A Little Diddy Called Stubbs

A few weeks ago I participated in the Tofino Ambassador program through the Rainforest Education Society.  This course is offered free of charged for Tofitians who want to learn more about the local history and is designed to provide "correct" information that those of us in the hospitality industry can pass onto guests.  The instructor briefly touched on Clayoquot or "Stubbs" Island as one of the first trading posts created on the coast.  She also mentioned that this island is open to the public only on May long weekend and suggested that if possible we should all take advantage of the opportunity to visit.  I was immediately intrigued and began enquiring with some of the more settled locals.  Almost everyone I asked admitted that they had heard of it, but had never seen it firsthand; no one seemed very keen to visit.  Well I wasn't about to let this stop me, I was determined to get to the island and see these 200 year old rhododendrons Google had told me so much about.  On Saturday I finished work, grabbed my camera and hauled ass downtown to enquire about the boat transportation only to discover that the boats stopped running in under an hour.  No matter, I thought, I would just make a point of getting there sooner on Sunday.  Sunday afternoon I left work and texted my roommate to see if she was still interested in joining.  She responded to tell me that she and a group of others were on their way and would save me a spot in line.  Perfect!

We climbed onto the little water taxi and jetted across the channel with Captain Steve at the helm; within a few minutes we were disembarking onto Stubbs Island.  Upon ascending the ramp and seeing this natural wonderland, I felt overwhelmed with a sense of peace.  It felt so separate from society despite the fact it was crawling with tourists and that you can see town from shore.  There are boardwalks and paths in every which direction, dotted with little driftwood benches and gazebos.  Every plant and flower have been immaculately cared for and the beaches were absolutely pristine.  All along, huge old growth hemlocks loomed overhead.  I can say with certainty that the 2 hours we spent there was not an adequate amount of time to explore the sprawling 130 acres of the island.  We explored the boardwalks down to the beach and back up to a large open field where an impromptu croquet tournament took place (along with a quick wheelbarrow race.)  All around children ran about and screaming with glee, families enjoyed picnic lunches, couples sprawled across the spongey grass, soaking up the sunshine.  The magic of the island could be felt by everyone.

On our way back to the dock we stopped to thank the two caretakers, (and only residents of the island) Chris Taylor and Sharon Whalen, who sat in front of the Sea Wench Naturals headquarters, sipping wine and asking us how we enjoyed our experience.  While waiting for the boat to return we chatted with one of the temporary caretakers and peppered him with questions about life on the island.  He informed us that their generator runs off solar power and that a sand filtration system provides running water.  He also informed us that the island is owned by Susan Bloom, a resident of Salt Spring Island who had recently donated 70% of the property to the Land Conservancy of BC to prevent any future owners of the island from developing or selling of plots.  The return to reality was bittersweet and the experience made me curious to learn more...

The Island was originally named Stubbs after Captain Napolean Fits Stubbs who travelled around Vancouver Island in 1861 on the ship Templar.  The word Clayoquot comes from clea-o meaning another or different and aht meaning people or village.  In 1860 it was established as a trading post and settlement, the first outside of Fort Victoria.  In the 1890's it was controlled by the Hudson Bay Company.  In 1898 owner Walter Dawley built the first hotel on the coast, when this structure burned to the ground it was replaced by a smaller parlour and beer hall, once again, the first of its kind.  In 1937 the island was purchased by Betty Farmer who, along with her sister Jo Brydges, is credited with creating the incredible gardens found there today.  Between 1940 and 1990 the island had several owners before being purchased by Bloom.

I feel so much gratitude to have experienced this little piece of Tofino history firsthand and am eager to return next year to explore everything else the island has to offer.

Sources:
Gibson, Ken.  "A Brief Story of Clayoquot Preserve on Stubbs Island" About Clayoquot Preserve, Stubbs Island, Tofino BC.  GoTofino.com <http://www.gotofino.com/tofinoarticles/stubbsislandclayoquotislandkengibson.html>

Hawthorn, Tom.  "Stubbs Island: A Return to Paradise"  Tom Hawthorn's Blog.  tomhawthorn.blogspot.com <http://tomhawthorn.blogspot.ca/2011/05/stubbs-island-return-to-paradise.html> May 16, 2013.

Westerly News.  "Clayoquot Island Now Has Land Conservancy Protection,"  Canada.com <http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=e7146c5d-e3da-4ab0-b442-34b058db811b> January 31, 2008.