South Thormanby Island facts for kids
South Thormanby is a beautiful island off the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia, Canada. It is located about 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) west of the town of Sechelt. This island is a great place to explore nature and learn about history.
Geography
South Thormanby Island is quite rocky, more so than its neighbor, North Thormanby Island. It has two main hills. These are Mount Seafield in the south and Spy Glass Hill in the north. South of Mount Seafield, you will find a large lake. This area is known by locals as "the farm."
A long, shallow underwater rock shelf called Tattenham Ledge stretches from the north side of the island. This ledge can be dangerous for boats. Several smaller islands are also connected to South Thormanby Island. These include Pirate Rock and Merry Island to the south. Welcome Passage is a water channel that separates South Thormanby Island from the mainland.
Wildlife and Plants
The island is covered with thick forests. Most of these trees are second-growth douglas fir and cedar. This means they grew after older trees were cut down. Near the lake in the old farm area, you can find some apple and cherry trees. Other common trees on the island include hemlock, alder, arbutus, and maple.
You can also find many tasty berries here. These include salal, salmonberries, thimbleberries, huckleberries, and blackberries. In wet, marshy areas, you might see bullrushes and swampgrass.
South Thormanby Island is home to many animals. It is estimated that about 300 coast blacktail deer live here. Other small animals include mink, raccoons, squirrels, and chipmunks. Many different kinds of birds also live on the island. Beavers have made their homes in the lake. In the past, bears and cougars were seen on the island. However, they are not believed to be there now. The waters around the island are famous for fishing, especially for salmon.
History
People have lived on South Thormanby Island for a very long time. Scientists have found five shell middens on the island. These are ancient piles of shells and other waste left by early people. It is believed that native people used the island for hunting.
The first European explorer to visit Thormanby Island was Jose Maria Narváez. He arrived on July 12, 1791. He named the island Isla de San Ignacio.
The name Thormanby was given to the island in 1860. Captain George Henry Richards surveyed the area with his ship, HMS Plumper. He named the island after a famous racehorse named Thormanby. This horse won a big race called The Derby that year. Many other places in the area are also named after racehorses. For example, Buccaneer Bay, a large bay on the island, was named after a horse called Buccaneer.
Most of the island was given to a shopkeeper named Calvert Simson in 1892. He received it as a "crown grant" from the government. Around 1912, Simson cleared a swamp on the southern part of the island. He wanted to create a farm and an orchard there. The farm was later abandoned in 1948. Its original buildings were taken down in the 1960s and 1970s.
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Union Steamship Company made regular trips to the island from Vancouver. They built a floating dock in Buccaneer Bay. During this time, trails were built all over the island. Many of the bays were also given their names.
From 1951 to 1981, parts of South Thormanby Island were logged. This means trees were carefully cut down. Most of the trees harvested were Douglas fir. Red cedar and balsam poplar were also cut. Many old trees were left behind because they were not suitable for logging. Now, a new forest has grown across the island.
Beavers were brought to the island in 1984 and 1985. They built dams in the old farm meadow. This created the lake that you see there today.
Simson Provincial Park is located on the southern part of the island. The park was created in 1986. It was named after Calvert Simson. The park area includes the remains of the old abandoned farm and orchard. Most of the northern half of the island is still private land. Many cottages are found along Buccaneer Bay and Water Bay. South Thormanby Island is across from Buccaneer Bay Provincial Park on North Thormanby Island.
