Hotspring Island, originally named in English as Volcanic Island and known in the Haida language

Haida language

The Haida language is the language of the Haida people. It contains seven vowels and well over 30 consonants.-History:The first documented contact between the Haida and Europeans was in 1774, on Juan Pérez's exploratory voyage. At this time Haidas inhabited the Queen Charlotte Islands, Dall...

 as G̱andll K'in Gwaayaay ("Hot-Water-Island"), is a small island

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...

 near the southeast coast of Lyell Island

Lyell Island

Lyell Island, known also in the Haida language as Athili Gwaii, is a large island in the Queen Charlotte Islands archipelago on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. The island is a part of the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site and had been the focus of anti-logging...

 in 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...

 archipelago of the North Coast of British Columbia

British Columbia Coast

The British Columbia Coast or BC Coast is Canada's western continental coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The usage is synonymous with the term West Coast of Canada....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The island's names derive from a hot spring

Hot spring

A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...

 located on its southwestern end, the temperature of which has been measured at 162 °F (72.2 °C). The island is part of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site

Ninstints or SGang Gwaay Llnaagay on Anthony Island, in located in the southernmost part of Gwaii Haanas, just west of Kunghit Island, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981...

 and is supervised by the Haida Gwaii Watchmen.

History

There had once been a Haida village on the island, but little is known of it. Fur trade

Fur trade

The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...

 captain Joseph Ingraham

Joseph Ingraham

Joseph Ingraham was an American sailor and Maritime Fur Trader who discovered several islands of the Marquesas Islands while on his way to trade along the West Coast of North America...

 noted steam from the springs when he sailed in the area in 1791 and named it "Smokey Bay". Chief Klue of Tanu escorted a James Poole to the site in 1863 and extolled the value of the "miracle waters" in spite of fears by other Haida of "the Island of Fire". The name "Hotspring Island" was conferred by George M. Dawson when he went ashore there in 1878.

Facilities

Access to the site is by permit only, usually as part of a tour. Haida Watchmen are posted at the site, as at other locations in the archipelago. There is a bathhouse with a metal tub, fed by the springs, in which visitors are asked to clean themselves before entering the pools proper.