A history of Mayne Island
Date
1982
Authors
Elliott, Marie
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Abstract
Mayne Island is one of the most accessible of the populated outer Gulf Islands in the southern Georgia Strait of British Columbia, which also include Saturna, Galiano, and North and South Pender. Together with Saltspring and many smaller islands, the southern Gulf Islands form a buffer zone between the two largest metropolitan areas of the province, Vancouver and Victoria. A prime location in the Georgia Strait urban region and a marine environment have circumscribed Mayne Island's social, political, and economic development for more than a century.
This study traces the development of Mayne Island from the beginning of white settlement to the present, and focuses upon the problems inherent to settlement, the acquisition of community services, and the demands placed upon the region by the forces of urban and industrial growth. General concepts of British Columbia history are tested by examining the lives of individuals and families, the role of Indian women in post gold rush society, the influence of the British immigrants, and the integration of the Japanese prior to 1942.
The last section of the thesis discusses the problems of transportation and development of land resources in the Gulf Islands between 1950 and 1982, as a consequence of the burgeoning population of the mainland and the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Gulf Islanders abandoned their pleasant, laissez-faire existence and accepted government assistance for ferry transportation and land-use protection. The need for environmental preservation culminated in a concept in local government, the Islands Trust, never before implemented in Canada. A test case on Mayne Island played a vital role in establishing the viability of the Trust.
Urban attitudes presently dominate British Columbia historical scholarship. The history of Mayne Island suggests that more studies of local, rural areas are also required to gain a complete picture of British Columbia's development.