Port Hardy, British Columbia

Port Hardy is a small town in the north of Iceland Vancouver in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

The community is located near the terminus of Highway 19 from the Duke Point Ferry Terminal in Nanaimo on Bear Cove Ferry Terminal. As the northernmost town of the island is Port Hardy the gateway to Cape Scott Provincial Park about 50 km to the west, the partially only on gravel roads is but achievable. The same applies to Brooks Peninsula.

The name of the place goes back to Vice- Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, the captain of the HMS Victory.

History

The local museum is in accordance with the regional history three priorities. The most important is the history of the First Nations, dating back some 8000 years, then the post of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC ), and finally the history of the so-called pioneers. For the presentation of its history, an association has been formed from nine museums that present the history and culture of the northern tip of the island.

Near the village, the oldest finds of the colonization of Vancouver Iceland were made. The site is a bay, those whose artifacts BC Bear Cove are datable to about 6000. Between 3000 BC and 500 AD prevailed a culture that was characterized by obsidian blades. The subsequent third period is less a hunter-gatherer culture as a maritime culture that is characterized by canoes and other prey animals, namely, seals and salmon.

1792 Captain James Johnstone sailed past the Quatse Bay. According to him the eastward location of Port Hardy Johnstone Strait was named.

When the HBC Fort Rupert was built, were the surrounding tribes - equipped by the fur trade with Europeans with guns - become successful traders and slavers, who extended their raids up to Washington. But Europeans dragged and diseases one, such as smallpox, which first hit the coastal Salish along the coast (from 1775), then living on the west coast of Vancouver Island Nuu- chah- nulth tribes (especially 1862), and finally the Kwakwaka'wakw tribes around Port Hardy.

1860 named Captain Richards, as brought him his expedition to the north, the Bay Hardy Bay, according to Lieutenant Thomas Masterman Hardy, who had played a role in the Napoleonic Wars.

Only in 1904 the first settlers arrived in the place and called it Port Hardy, but were moved to the site in 1925 on the west side of the bay. By Danish immigration, a certain influence of this group was noticeable that focused to Holberg. There was made in 1940, a traveling sawmill, which led in some areas to total deforestation.

From the '50s until 1991, the Royal Canadian Air Force maintained a radar station near the city.

The population of the community grew in time to always on, so on April 5, 1966, the granting of local autonomy for the church was (incorporated as a District Municipality ).

Demography

The census in 2011 showed a population of 4,008 inhabitants of the district municipality. The city's population has thereby increased since the census of 2006 at 4.9%, while the population in British Columbia grew by 7.0 % at the same time. At the 2006 census counted 3,822 Port Hardy residents, while the municipality five years earlier still had 700 inhabitants more.

Infrastructure

Despite its small population and the surrounding wilderness Port Hardy has a small town character. It also offers plenty of services to provide the additional tourists in the summer. So there is a Visitor and a larger shopping center and associated supermarkets, three 24 -hour gas stations, clothing and art shops, a gymnasium, car dealers, banks, a library, churches, bars and restaurants, and dozens of smaller shops. A hospital, a fire station and ambulance and a police station form the public service.

Other public facilities are the Clock Tower, the pier and the Rotary Park. There is also a skate park near the arena or the swimming pool.

Climate

In winter the average temperature is 0.5 ° C, the snow depth at 63 cm. In summer, however, the agent increases to 17.7 ° C. The rains are very strong, on average 1870 mm per year.

Animal and plant life

In the area around Port Hardy, and even in the city itself, deer, black bears, bald eagles, gopher and beyond many small animals and birds can be observed. This is due to the fact that the animals in the habitat was taken by road construction, but mainly by reckless deforestation and will. Insbesonderen along the nature trail Quatse loop or in Storey's Beach are still sightings are not uncommon. Humpback whales can be seen from the bay at Rotary Park from. Logically, wildlife viewing by boat, offered to foot or by kayak, as well as fishing trips and camping in the high season.

But that can not disguise the fact that now remains of the original landscape only a little left. Only the parks offer remnants of temperate rainforests.

Tourism

The ( tourist ) motto of the church is: Living the adventure ( the adventure life ). The entrance sign of the place is designed accordingly. Since a majority of the population now lives on tourism, there are now many motels and bed and breakfast places, and a youth hostel. Nevertheless, many accommodations are fully booked during the high season, because at this time most visitors come to sail with one of the entertaining of BC Ferries the famous Inside Passage to Prince Rupert and on to Alaska. The approximately 16-hour drive to Prince Rupert is known for its unspoiled landscape and the whales and dolphins.

The regional crafts is strongly influenced by indigenous artists. Galleries on Market Street offer carvings on of outstanding quality. This applies even more for the artist at Fort Rupert. Immediately the place to live the First Nations of the Quatsino, the Gwa'Sala - ' Nakwaxda'xw First Nation and the Kwakiutl, little removed Indians live around Fort Rupert.

Filomi Days, abbreviated Fi -Lo -Mi, represents Fishing logging and mining is an event that takes place usually on the 3rd weekend in July. This festival competitions are mainly discharged into the eponymous disciplines.

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