Mayne Island



Mayne Island is in the Southern Gulf Islands. The island is approximately 21 km² and has a permanent population of about 1100 people. There is evidence of human habitation up to 5000 years ago, however, Captain George Vancouver is the first non-native to alight on the island, having camped there in 1794 (his crew left a coin and a knife found over a century later by early settlers). The first permanent homesteads were built in the 1860s. The island is named after Royal Navy lieutenant Richard Charles Mayne.

The majority of services are in the Miners Bay area. Here you will find a gas station, liquor store, post office, ATM, and two grocery stores. Other major locations on the island are Village Bay, location of the ferry terminal, as well as Georgina Point and Bennett Bay, both part of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.

The Mayne Island Community Chamber of Commerce provides a tourist map and guide that identifies key attractions, activities and shopping.

Understand
The historic village at Miners Bay remains the commercial centre of the island, with the annual Fall Fair still being held at the old Agricultural Hall like so many years before.

Nearby Active Pass still throbs with a steady stream of marine traffic, a bustling contrast to the island's quiet interior byways. Village Bay, with its BC Ferries terminal, has several late 19th-century to 1930s buildings. Active Pass is named after the American survey ship USCS Active, the first steam vessel to navigate the pass.

History
Mayne Island was inhabited by members of the Tsartlip First Nation prior to European colonization. Several middens are present on the island, along with period articles — most notably including a 2-tonne (2.2 short tons) stone bowl which was stolen in 1982 and again, in 2007.

In 1794 Captain George Vancouver camped on Georgina Point where his crew left a coin and a knife found over a century later by early settlers.

In 1857 Captain George Richards of the Royal Navy surveyed the area as captain of the Royal Navy vessel HMS Plumper, naming the island after his Lieutenant Richard Charles Mayne, son of the first commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police. His journals concerning his explorations of British Columbia are important sources for early British Columbia history, as are those of his colleague in many of those explorations, Royal Engineer Lieutenant Henry Spencer Palmer.

During the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858-1860 and after, Vancouver Island miners gathered on Mayne Island before rowing across Georgia Strait to the mainland of BC in search of their fortunes. The earliest homesteaders registered land claims in the Miners Bay area in 1859.

During the late 19th century, Mayne Island was the commercial and social centre of the Gulf Islands. The port at Miners Bay was always busy due to the steady stream of marine traffic travelling through Active Pass, the narrow, curving strait separating Mayne from Galiano Island to the north, which is the main ferry route between the Mainland and Vancouver Island today.

The Japanese-Canadian community on Mayne Island played a historical role in the island's economics and society from the turn of the 20th century until World War II. The community had close ties to the European-Canadian population throughout the Gulf Islands and was involved in major economic initiatives such as greenhouse farming. In 1941 the Japanese Canadians living on Mayne Island were interned by the government and resettled in New Denver for the duration of World War II. Many of the families would never return to the island after the loss of land and their community. Today, the Japanese Memorial Gardens, near Dinner Bay, are dedicated to the memory and legacy of the Mayne Island's Japanese-Canadian community.

By plane
Floatplane service is also available to and from Mayne Island. Several companies provide regular scheduled service in and out of Miners Bay.
 * Flights to Mayne Island from Vancouver International Airport.

By bicycle
If you plan to cycle, you should bring your own bicycle as the nearest place to rent one is a long distance from the ferry terminal. Cyclists should travel single file as the narrow and hilly roads on Mayne Island can create blind curves.

On foot
Mayne Island is small enough that it is possible to travel a fair distance on the Island on foot. You should be reasonably fit and prepared for long walks. It takes about 45 minutes to walk from the ferry terminal to the village of Miners Bay.

Do

 * St. John Point Regional Park. This 26-hectare waterfront regional park property is a place where local residents and visitors can connect with nature, experience the forest and coastal area, and refresh themselves through the beauty and tranquility of the site.
 * St. John Point Regional Park. This 26-hectare waterfront regional park property is a place where local residents and visitors can connect with nature, experience the forest and coastal area, and refresh themselves through the beauty and tranquility of the site.
 * St. John Point Regional Park. This 26-hectare waterfront regional park property is a place where local residents and visitors can connect with nature, experience the forest and coastal area, and refresh themselves through the beauty and tranquility of the site.
 * St. John Point Regional Park. This 26-hectare waterfront regional park property is a place where local residents and visitors can connect with nature, experience the forest and coastal area, and refresh themselves through the beauty and tranquility of the site.
 * St. John Point Regional Park. This 26-hectare waterfront regional park property is a place where local residents and visitors can connect with nature, experience the forest and coastal area, and refresh themselves through the beauty and tranquility of the site.

Buy
Mayne Island is the home to many artists and artisans who produce pottery, jewellery, cards, paintings, prints, weaving and tapestry.



Eat
Wild blackberries are abundant on Mayne Island in late summer through early September, and make a tasty snack (particularly if you're travelling around the Island on foot or bicycle).