The Discovery Passage, which leads into the Discovery Islands, has long been an area of significant movement and transformation. For centuries, it has witnessed waves of human activity—both Indigenous and settler—that have left deep marks on the landscape. The History on the Water boat tours, offered by the Museum at Campbell River, invite visitors to explore these rich and layered histories in one of the most beautiful coastal regions of British Columbia.
The tour departs from Discovery Marina, heading past Tyee Spit, one of the locations proposed for a name change by the Liǧʷiłdaxʷ First Nations the We Wai Kai, Wei Wai Kum and Kwiakah Nations. The proposed name, ʔuxstalis (pronounced Oox-sta-lease), means “beach on the back side” or “where the land ends,” and reflects the traditional Likʷala language. There is also a proposal to return Discovery Passage to an Indigenous name of Liǧʷiłdax̌ʷ Passage (pronounced Lee-gwilth-daxw).
Our first stop is Kanish Bay, a site with one of the highest concentrations of archaeological features in the region, known as loxiwe, or clam gardens. Loxiwe, meaning “a place of rolling rocks together” in Kwak̓wala, is a sophisticated mariculture technique developed by coastal First Nations. These gardens are made by stacking rocks to form terraces at the low tide line to create ideal habitats for shellfish, particularly butter and littleneck clams. These structures increased the surface area for clam growth and created ideal conditions for consistent food harvests.
Archaeological research suggests that nearly every bend and exposed shoreline in Kanish Bay that could support a clam garden once did. These findings point to a large, stable population living in the area, with organized systems for food production that long predated the arrival of Europeans like Captain Vancouver and Captain Quadra in 1792. In time, however, many of these sites were abandoned as disease and displacement took their toll. The clam gardens, left untended, became part of the landscape once more.
From Kanish Bay, the tour continues to Rock Bay, where the story shifts to the early days of industrial logging. By the mid-1800s, hand loggers began working the shorelines, cutting timber from the easily accessible edges of the forest. Around 1900, logging headquarters were established at Rock Bay. To reach timber further inland, oxen teams were brought in, dragging logs through rugged terrain to floating log booms anchored in the bay.
These methods were limited in reach until the introduction of the steam donkey, a powerful winch powered by steam. One of the first in the area, nicknamed Curley, allowed crews to pull logs from much steeper, more rugged terrain. It made the whole process faster and more efficient, opening up parts of the forest that had previously been out of reach.
The sheltered bays and inlets around Rock Bay served as natural holding areas for logging booms before they were shipped to market. Rock Bay was soon surrounded by activity as logging increased in scale and demand.
In 1904, Reverend John Antle visited the area and estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 people were working between the tip of Quadra Island and Alert Bay. Seeing a need for medical and social support, he founded the Columbia Coast Mission, a floating service that combined medicine and ministry. In 1906, the mission established its first hospital in Rock Bay. The organization continued to serve coastal communities for the next sixty years, offering essential care to people living in remote camps and villages.
The next stop on our tour is Shoal Bay, the site of the region’s first recorded gold claim, staked in 1884 by Joseph Costello. By the mid-1890s, significant ore shipments marked the beginning of a local gold rush. Shoal Bay quickly became a hub of mining activity, with the Douglas Pine mine operating along the tall ridge above the bay. Ore containing gold, copper, and iron was transported by pack mule down narrow trails to barges waiting along the shore. By 1897, more than 400 mine claims had been registered in the area. A Victoria newspaper at the time called Shoal Bay “the centre of the mining district which will soon be one of the most flourishing in the province.” But as often happens, the activity was short-lived. By 1896 and 1897, larger companies began buying up smaller claims, and as mineral deposits were depleted, Shoal Bay’s prominence began to fade.
The final stop on the tour is Thurston Bay, where BC Forestry established an operations centre in 1914 to oversee logging activity. A fire lookout was built on Mount Tucker on nearby Sonora Island, nearly 3,000 feet above sea level, to monitor the surrounding forests. By 1927, Thurston Bay had grown into a functioning community, with float homes, workshops, and a small school. Forest rangers, welders, carpenters, and boatbuilders worked to maintain the fleet of vessels that supported nearby camps. A pelton wheel generated a few hours of electricity daily, and a telegraph line connected Thurston Bay to Shoal Bay and Rock Bay, forming a communication link across the area.
Eventually, the forestry site was moved to the Fraser River in a more to centralize its operations, the need for remote headquarters like Thurston Bay declined. Over time, the community was dismantled, and the bay returned to quiet.
The History on the Water tours offer more than just a scenic boat ride. They open a window into the deep and varied past of the Thurlow Islands and Discovery Passage—a place shaped by Indigenous innovation, industrial ambition, and the constant interaction between people and the landscape. Each shoreline, each inlet, has a story to tell.
Tours run every Sunday throughout the summer. More information is available on the Museum at Campbell River website at crmuseum.ca.
