Desolation Sound: A History.

Ann Turner is Financial and Budget Manager at the University of British
Columbia Library.

Located on the “Inside Passage” between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland about 100 miles north of Vancouver, Desolation Sound has long been a popular cruising destination for sail and power boaters. More recently, recreational paddlers in sea kayaks and canoes have come to explore its islands, inlets, and coves. Most of the area is accessible only by boat, and much of it is now designated for marine parks and ecological reserves, but in the past the Desolation Sound was home to settlers and communities who made their livings from the land and sea.

In this popular but well-documented history, the author draws heavily on interviews with settlers, their descendants, and those who knew them, to paint a vivid picture of life on the Sound in earlier times. Full of stories, personal anecdotes, and historical photos, the book is a lively read. Beginning with the First Nations’ occupation of the area and the visits of the early European explorers, it moves on to each area of permanent settlement and its inhabitants. The last section describes the current residents, visitors, and the development of marine parks. The summary table “People of Desolation Sound” is an especially useful contribution to the history of the area, as it identifies the 19th and early 20th century settlers with their birth and death dates, the location, lot numbers, and dates of their land grants, and their burial sites.