Port Clements, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Port Clements is a village situated at the east end of Masset Inlet in Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) off the coast of the Province 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...
in Canada. Founded by Eli Tingley in 1907, it was once known under the name Queenstown, but renamed to Port Clements in 1914 after Herb S. Clements
Herbert Sylvester Clements
Herbert Sylvester Clements was a Canadian politician.Born in Dover Township, Canada West, a manufacturer and farmer, he was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1904 federal election for the Ontario electoral district of Kent West. A Conservative, he was defeated in 1908...
, the local MP at the time (for Comox—Atlin
Comox—Atlin
Comox—Atlin was a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1917.This riding was created in 1903 from parts of Burrard and Vancouver ridings...
, then 1917-1921 for Comox—Alberni
Comox—Alberni
Comox—Alberni was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1979.This riding was created in 1914 from parts of Comox—Atlin riding....
), when the name "Queenstown" duplicated and therefore became unusable for the post office.
The highway leading to Port Clements from Tlell
Tlell, British Columbia
Tlell is a small, unincorporated place on the east coast of Graham Island, which is part of Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Canada.-History:...
and from Port Clements to Masset
Masset, British Columbia
Masset , formerly Massett, is a village in Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Columbia. It is the western terminus of the Yellowhead Highway...
was paved in 1969 and soon after completion the village became incorporated in 1975. The other main road that heads west to Juskatla Camp
Juskatla, British Columbia
Juskatla is a settlement on Juskatla Inlet, a sidewater off the southern end of Masset Inlet on Graham Island, the largest and northernmost of the Queen Charlotte Islands on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada....
and back south to Queen Charlotte City is still gravel and mainly a logging road only open to public traffic after working hours.
Port Clements was and still is to a lesser extent the centre of the remaining logging on northern Graham Island
Graham Island
Graham Island is the largest island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago , lying off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is separated only by a narrow channel from the other principal island of the group, Moresby Island Graham Island is the largest island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago (formerly...
. In this community 29.2 % of the labour force works in the forest industry.
Most of the processing takes place in Juskatla Camp
Juskatla, British Columbia
Juskatla is a settlement on Juskatla Inlet, a sidewater off the southern end of Masset Inlet on Graham Island, the largest and northernmost of the Queen Charlotte Islands on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada....
.
Past tourist attractions were Kiidk'yaas
Kiidk'yaas
Kiidk'yaas, also known as the Golden Spruce, was a Sitka Spruce tree, Picea sitchensis 'Aurea', that grew on the banks of the Yakoun River in Haida Gwaii archipelago, British Columbia...
(The Golden Spruce) which was illegally felled by Grant Hadwin
Grant Hadwin
Thomas Grant Hadwin was a Canadian forest engineer. In January 1997, he cut down Kiidk'yaas , a landmark tree in British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands, as a protest against the logging industry. While facing criminal charges, he disappeared en route to his trial.Hadwin was born in West...
in 1997, and the White Raven, which has died.
Today, Port Clements and the nearby mouth of the Yakoun River
Yakoun River
The Yakoun River is the largest river on Haida Gwaii, off the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Estimated to be in length, it is located on Graham Island, the northernmost and largest of the archipelago, and runs in a twisting course generally northwards from Yakoun Lake, which lies near...
attract visitors intending to fish for steelheads
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
, chinook
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
and other salmon or to go kayaking.
There are a few camp and picnic sites as well as hiking trails in and around Port Clements, which also has one gas station, one grocery store, a public library, a Canada Post
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...
office, a bar, a museum, a motel, a grade school, a church and a wharf. Businesses include mechanics, small farmers and forestry contractors.