West Cracroft Island

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West Cracroft Island is an island in the Johnstone Strait region of the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada, located east of Port McNeill. [1] [2] It is the larger of the two Cracroft Islands, the other, East Cracroft Island, being so named to distinguish between the two islands, which at low tide are one island. [3]

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Name origin

The Cracroft Islands were named in 1861 by Captain Richards of HMS Plumper for Sophia Cracroft, the niece of Sir John Franklin, the explorer. She accompanied Lady Jane Franklin on her round-the-world voyage, which brought them to British Columbia during the Fraser Gold Rush of 1858. They remained in British Columbia and explored its coast in 1861 before returning to England. Other features named for her in this area are the Sophia Islets off the southwest side of the island, and Cracroft Point at the very western tip of West Cracroft, at 50°33′00″N126°40′45″W / 50.55000°N 126.67917°W / 50.55000; -126.67917 (Cracroft Point) with the nearby Franklin Range across Johnstone Strait on Vancouver Island being named for Sir John and Lady Franklin. [4]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minstrel Island</span> Island in Canada

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Hanson Island is an island in the Queen Charlotte Strait region of the Central Coast of British Columbia, located west of Harbledown Island and south of the Plumper Islands. The westernmost part of Johnstone Strait is to the south of the island, Blackfish Sound to the north, beyond which is Swanson Island. The island is named for James Hanson who served aboard HMS Chatham in 1792 and was later transferred that year to command Vancouver's supply ship HMS Daedalus.

Harbledown Island is an island in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, located west of West Cracroft Island. It is at the west end of Johnstone Strait and lies at the eastern edge of the Queen Charlotte Strait region. Hanson Island is to its west, West Cracroft Island to the south and southeast, across Baronet Passage, and Turnour Island to the northwest, across Beware Passage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turnour Island</span> Island in Canada

Turnour Island is an island in the Johnstone Strait region of the Central Coast of British Columbia, located between Gilford Island and West Cracroft Island. On the other side Canoe Passage on its northwest is Village Island, while to its south and southwest is Beware Passage, across from which is Harbledown Island. Gilford Island is to the north across Tribune Channel. Separating Turnour from West Cracroft is Clio Channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Cracroft Island</span> Island in Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clio Channel</span>

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Cracroft is a locality at the east end of Forward Bay on the south side of West Cracroft Island in the Johnstone Strait region of the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada.

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References

50°33′09″N126°23′51″W / 50.55250°N 126.39750°W / 50.55250; -126.39750 (West Cracroft Island)