Winter Harbour, A Bit of History

First were the Indians. Franz Boas (1858-1942) listed the Winter Harbour tribe as the "Gwa'ts!enox". Perhaps they originally came from Gwa'ts!e, on Glendale Cove in Knights Inlet. In the mid-1800's, the Gwa!tsenox attacked the Indians of Winter Harbour, killing most of them and driving the rest out. These original Winter Harbour Indians were either the Hoyalas or Giopino (Koprino) tribe. The Quatsino's, who now made Winter Harbour and Forward Inlet their home, also gave their name to the long inlet in from the Pacific. In 1840 their population was given in excess of a thousand

The story (not authenticated) goes that Winter Harbour was named when two English sailing ships wintered here in the late 1700's. In 1890, when the site of the present settlement was surveyed, it was given the name of Queenstown. Later, this was changed to Leeson Harbour, Honoring Jobe L. Lesson. Mr. Leeson, his wife Anna, and son Ben, came in 1894. Jobe and his son managed the salmon and clam cannery located on the opposite shore, near the present booming grounds. Mr. Leeson also ran a trading post and the 'B.C. Pilot' in 1905 stated there was a store here where clothes and provisions could be obtained. He had a homestead on the west shore, where he built a house, had a large garden and chickens and pigs, smoking his own ham and bacon. Jobe died in March of 1915. The name, Winter Harbour, was restored to the Hamlet in the 1940's by the government after a petition by the residents.

The present settlement started in 1930 with Gordon and Emma Stuart. They built their home on a float, possibly in Quatsino Sound, and then towed it to Winter Harbour, just south of the site of our Government Dock. The next few years brought more settlers wanting to live nearer to the high producing fishing grounds. Lots were purchases and house went up. They were either built on site or floated in and pulled up onto land. Everyone worked together, helping each other with the tasks they ewer best qualified to do. Land was donated for the community hall and school. By April, 1935, there was a General Store, Post Office and a blacksmith shop. Later came the school and a small hotel. The first child born to the settlers was Annie Stuart. Old chief Charlie cam to view the new white baby, and after studying her for a few moments, he turned to the proud new parents asking, "How much?" thinking perhaps to purchase her.

A point of historical interest was the setting up of the same saw mill, that was operated by steam, in the early settlement of Cape Scott. This mill had been brought new in 1898 by Carl Rasmussen. His grandson purchased it from a later owner, and using gas power, cut lumber for himself and others in Winter Harbour for several years. In 1965 the mill accidentally caught fire and was destroyed.

In 1936, Albert and Berna Moore arrived with their floating log camp. The floating camp was moved to the various areas as they logged. Then, in the 1950, Bill Moor, Albert's son, moved the camp ashore on a site two miles from Winter harbour village, on the north shore of the upper part of Forward Inlet. This was the same site where the Quatsino Indians used to live each autumn during the Dog Salmon run. The logging camp relocated in the 70's adjacent the fishing settlement boundaries, onto the old Lesson homestead, now owned by Mr. Moore.

The Hamlet of Winter Harbour reached its peak population in the late 1940's when the number was close to 60. In the 1990's, 55 people lived in the area with 25 staying throughout the year. Most depended on the fishing industry for their living. The population of the adjacent camp was 16. These two settlements, although still separate, together made up the community of Winter Harbour and worked on projects with joint effort. There were five fish buying companies operating out of Winter Harbour and about 4 million pounds of fish were shipped out by road or water ways each fishing season. The population of the fishing village spiraled during the summer months with fishermen arriving and living on their boats plus the tourists coming in by pleasure craft and road vehicles. The boardwalk was first one plank wide and was made as a connecting link between the settler's residences. Finally it grew to three planks wide, and in 1955, a railing was added. The connecting road to Port Hardy was completed in the late 1960's, near the time the first telephone system went in. On June 15, 1990 our noisy generators and coal-oil lamps were packed away as power surged through the new B.C. Hydro lines.

Thanks to Ruth Botel for this history.