Newcastle Island: A Place of Discovery

Barry M. Gough is a professor of history at Wilfrid Laurier University
and the author of The Northwest Coast: British Navigation, Trade, and
Discoveries to 1812 and First Across the Continent: Sir Alexander
Mackenzie.

Part traveler’s companion, part history, and part geographical tour,
this book is a pleasant reminder of the unique history of so many B.C.
islands. The author, who painstakingly trawled the archives and
consulted with authorities and residents, has produced a rewarding and
richly illustrated account of Newcastle Island’s distinguished past.
His book includes discussions of the coal era (during which Newcastle
Island became a major source of steaming coal) and the herring fishery,
as well as an account of the Island’s stone quarry. Newcastle Island
then became a CPR pavilion, a lovely pleasure destination made possible
by steam navigation. This slim but comprehensive volume includes a good
index and a useful bibliography.