hartley Bay is a special First Nations community located on the beautiful coast of British Columbia. This small village is found at the start of Douglas Channel. It's about 630 kilometers (390 miles) north of Vancouver and 145 kilometers (90 miles) south of Prince Rupert.
Hartley Bay is an isolated village, meaning you can only get there by plane or boat. It has a population of about 200 people. It is home to the Gitga'ata people. Their name means "People of the Cane." The Gitga'ata are part of the larger Tsimshian nation.
As of 2013, 167 Gitga'ata members lived in Hartley Bay. Many more, about 533, live in cities like Prince Rupert or Vancouver. The community gets supplies and visitors by seaplane and ferry from Prince Rupert. A unique thing about Hartley Bay is its wooden boardwalks. These are used instead of regular gravel roads.
History and Culture of Hartley Bay
The Gitga'ata people have a long history in this area. Their original name for the bay where the village is now is Txałgiu. This name was later changed to Kalkayu when Indian Reserves were created in 1889. The community is built on one of these reserves.
The Gitga'ata also had an ancient winter village. It is known today as Lax Galts'ap, or "Old Town." This old village is about 12 miles north on Douglas Channel. There was another ancient village site on Gil Island. Captain George Vancouver saw remains of houses there in 1793. Both of these old sites are still used by the Gitga'ata people today. They also use other important places in their traditional lands.
Hartley Bay was officially settled in 1887. This happened after many families left Metlakatla, B.C.. They had joined other Tsimshian people at a mission there. When the missionary and his supporters moved to New Metlakatla, Alaska, many Gitga'ata returned home. They chose to settle at Txałgiu (Hartley Bay) instead of their even older village.
For most of the 1900s, fishing was the main way people earned a living. Today, fishing is not as big an industry. So, people in Hartley Bay have found new jobs. Tourism is now very important. For example, some residents work as guides at nearby fishing lodges in the summer. You can fly into Hartley Bay using the Hartley Bay Water Aerodrome.
The Queen of the North Rescue in 2006
On March 22, 2006, a large ferry called the Queen of the North sank. This happened near Hartley Bay. The people of Hartley Bay quickly rushed to help. They arrived at the scene even before the Canadian Coast Guard.
The small community worked together to rescue the passengers. The town's community centre became a rescue hub. Everyone who wasn't out on the water helped. They made sure the survivors were warm and had food. This amazing effort showed their strong community spirit.
For their brave actions, the people of Hartley Bay received a special award. It was called the Governor General's Commendation for Outstanding Service. They received this honor on May 3, 2006. The award praised their "initiative, selflessness and an extraordinary commitment to the well-being of others." It also recognized the town's "tremendous spirit and the remarkable example it has set."
Climate in Hartley Bay
Hartley Bay has a type of weather called an Oceanic climate. This means it has cool winters and mild summers. The area gets a lot of rain throughout the year. On average, it receives about 4500 millimeters (177 inches) of rain annually.
Even though it rains all year, the summer months are a bit drier. These are June, July, and August. Hartley Bay also gets snow, averaging about 200 centimeters (79 inches) per year. However, during winter, most of the precipitation falls as rain. In the summer, temperatures can reach around 25 degrees Celsius (77°F). In the winter, they can drop below minus 5 degrees Celsius (23°F) on average.
| Climate data for Hartley Bay | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.0 (55.4) |
15.0 (59.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
24.5 (76.1) |
29.0 (84.2) |
31.0 (87.8) |
32.5 (90.5) |
33.3 (91.9) |
32.2 (90.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
14.4 (57.9) |
13.0 (55.4) |
33.3 (91.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.1 (39.4) |
5.3 (41.5) |
8.2 (46.8) |
10.9 (51.6) |
15.3 (59.5) |
17.9 (64.2) |
20.2 (68.4) |
20.1 (68.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
11.6 (52.9) |
6.4 (43.5) |
4.1 (39.4) |
11.8 (53.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.5 (34.7) |
2.5 (36.5) |
4.7 (40.5) |
6.7 (44.1) |
10.6 (51.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
15.5 (59.9) |
15.4 (59.7) |
13.1 (55.6) |
8.4 (47.1) |
3.9 (39.0) |
1.9 (35.4) |
8.1 (46.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.1 (30.0) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
1.1 (34.0) |
2.5 (36.5) |
5.7 (42.3) |
8.6 (47.5) |
10.8 (51.4) |
10.7 (51.3) |
8.8 (47.8) |
5.3 (41.5) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
4.4 (39.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −14.5 (5.9) |
−16.0 (3.2) |
−11.7 (10.9) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
2.0 (35.6) |
2.5 (36.5) |
3.5 (38.3) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−22.0 (−7.6) |
−16.7 (1.9) |
−22.0 (−7.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 518.4 (20.41) |
426.5 (16.79) |
327.1 (12.88) |
301.2 (11.86) |
227.8 (8.97) |
182.2 (7.17) |
159.4 (6.28) |
192.0 (7.56) |
405.2 (15.95) |
686.4 (27.02) |
693.9 (27.32) |
553.1 (21.78) |
4,673.2 (183.98) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 465.1 (18.31) |
376.9 (14.84) |
306.8 (12.08) |
297.7 (11.72) |
227.8 (8.97) |
182.2 (7.17) |
159.4 (6.28) |
192.0 (7.56) |
405.2 (15.95) |
685.6 (26.99) |
664.8 (26.17) |
498.4 (19.62) |
4,461.8 (175.66) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 53.3 (21.0) |
49.6 (19.5) |
20.4 (8.0) |
3.5 (1.4) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.8 (0.3) |
29.1 (11.5) |
54.7 (21.5) |
211.3 (83.2) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 18.1 | 17.3 | 17.9 | 17.4 | 14.5 | 14.4 | 12.1 | 10.8 | 15.2 | 22.5 | 24.4 | 20.5 | 205.0 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 15.5 | 14.3 | 16.6 | 17.3 | 14.5 | 14.4 | 12.1 | 10.8 | 15.2 | 22.4 | 22.9 | 17.2 | 193.1 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 6.2 | 5.2 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 4.9 | 6.6 | 27.8 |
