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7115 Hall St. |
British Columbia Tourism Region : Vancouver Island
Description From Owner:
- After the HBC'S little ship Beaver, launched in London in 1835, wrecked off Stanley Park in 1888, the first steamship on this coast.
- The story of how the ship gave its name to the bay was told thus by S.F. Tolmie:
- When my father was stationed at Fort McLoughlin, a number of Indians from the north end of Vancouver Island came to trade.
- The blacksmith was at work at his forge, and when he went to put more coal on the fire the Indians were very curious.
- They asked him where the coal came from, and he explained that it took six months to bring it by ship from Wales. He noticed that they were greatly amused and asked what was so funny about it.
- The Indians replied that it seemed funny that the white men should carry this soft black stone so far when it could be had without expense close at hand.
- The blacksmith called Dr. Tolmie, and the Indians told him there were places on Vancouver Island where he could get all the soft black stone he wanted as it cropped out of the ground.
- My father then notified Dr. McLoughlin, at Fort Vancouver, who ordered the steamer Beaver to stop on her next voyage to see if the Indians were telling the truth.
- The result was the discovery of the coalfield at Beaver Harbour. (Journals of William Fraser Tolmie, pp. 394-5)
- Fort Rupert - Named after Prince Rupert, the first Governor of the HBC, Fort Rupert was founded in 1849 when the company decided to work the coal seams discovered in the vicinity some years earlier (see Beaver Harbour).
- Commander Mayne, who visited the post around 1860, wrote: 'Fort Rupert is the newest and best built station of the Hudson [sic] Bay Company I have seen, and the gardens are very nicely laid out.
- Of course, like all the rest, it is stockaded and has its gallery and bastions. It stands almost in the middle of the Indian village.' All that now remains of the HBC fort is a single chimney.
- With permission from G.P.V and Helen B. Akrigg 1997 British Columbia Place Names. UBC Press.
Address of this page: http://bc.ruralroutes.com/FortRupert