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Inlet. It would have taken too much time to relocate supplies and crew before the start of that year’s fishing season, so Draney built the cannery at the new location. Sixteen more canneries were built, each like a small community, consisting of many buildings, with separate housing for the Europeans, Chinese, Japanese and First Nations people who made up most of the huge labor force needed to operate these massive operations. At the height of the fishing industry in Rivers Inlet, the population grew to an estimated 10,000 people during the summer months which meant many cultures and nationalities working together. The people of Oweekeno seemed to adapt quickly to modern technology of that era. Women worked on the canning line and the men went fishing. Talking to the Oweekeno elders you can see by the smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes how memorable cannery life was to them. An elder remembers sitting out on the dock at Rivers Inlet Cannery in the evening as a small child, looking out at the twinkling on the water, seeing hundreds of lanterns—a floating city of lights. In 1934 alone, an estimated 1,900 boats fished Rivers Inlet, supplying fish to local canneries. During the fishing season many children were born there and by the time they were fourteen, some even worked on the canning line, along with their mothers. After World War II, freezing technology improved and companies started to centralize their plants to the bigger cities of Prince Rupert and Vancouver, forcing many canneries to close. Goose Bay Cannery was the last to close in Rivers Inlet in 1957, ending three generations of people working in the canneries. PADDLING RIVERS INLET Exploring the northern entrance of Rivers Inlet by kayak from Penrose Marine Park to Dawsons Landing, some 32 kilometers north, could take you a week or more. Paddling west around the western tip of Penrose Island from Finn Bay, you will encounter reefs and swells until you reach Kayak Pass (Canoe Pass as locals call it) Ancient cultures flourished. and Fury Cove. There is just enough water for kayaks. Powerboats use the Breaker Pass entrance. The beaches around Fury Island are spectacular with shell middens and white sand. This cove is a popular anchorage for boaters and the area is known as Schooner Retreat. On the east side of Penrose Island you enter Klaquaek Channel (or ‘the lake’ by locals), another small maze of islands, bays, lagoons and channels. Circling Penrose Island from Finn Bay, you end up back at the entrance to Darby Channel. Paddling northeast through the channel you will see the two abandoned sites of Beaver and Provincial Canneries. The historic floating community of Dawsons Landing is just around the corner from these two sites. Dawsons and Duncanby Landing were the two major supply centers for the canneries in Rivers Inlet. Both are still in operation today and worth a visit. Dawsons Landing, one of the oldest original floating general stores on BC’s coastline, dating back eighty years, is owned and operated by Rob and Nola Bachen. Today, Dawsons Landing is still the 34 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com June/July 2004
center of attraction for locals and visitors to Rivers Inlet. Walking on the floats and up the ramp to the store you get a feeling of nostalgia. The float the building sits on is a work of art—logs on top of logs, woven together and tied with steel cables, raising the complex two meters above sea level. Rafts like this were built and used during World War One to transport heavy logs across Hecate Strait to the sawmills and pulp mills on the mainland. These rafts— known as ‘Davis Rafts’—could handle the rough seas without breaking up. Duncanby Landing is located at the southern shoreline entrance into Goose Bay, not far from the mouth of Rivers Inlet. This historic landmark was built in the 1930s. Owner Ken Gillis has kept this complex in good shape, continually upgrading the pier, boardwalk and buildings. ‘Jessie’s Place’ at Duncanby is the only dining room and pub open to the public in Rivers Inlet. South of Duncanby is the Goose Bay Cannery, one of only two historical sites left in Rivers Inlet that remains intact. The secluded bay is mostly protected from the summer prevailing winds. Richard and Sheila Cooper lived at this cannery as caretakers for fourteen years, building a beautiful two story float home using old wood from the ‘China House’ that had been used to house the Chinese workers during the canning season. This float home is anchored in a bay just outside the Penrose Marine Park boundaries. Another historical site in this area is the Good Hope Cannery, the oldest building remaining in the inlet. Constructed in 1895, it operated until the early 1940s, then continued as a net storage and mending facility until 1965. For the last fourteen years, owner Bob Stewart and crew have done a remarkable job restoring the cannery and replacing the massive shake roof with a new, blue metal roof, lengthening the life of the building by many years. Every summer the cannery is used as a sport fishing lodge. Rivers Inlet is still one of the most popular saltwater sports fishing destinations in BC, even though commercial fishing has been closed in the inlet since 1996 due to the declining sockeye salmon stocks. It could take months to explore the inlets, rivers, estuaries, lake tributaries connecting to Rivers Inlet, viewing wildlife, paddling around lagoons and sandy beaches, exploring the ruins and historic canneries. This is a paddling paradise with something for everyone. ❏ Bluewater Adventures Coast Mountain Expeditions Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Center Ocean River Sports Pacific Northwest Expeditions Sea Legs Kayaking Adventures Spindrift Resort Taku Lodge Tide Rip Tours West Coast Expeditions www.GeorgiaStrait.org FOR SALE: 1976, Cheoy Lee 41’, Offshore Ketch. Very good condition, 48hp Perkins diesel engine (low hours), recent survey, refrigeration, pressure hot water, diesel heat, blue awl-grip hull, refinished in 1995. Teak decks and bright work in top shape. Open, warm interior with circular settee. A beautiful example of a fine yacht. Asking $89,000 Cdn. Contact: mumfordben@hotmail. com. 604-780-7609. Eco-Adventurers: Protecting the Marine Environment Photo: © Alexandra Morton © Gordon Baron restores buildings and trails on BC’s Central Coast. June/July 2004 www.WaveLengthMagazine.com 35
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Page 5 and 6: Editorial 14th Year! Editor Alan Wi
Page 7 and 8: way to our next meeting place, we w
Page 9 and 10: Dream Vacation Hidden by the shadow
Page 11 and 12: Chilean Mothership Trip Start with
Page 13 and 14: Cahuelmo hotsprings may have had th
Page 15 and 16: During a five-day, in-depth explora
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Page 19 and 20: KAYAKS SAVE THE DAY The last time L
Page 21 and 22: kayaks and boats. When you buy a ka
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Page 29 and 30: From the Rainforest Heading for the
Page 31 and 32: Exploring Rivers Inlet For many peo
Page 33: The restored Good Hope Cannery, the
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Page 39 and 40: to the power face of the blade. As
Page 41 and 42: INNCHANTER Welcome aboard InnChante
Page 43 and 44: SEA OTTER KAYAKING AND SAILING CHAR
Page 45 and 46: 2 heaping teaspoons basil, or 1 rou
Page 47 and 48: The Heritage Group of book publishe
Page 49 and 50: Kayaks are typically one or two per
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Page 53 and 54: 1-800-889-7644 Vancouver Island Adv
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