Banks Island (British Columbia)
Encyclopedia
Banks Island is an island
on the coast of the Canadian province
of British Columbia
. It is located south of Prince Rupert
, on Hecate Strait
, east of and opposite the Queen Charlotte Islands
. To the east of Banks Island is Pitt Island
and McCauley Island, both across Principe Channel
. To the south lies the archipelago of the Estevan Group
, beyond which is Caamaño Sound
.
Banks Island is 72 kilometres (44.7 mi) long and ranges in width from 9.7 kilometres (6 mi) to 18 kilometres (11.2 mi). It is 1005 square kilometres (388 sq mi) in area. The island reaches 536 metres (1,758.5 ft) in elevation. It is located within the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District
.
Banks Island was named in 1788 by Charles Duncan, captain of the fur trading vessel Princess Royal
, in honor of Sir Joseph Banks
, who was then president of the Royal Society and had accompanied James Cook
during the exploratory voyages of 1768–1771. Banks was instrumental in encouraging British fur trading voyages to the Pacific Northwest
, such as Duncan's.
and Charles Duncan arrived at Banks Island. They anchored their two ships, Prince of Wales and Princess Royal at the south end of Banks Island in Calamity Bay (which they named Port Ball). The ships remained there for eleven weeks while being repaired. During this time there was a series of first contact
encounters between the British and some of the Kitkatla
Tsimshian. Minor conflicts escalated into larger ones, including the theft of a British long boat. Violence soon followed, with the use of muskets, pistols, and cannons by the British. A number of Tsimshian were killed, wounded, and taken captive. Also during their time at Calamity Bay the British used boats to explore the complex waterways of the region, including Principe Channel, Douglas Channel
, and Laredo Sound
. In the process producing the first significant maps of this part of the coast.
The Spanish explorer Jacinto Caamaño
explored the region in 1792, passing through Principe Channel in the corvette
Aranzazu. Caamaño was aided by copies of maps made by Colnett. The incompletely explored inlets on the maps prompted the Viceroy of New Spain
to order an exploratory expedition, which was given to Caamaño. During his voyage, Caamaño spent a month's sojourn at the southern end of Pitt Island, during which time he had considerable interaction with the Tsimshian of Pitt and Banks Islands.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
on the coast of the Canadian province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of 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...
. It is located south of Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
, on Hecate Strait
Hecate Strait
Hecate Strait is a wide but shallow strait between the Haida Gwaii and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It merges with Queen Charlotte Sound to the south and Dixon Entrance to the north...
, east of and opposite the Queen Charlotte Islands
Queen Charlotte Islands
Haida Gwaii , formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, is an archipelago on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Haida Gwaii consists of two main islands: Graham Island in the north, and Moresby Island in the south, along with approximately 150 smaller islands with a total landmass of...
. To the east of Banks Island is Pitt Island
Pitt Island (Canada)
Pitt Island is an island in British Columbia, Canada, located between Banks Island, across Grenville Channel from the mainland. It is separated from Banks Island by Principe Channel. The only settlement is a First Nations village, Chino Hat, on the west coast...
and McCauley Island, both across Principe Channel
Principe Channel
Principe Channel is a strait on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada, located between Banks Island and Pitt Island . "Principe" means "prince" in Spanish....
. To the south lies the archipelago of the Estevan Group
Estevan Group
The Estevan Group, formerly the Estevan islands, is a small archipelago in the Hecate Strait region of the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. The archipelago is located on the west side of Campania Island, which is separated from the group by Estevan Sound and is itself to the west of Gil...
, beyond which is Caamaño Sound
Caamaño Sound
Caamaño Sound is a sound on the coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It extends east from Hecate Strait. Princess Royal Island, Rennison Island, and Aristazabal Island lie to the south of the sound. Several islands lie to the north, including Campania Island and the Estevan Group of...
.
Banks Island is 72 kilometres (44.7 mi) long and ranges in width from 9.7 kilometres (6 mi) to 18 kilometres (11.2 mi). It is 1005 square kilometres (388 sq mi) in area. The island reaches 536 metres (1,758.5 ft) in elevation. It is located within the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District
Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District, British Columbia
The Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District is a quasi-municipal administrative area in British Columbia. It is located on British Columbia's west coast and includes Haida Gwaii , the largest of which are Graham Island and Moresby Island...
.
Banks Island was named in 1788 by Charles Duncan, captain of the fur trading vessel Princess Royal
Princess Royal (sloop)
Princess Royal was a British merchant ship that sailed on fur trading ventures in the late 1780s, and was captured at Nootka Sound by Esteban José Martínez of Spain during the Nootka Crisis of 1789...
, in honor of Sir Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
, who was then president of the Royal Society and had accompanied James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
during the exploratory voyages of 1768–1771. Banks was instrumental in encouraging British fur trading voyages to the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, such as Duncan's.
History
In late August, 1787, the British fur traders James ColnettJames Colnett
James Colnett was an officer of the British Royal Navy, an explorer, and a maritime fur trader. He served under James Cook during Cook's second voyage of exploration...
and Charles Duncan arrived at Banks Island. They anchored their two ships, Prince of Wales and Princess Royal at the south end of Banks Island in Calamity Bay (which they named Port Ball). The ships remained there for eleven weeks while being repaired. During this time there was a series of first contact
First contact (anthropology)
First contact is a term describing the first meeting of two cultures previously unaware of one another. One notable example of first contact is that between the Spanish and the Arawak in 1492....
encounters between the British and some of the Kitkatla
Kitkatla
The Kitkatla are one of the 14 bands of the Tsimshian nation of the Canadian province of British Columbia, and inhabit a village, also called Kitkatla , on Dolphin Island, a small island just by Porcher Island off the coast of northern B.C. Because of this they have sometimes been called Porcher...
Tsimshian. Minor conflicts escalated into larger ones, including the theft of a British long boat. Violence soon followed, with the use of muskets, pistols, and cannons by the British. A number of Tsimshian were killed, wounded, and taken captive. Also during their time at Calamity Bay the British used boats to explore the complex waterways of the region, including Principe Channel, Douglas Channel
Douglas Channel
Douglas Channel is one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast. Its official length from the head of Kitimat Arm, where the aluminum smelter town of Kitimat to Wright Sound, on the Inside Passage ferry route, is 90 km...
, and Laredo Sound
Laredo Sound
Laredo Sound is a sound on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada, located on the west side of Price Island....
. In the process producing the first significant maps of this part of the coast.
The Spanish explorer Jacinto Caamaño
Jacinto Caamaño
Jacinto Caamaño Moraleja was the leader of the last great Spanish exploration of Alaska and the Coast of British Columbia. He was a Knight of the Military Order of Calatrava. Born in Madrid, he came from an aristocratic Galician family, whose homestead was near Santiago de Compostela...
explored the region in 1792, passing through Principe Channel in the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
Aranzazu. Caamaño was aided by copies of maps made by Colnett. The incompletely explored inlets on the maps prompted the Viceroy of New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
to order an exploratory expedition, which was given to Caamaño. During his voyage, Caamaño spent a month's sojourn at the southern end of Pitt Island, during which time he had considerable interaction with the Tsimshian of Pitt and Banks Islands.