Calvert Island (British Columbia)
Encyclopedia
Calvert Island is an island
on the coast of the Canadian province
of British Columbia
. It is located east of Queen Charlotte Sound in the Central Coast
region, about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) north of the town of Port Hardy
, which is at the north end of Vancouver Island
.
A number of smaller islands lie just north of Calvert Island, across Kwakshua Channel, the largest of which is Hecate Island. Hakai Passage separates the islands around Calvert Island from those around Hunter Island
to the north. To the east Fitz Hugh Sound, part of the Inside Passage
, separates Calvert Island from the mainland. The mouth of Rivers Inlet
is east of the southern end of Calvert Island.
Calvert Island is 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) long and ranges in width from 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to 16 kilometres (9.9 mi). It is 161 square kilometres (62.2 sq mi) in area. The island reaches 1045 metres (3,428.5 ft) in elevation. Hecate Island is 44 square kilometres (17 sq mi) in area.
Calvert Island was named in 1788 by Charles Duncan, captain of the fur trading vessel Princess Royal
. The name probably honors the Calvert family, and perhaps specifically Lord Cecil Calvert
, second Baron of Baltimore. The name was retained by George Vancouver
and published as such on his maps.
included Calvert Island, and extended north along Dean Channel and Burke Channel, and along the coastal islands to Milbanke Sound
. Archaeological evidence indicates many thousands of years of habitation in the region.
In July, 1788, the British fur trader Charles Duncan arrived in the region of Calvert Island. He anchored his ship, the Princess Royal, in Milbanke Sound, then worked his way south, trading with the Heiltsuk
and exploring what was then unknown waters to the British. He passed through Hakai Passage into Fitz Hugh Sound, then anchored on the east coast of Calvert Island in Safety Cove. After a brief stay he continued south to Vancouver Island.
Hakai Provincial Recreation Area, 50,707 ha in size, includes the northern part of Calvert Island and the southern part of Hunter Island, as well as numerous smaller islands in the area.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
on the coast of the Canadian province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It is located east of Queen Charlotte Sound in the Central Coast
British Columbia Coast
The British Columbia Coast or BC Coast is Canada's western continental coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The usage is synonymous with the term West Coast of Canada....
region, about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) north of the town of Port Hardy
Port Hardy, British Columbia
Port Hardy is a district municipality in British Columbia, Canada located on the north-eastern coast of Vancouver Island. Port Hardy has a population of 3822 at last census...
, which is at the north end of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
.
A number of smaller islands lie just north of Calvert Island, across Kwakshua Channel, the largest of which is Hecate Island. Hakai Passage separates the islands around Calvert Island from those around Hunter Island
Hunter Island (British Columbia)
Hunter Island is an island on the coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located inshore from Queen Charlotte Sound, about north of the town of Port Hardy at the north end of Vancouver Island....
to the north. To the east Fitz Hugh Sound, part of the Inside Passage
Inside Passage
The Inside Passage is a coastal route for oceangoing vessels along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific coast of North America. The route extends from southeastern Alaska, in the United States, through western British Columbia, in Canada, to northwestern Washington...
, separates Calvert Island from the mainland. The mouth of Rivers Inlet
Rivers Inlet
Rivers Inlet is a fjord in the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, its entrance from the Dean Channel near that fjord's mouth, about southwest of the community of Bella Coola and about north of the northern tip of Vancouver Island and the western entrance of the...
is east of the southern end of Calvert Island.
Calvert Island is 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) long and ranges in width from 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to 16 kilometres (9.9 mi). It is 161 square kilometres (62.2 sq mi) in area. The island reaches 1045 metres (3,428.5 ft) in elevation. Hecate Island is 44 square kilometres (17 sq mi) in area.
Calvert Island was named in 1788 by Charles Duncan, captain of the fur trading vessel Princess Royal
Princess Royal (sloop)
Princess Royal was a British merchant ship that sailed on fur trading ventures in the late 1780s, and was captured at Nootka Sound by Esteban José Martínez of Spain during the Nootka Crisis of 1789...
. The name probably honors the Calvert family, and perhaps specifically Lord Cecil Calvert
Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, 1st Proprietor and 1st Proprietary Governor of Maryland, 9th Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland , was an English peer who was the first proprietor of the Province of Maryland. He received the proprietorship after the death of his father, George Calvert, the...
, second Baron of Baltimore. The name was retained by George Vancouver
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
and published as such on his maps.
History
The traditional territory of the HeiltsukHeiltsuk
The Heiltsuk are an Indigenous First Nations of the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, centred on the island communities of Bella Bella and Klemtu. The government of the Heiltsuk people is the Heiltsuk Nation...
included Calvert Island, and extended north along Dean Channel and Burke Channel, and along the coastal islands to Milbanke Sound
Milbanke Sound
Milbanke Sound is a sound on the coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia, extending east from Queen Charlotte Sound, with Price Island on the west, Swindle Island on the north, and the Bardswell Group of islands on the south. Milbanke Sound is one of the open sea portions of the Inside...
. Archaeological evidence indicates many thousands of years of habitation in the region.
In July, 1788, the British fur trader Charles Duncan arrived in the region of Calvert Island. He anchored his ship, the Princess Royal, in Milbanke Sound, then worked his way south, trading with the Heiltsuk
Heiltsuk
The Heiltsuk are an Indigenous First Nations of the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, centred on the island communities of Bella Bella and Klemtu. The government of the Heiltsuk people is the Heiltsuk Nation...
and exploring what was then unknown waters to the British. He passed through Hakai Passage into Fitz Hugh Sound, then anchored on the east coast of Calvert Island in Safety Cove. After a brief stay he continued south to Vancouver Island.
Protected areas
Just north of Calvert Island in Hakai Pass is the Hakai Luxvbalis Conservancy Area. At more than 1200 square kilometres (296,526.2 acre) of land and sea, it is the largest provincial marine protected area on the British Columbia coast.Hakai Provincial Recreation Area, 50,707 ha in size, includes the northern part of Calvert Island and the southern part of Hunter Island, as well as numerous smaller islands in the area.