1913- The Dominion Government extended the telephone/telegraph
system from Port Hardy to Coal Harbour. The line ran from there
up the West Arm to Holberg and then to Cape Scott and Sea Otter
Cove by way of San Josef, carried along in the trees on the old
trail. This service was mainly found in the post offices along the
way. (1 private home at Cape Scott, had the service).
The Trails - according to an old timer - From Fisherman's Bay to
the Lagoon (and as far as Donaldson's) ...also to the Sand neck
the trail was wide enough for a buggy or wagon to travel. The
section right at the Sandneck went along the upper part of the
beach and during the extreme high tides of winter this part
couldn't be used. The rest of the trails to Strandby, to Nahwitti
and Shushartie, and around Hansen's Lagoon were 3ft to 4 ft wide
and was only suitable for walking or using a horse.
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A priceless link to the outside world was provided by boats that stopped at Fisherman's Bay, like this one owned by Adrien Davis. Alfred Spencer used his horse and buggy to carry the mail and freight to his post office, and people walked up to five miles to pick up a letter.
Photo courtesy Ruth
Botel. |
1913 - A wharf had been built in Holberg extending 1/2 a mile.
There were 7 miles of road stretching towards Fisherman's Bay.
Several of the settlers went off to war and some did not return after
the war.
1914 - The Goletas Fish Co. Ltd. started a cannery in Shushartie
Bay and in 1917 the cannery was taken over by Western Packers.
| Fuel Dock at Shushartie Bay – 1944
Photo Courtesy of BC Provincial Archives |
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1915 -There was a school at Strandby...Lumber, mining, fishing
and farming were the main occupations of the residents. They had
weekly mails and a General Store. Their population aprox. 40 to
45. (Matte Shuttleworth (nee Christensen) named Strandby after
her town in Denmark.)
1915 - Soren Christensen...first settler of the Strandby area, died
January 22 and was buried on Soren Hill.
Archie Darlington had set up a store in the old Co-op Store
building, he enlisted and the Vicks family were running the store 911
in 1916.
1918/20 - Nahwitti had a population of 25. several men in the
community were involved in mining or prospecting. Others were
farming or fishing. Nahwitti and Strandby had formed a Farmer's
Institute with Albert Higgins the: secretary. Albert Hole was a
lineman, assistant postmaster and a member of the Farmer's
Institute. Three other Hole brothers were involved in mining. A
Telephone Office was located in the settlement and people
traveling used a launch to reach Shushartie where they would
board the Union Steamship.
1918 - The B.C. Directory has the pop. of Cape Scott listed as 150
with fishing, farming and logging as the main employment.
1919 - The population in Shushartie was 25, this increased during
the Canning season with fishermen and cannery employees. G.
Darlington ran the General Store. J. Skinner was the postmaster
and owner of a General Store. Goletas Fish Company Ltd and
Western Packers Ltd operated during the fishing season.
1923- Canadian Fish Co. Ltd. bought the Cannery at Shushartie
Bay, ran it there for a few years and then in 1928 dismantled the
cannery and moved it to Cracroft Island.
1925 -Jack Wilder died and in 1928 his partner James Madigan
died, the two men owned a lot of pasture at the dyke and they
were the ones who built the large barn. The pasture and barn were
bought by Alfred Spencer.
1927 -The government installed an unwatched automatic
acetylene light at Cape Scott on the Theodore Frederiksen
property. A few years later a battery operated light was installed by
the government.
