Deadman's Island (Vancouver)

Last updated

Deadman Island, 1910 showing squatters' houses. A01923 CVA 677 136 Deadman's Island 191.jpg
Deadman Island, 1910 showing squatters' houses.
Deadman Island in 2006 Deadman's Island Vancouver.jpg
Deadman Island in 2006
Naval Reserve Division HMCS Discovery on Deadman Island. Deadmans Island.jpg
Naval Reserve Division HMCS Discovery on Deadman Island.

Deadman Island is a 3.8 ha island to the south of Stanley Park in Coal Harbour in Vancouver, British Columbia. The indigenous Squamish name is "skwtsa7s", meaning simply "island." Officially designated "Deadman Island" by the Geographical Names Board of Canada in 1937, [1] it is commonly referred to as Deadman's Island. It has been a battle site, a native tree-burial cemetery, smallpox and squatter settlement in its long history. Today it is the site of Vancouver's Naval Reserve Division, HMCS Discovery.

Contents

Early history

One of Vancouver's first white settlers, John Morton, visited the island in 1862. Morton discovered hundreds of red cedar boxes lashed to the upper boughs of trees and one had evidently fallen and broken to reveal a jumble of bones and a tassel of black hair. The island was the tree-burial grounds of the Squamish people. Undeterred, Morton took a fancy to the island and attempted to acquire it. He changed his mind when Chief Capilano pointed out that the island was "dead ground" and was a scene of a bloody battle between rival tribes in which some two hundred warriors were killed. It's said that "fire-flower" grew up at once where they fell, frightening the foe into retreat. [2] The macabre name of the island is thought to reflect this history, although the Squamish name is simply skwtsa7s, meaning "island." [3]

Settlers continued to use the island as a cemetery prior to the 1887 opening of Mountain View Cemetery. Between 1888 and 1892, Deadman Island became a quarantine site for victims of a smallpox epidemic and burial ground for those who did not survive. [4]

Ludgate affair

This small islet again became the site of conflict when Theodore Ludgate leased the island from the federal government in 1899, to the chagrin of the mayor and other civic officials who assumed that it was included in the original Stanley Park land grant. Mayor James Garden, with police accompaniment, tried to prevent Ludgate from clearing the land by reading the first ever Vancouver riot act after a showdown between Ludgate's men and the police. Ludgate escaped arrest, and police guards were left on the island, but the protracted legal battle that followed gave Ludgate the opportunity to proceed with his plan to build a saw mill and log the island. By 1911, Ludgate had won his case, cleared the island of both trees and the squatter community that lived there. Ludgate was subsequently unable to meet the terms of his lease, and the island reverted to the Dominion government. In 1930 the island was offered to the city by the federal government to be used as a park, but a park never materialized, and it was instead turned into a naval station in 1944. [5]

His Majesty's Canadian Ship Discovery

HMCS Discovery is Vancouver's Naval Reserve Division that is housed in the stone frigate that is strategically located on the island in support of the security of Vancouver Harbour. The facility housed the Joint Maritime Operations Centre for the APEC Summit in 1997 and the 2010 Winter Olympics. In addition to the Naval Reserve Division, RCSCC Corps 47 Captain Vancouver and NLCC Captain Rankin have their weekly parades at HMCS Discovery and the facility houses a naval museum. The island is connected to the mainland of Stanley Park at low tide, as well as via a short timber-structure bridge.

Future of the island

The city's lease of Deadman Island from the federal government expired in 2007 [6] and was subsequently renewed in 2008. The former mayor of Vancouver, Sam Sullivan, "envisioned it as the home for a ferry shuttle from downtown, a maritime museum and a building to celebrate the island's aboriginal heritage." The Musqueam First Nation, however, claim the island as part of its land claim in the area. [7] The island's future remains with the Department of National Defence and its status controversial, as it has been through much of Vancouver's history. [8]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Deadman Island". BC Geographical Names .
  2. ↑ Richard E. Allen, "Deadman's Island lives on in history" Archived 2007-03-13 at the Wayback Machine from HMCS Discovery [website]
  3. ↑ The Greater Vancouver Book claims the island's graveyard past is the reason for its name. According to Pauline Johnson the Sḵwxwú7mesh name is "Island of the Dead Men" because of the massacre that took place there. See: Pauline Johnson, "Deadman's Island," Legends of Vancouver, at Project Gutenburg. Major J. S. Matthews wrote its Squamish name as Squt-sahs. City Archives, Naming Opening and Dedication of Stanley Park. Vancouver: City Archives, City Hall, 1964, 55.
  4. ↑ Heather Conn, "The Origins of Stanley Park" and Roger Parton, "Islands of Greater Vancouver," in Chuck Davis, ed., The Greater Vancouver Book: An Urban Encyclopaedia. Surrey, BC: Linkman Press, 1997, 52 and 169.
  5. ↑ Mark Leier, Red Flags and Red Tape: The Making of a Labour Bureaucracy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1995, 59; Eric Nicol, Vancouver. Vancouver: Doubleday, 1970, 114-115; W. C. McKee, "The History of the Vancouver Park System, 1886-1929," MA thesis, University of Victoria, 1976, 51; Heather Conn, "The Origins of Stanley Park," in Chuck Davis, ed., The Greater Vancouver Book: An Urban Encyclopaedia. Surrey, BC: Linkman Press, 1997, 52; Joe Swan, A Century of Service: The Vancouver Police, 1886-1986, Vancouver: Vancouver Police Historical Society and Centennial Museum, 1986, 27.
  6. ↑ Archived 2006-06-20 at the Wayback Machine City of Vancouver Mayor's Office [website] "Mayor Sullivan discusses arts, economic development and Deadman Island with federal Ministers in Ottawa," 25 April 2006.
  7. ↑ Alexandra Gill,"Vancouver's glorious green space," Globe and Mail [online], 3 June 2006.
  8. ↑ For the controversy over the island's status in the late 19th century, see "Correspondence and Papers in Reference to Stanley Park and Deadman Island, British Columbia," Ottawa, 1899. Available on microfiche at Vancouver Public Library, Special Collections.

Coordinates: 49°17′43″N123°07′22″W / 49.2953°N 123.1228°W / 49.2953; -123.1228

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver</span> City in British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The Greater Vancouver area had a population of 2.6 million in 2021, making it the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Greater Vancouver, along with the Fraser Valley, comprises the Lower Mainland with a regional population of over 3 million. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada, with over 5,700 people per square kilometre, and fourth highest in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Park</span> Public park in Vancouver, Canada

Stanley Park is a 405-hectare (1,001-acre) public park in British Columbia, Canada that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The park borders the neighbourhoods of West End and Coal Harbour to its southeast, and is connected to the North Shore via the Lions Gate Bridge. The historic lighthouse on Brockton Point marks the park's easternmost point. While it is not the largest of its kind, Stanley Park is about one-fifth larger than New York City's 340-hectare (840-acre) Central Park and almost half the size of London's 960-hectare (2,360-acre) Richmond Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Vancouver</span> District municipality in British Columbia, Canada

West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is to the northwest of the city of Vancouver on the northern side of English Bay and the southeast shore of Howe Sound, and is adjoined by the District of North Vancouver to its east. Together with the District of North Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver, it is part of a local regional grouping referred to as the North Shore municipalities, or simply "the North Shore".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitsilano</span> Neighbourhood of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada

Kitsilano is a neighbourhood located in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Kitsilano is named after Squamish chief August Jack Khatsahlano, and the neighbourhood is located in Vancouver's West Side along the south shore of English Bay, between the neighbourhoods of West Point Grey and Fairview. The area is mostly residential with two main commercial areas, West 4th Avenue and West Broadway, known for their retail stores, restaurants and organic food markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squamish, British Columbia</span> District municipality in British Columbia, Canada

Squamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway. The population of the Squamish census agglomeration, which includes First Nation reserves of the Squamish Nation although they are not governed by the municipality, is 19,893.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coal Harbour</span> Neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Coal Harbour is the name for a section of Burrard Inlet lying between Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula and the Brockton Point of Stanley Park. It has also now become the name of the neighbourhood adjacent to its southern shoreline.

HMCS <i>Discovery</i> Military unit

HMCS Discovery is a Royal Canadian Navy Reserve division and shore facility based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Created during World War II from the Vancouver Half Company of the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve, Discovery was used for recruitment and training, and provided almost 8,000 personnel during the war. Discovery continued in its training role following the war, and also serves as headquarters for several Reserve and Cadet units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siwash Rock</span> Reef in Vancouver, Canada

Siwash Rock is a rock outcropping in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada's Stanley Park. A legend among the Indigenous Squamish people surrounds the rock. It is between 15 and 18 metres tall. It became known to mariners as Nine Pin Rock for its resemblance to a bowling pin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lost Lagoon</span>

Lost Lagoon is an artificial, captive 16.6-hectare body of water, west of Georgia Street, near the entrance to Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Surrounding the lake is a 1.75 km (1.09 mi) trail. The lake features a lit fountain that was erected by Robert Harold Williams to commemorate the city's golden jubilee. It is a nesting ground to many species of birds, including non-native mute swan, Canada geese, numerous species of ducks, such as mallard ducks, and great blue herons. Also many turtles are usually resident on the northern shore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Vancouver</span>

The history of Vancouver is one that extends back thousands of years, with its first inhabitants arriving in the area following the Last Glacial Period. Vancouver is situated in British Columbia, Canada; with its location near the mouth of the Fraser River and on the waterways of the Strait of Georgia, Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet, and their tributaries. Vancouver has, for thousands of years, been a place of meeting, trade, and settlement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brockton Point</span>

Brockton Point is a headland off the Downtown Peninsula of Vancouver, on the north side of Coal Harbour. Named after Francis Brockton, it is the most easterly part of Stanley Park and is home to a 100-year-old lighthouse and several hand-carved totem poles made in British Columbia. Like the rest of Stanley Park coastline, Brockton Point is lined by the Vancouver Seawall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. S. Matthews</span> Canadian archivist

Major James Skitt Matthews was the City of Vancouver's first archivist and an early historian and chronicler of the city. Major Matthews also refers to a building named in his honour in Vanier Park, Vancouver, British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lions (peaks)</span>

The Lions are a pair of pointed peaks along the North Shore Mountains in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They can be seen from much of the Greater Vancouver area, as far as Robert Burnaby Park in East Burnaby, south to parts of Surrey, and from the west on the Howe Sound Islands and the Sunshine Coast. Along with the Lions Gate Bridge named in their honour, these twin summits have become one of the most recognizable Vancouver landmarks. The city's BC Lions CFL football team is also named in their honour. Lions Gate Entertainment which was founded in Vancouver in July, 1997 is also named for the peaks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seawall (Vancouver)</span> Stone wall constructed around Stanley Park

The seawall in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is a stone wall that was constructed around the perimeter of Stanley Park to prevent erosion of the park's foreshore. Colloquially, the term also denotes the pedestrian, bicycle, and rollerblading pathway on the seawall, one which has been extended far outside the boundaries of Stanley Park and which has become one of the most-used features of the park by both locals and tourists. James "Jimmy" Cunningham, a master mason, dedicated his life to the construction of the seawall from 1931 until his retirement. Even after he retired, Cunningham continued to return to monitor the wall's progress, until his death at 85. While the whole path is not built upon the seawall, the total distance from CRAB park, around Stanley Park and False Creek to Spanish Banks is about 30 kilometres (19 mi).

August Jack was an Indigenous/Aboriginal chief of the Squamish people. He was born in the village of Xwayxway on the peninsula that is now Stanley Park, Vancouver, or at Chaythoos, British Columbia, Canada, the son of Supple Jack "Khay- Tulk" of Chaythoos and Sally "Owhaywat" from the Yekwaupsum Reserve north of Squamish, British Columbia. His grandfather was Chief Khahtsahlano of Senakw who had migrated from his home at Toktakanmic on the Squamish River to Chaythoos, and the man from whom he inherited his name. The suffix "lan-ogh" in their name means "man".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain View Cemetery (Vancouver)</span> Cemetery in Vancouver, British Columbia

Mountain View Cemetery is the only cemetery in the City of Vancouver, British Columbia. Opened in 1886, it is located west of Fraser Street between 31st and 43rd Avenues. It is owned and operated by the City of Vancouver and occupies 0.43 square kilometres of land, containing more than 92,000 grave sites and over 145,000 interred remains. The first interment took place on February 26, 1887. The first interment was supposed to happen in January 1887 but poor weather, a new road, and a broken wagon wheel resulted in the intended first occupant being temporarily buried outside the cemetery. His body was relocated to inside the cemetery months later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of British Columbia</span> Overview of and topical guide to British Columbia

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to British Columbia:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Three Greenhorns</span>

The Three Greenhorns were three Englishmen, Samuel Brighouse, William Hailstone and John Morton, who were the first white settlers in the area known today as Vancouver's West End. They earned the nickname “Three Greenhorn Englishmen" because they bought land for what was believed to be an inflated price.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Campbell (Canadian politician)</span>

Ian Campbell is an Indigenous Canadian politician. He is one of many hereditary chiefs, also known as head of family, and an elected councillor of the Squamish Nation. Campbell also serves on the board of MST Development Corporation (MST), a corporate entity which manages real estate properties owned by a partnership between the Musqueam Indian Band, the Squamish Nation, and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. In 2018, he became the Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate for the 2018 Vancouver municipal election, but withdrew before the election.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.