- Quadra Island
Quadra Island is an island off the eastern coast of
Vancouver Island ,British Columbia ,Canada , part of theDiscovery Islands . It is separated from Vancouver Island byDiscovery Passage , and from Cortes Island bySutil Channel . The population of Quadra Island and surrounding mainland inlets as of the 2006 federal census count (excluding Indian Reserves tallied separately) was 2,472, down from the 2001 federal census count of 2,548.Quadra Island was given its name in 1903 by the Geographic Board of Canada, in honor of
Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra . [cite book |last= Rayburn |first= Alan |title= Naming Canada: Stories about Canadian Place Names |year= 2001 |publisher= University of Toronto Press |isbn= 0802082939 |pages= p. 113]There are two small business centres on the island, one near the
Vancouver Island BC Ferry terminal at Quathiaski Cove, and one near the Cortes Island ferry terminal at Heriot Bay. The island has many beaches, trails, lakes, and parks.The island is home to a thriving art community, as well as a growing number of white-collar professionals who commute to Campbell River, on Vancouver Island.
There is an elementary school on the island. Schoolchildren in grades 7 through 12 travel by ferry to Campbell River to attend École Phoenix Middle School or Carihi Secondary School.
The Cape Mudge Reserve on the south tip of the island is the hereditary seat of the powerful chiefs of the Weewaikai, who are the leading group within the Southern Kwakiutl; their main other group, the Wewaykum, live in Campbell River just across the strait on Vancouver Island. Together they are known as the
Laich-kwil-tach (historically known as the Euclataws or Yucultas, names which are more familiar to speakers of British Columbia English.The
Southern Kwakiutl migrated into the northern Georgia Strait fromQueen Charlotte Strait over two centuries ago, enslaving, displacing and absorbing the Comox andPentlatch peoples who formerly lived there [ MacLeod, William Christie (1925) Debtor and Chattel Slavery in Aboriginal North America. New Series, Vol. 27, No. 3:370-380.] . The aggressiveCape Mudge Band , also known as theLaich-kwil-tach or Southern Kwakiutl, was also renowned for its artwork and lavishpotlatch -feasts.See also
*
School District 72 Campbell River
*Seymour Narrows References
External links
Quadra Island coord|50|10|N|125|14|W |display=inline,title|region:CA_type:isle
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
