South Oak Bay
Encyclopedia
South Oak Bay is a neighbourhood
located in the Municipality of Oak Bay
, British Columbia
, to the south of Oak Bay Avenue and lying east of the boundary between Oak Bay and Victoria
, British Columbia.
aboriginal people who lived generally in the southeastern part of what is today Greater Victoria. In the mid-19th century the land that today comprises South Oak Bay was divided between Isabella Ross, Joseph Despard Pemberton
and William Henry McNeill
. The McNeill property was located between present day McNeill Avenue and McNeill or Shoal Bay
One of the early buildings in the neighbourhood was the Mount Baker Hotel, built in 1893 on Beach Drive and looking toward Mount Baker
, Washington. South Oak Bay remains primarily residential, with a large area of the neighbourhood forming part of the Victoria Golf Club. Residential development followed the arrival of the streetcar, including the B.C. Electric line in 1890. Windsor Park was established in 1890 as the Oak Bay Ball Park. The Victoria Golf Club, was founded in 1893. Although residential development began in the early 20th century, much of the housing dates from the period between 1920 and 1970.
In 1903 the Chinese Consolidate Benevolent Association in Victoria purchased land at Harling Point for a cemetery. Between 1903 and 1908 Chinese graves in the Ross Bay Cemetery
where opened, the bodies exhumed and transferred to the Chinese Cemetery. The Cemetery remained in use until the 1950s when it was closed. In 1996 the Federal Government of Canada declared Chinese Cemetery at Harling Point a National Historic Site.
The neighbourhood's public elementary school, Monterey Elementary, became a middle school in 2006. St. Michael's University School Junior School campus is located on Victoria Avenue.
Neighbourhood
A neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition...
located in the Municipality of Oak Bay
Oak Bay, British Columbia
Oak Bay is a municipality located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian Province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Capital Regional District, it is a community east of and adjacent to the City of Victoria...
, 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...
, to the south of Oak Bay Avenue and lying east of the boundary between Oak Bay and Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia.
History
The neighbourhood was originally the territory of the SongheesSonghees
The Songhees or Songish, also known as the Lekwungen or Lekungen, are an indigenous North American Coast Salish people who reside on southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia in the Greater Victoria area...
aboriginal people who lived generally in the southeastern part of what is today Greater Victoria. In the mid-19th century the land that today comprises South Oak Bay was divided between Isabella Ross, Joseph Despard Pemberton
Joseph Despard Pemberton
Joseph Despard Pemberton was a surveyor for the Hudson's Bay Company, Surveyor General for the Colony of Vancouver Island, a pre-Confederation politician, a businessman and a farmer. He was born in 1821 in Dublin, Ireland and died in 1893 in Oak Bay, British Columbia...
and William Henry McNeill
William Henry McNeill
William Henry McNeill was best known for his 1830 expedition as the captain of the brig Llama, which sailed from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 12,000 miles around Cape Horn, to the Pacific Northwest on a fur trading expedition.Boston merchants owned the brig whose cargo consisted of...
. The McNeill property was located between present day McNeill Avenue and McNeill or Shoal Bay
McNeill Bay (British Columbia)
McNeill Bay lies within the boundaries of Oak Bay, British Columbia along the coast of Vancouver Island. It was named after Captain William Henry McNeill, master of the Hudson's Bay Company steamer SS Beaver, and one of the five original landowners of Oak Bay.On 14 March 1843 the SS Beaver...
One of the early buildings in the neighbourhood was the Mount Baker Hotel, built in 1893 on Beach Drive and looking toward Mount Baker
Mount Baker
Mount Baker , also known as Koma Kulshan or simply Kulshan, is an active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington State in the United States. It is the second-most active volcano in the range after Mount Saint Helens...
, Washington. South Oak Bay remains primarily residential, with a large area of the neighbourhood forming part of the Victoria Golf Club. Residential development followed the arrival of the streetcar, including the B.C. Electric line in 1890. Windsor Park was established in 1890 as the Oak Bay Ball Park. The Victoria Golf Club, was founded in 1893. Although residential development began in the early 20th century, much of the housing dates from the period between 1920 and 1970.
In 1903 the Chinese Consolidate Benevolent Association in Victoria purchased land at Harling Point for a cemetery. Between 1903 and 1908 Chinese graves in the Ross Bay Cemetery
Ross Bay Cemetery
Ross Bay Cemetery is located at 1516 Fairfield Road in Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, Canada.-History:The cemetery was opened in 1873. The 27.5 acre cemetery is part of a public park and its south side faces Ross Bay on the Pacific Ocean...
where opened, the bodies exhumed and transferred to the Chinese Cemetery. The Cemetery remained in use until the 1950s when it was closed. In 1996 the Federal Government of Canada declared Chinese Cemetery at Harling Point a National Historic Site.
South Oak Bay Today
There is a small commercial area on Central Avenue at St. Patrick, and another grouping of commercial premises near the intersection of Windsor Avenue and Newport Avenue, near the Oak Bay Marina. Municipal parks in the neighbourhood include Anderson Hill Park, Lafayette Park and Windsor Park. The Capital Regional District also maintains a park in the neighbourhood, Gonzales Hill ParkThe neighbourhood's public elementary school, Monterey Elementary, became a middle school in 2006. St. Michael's University School Junior School campus is located on Victoria Avenue.