Zeballos, British Columbia
Zeballos is a small, secluded village on the west coast of Vancouver Island Iceland in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
Location
Zeballos is located on a bay that opens to the Esperanza Inlet, the sea between Iceland and Vancouver Nootka Iceland. Just east of Zeballos is the 1875 m high Rugged Mountain. An approximately 40 km northward leading road connects the village to the main highway of the island ( Highway 19 ) from Port Hardy to Victoria. Zeballos is named after the explorer Ciriaco Cevallo.
History
Zeballos is one of the many places in British Columbia, whose name refers to Spanish roots. Ciriaco Cevallos was one of the people Mala Alejandro Spina, whose ship circumnavigated the island in 1792.
In 1908 took place the Kyuquot Fischer Tom J. Marks gold at the mouth of the Zeballos River.
The area was first settled by non- Indians, but only from 1924, when started in the surrounding mountains with the prospecting for gold; It is estimated that the settlement quickly reached a population of around 1,500. Gold for around $ 13 million was taken from the veins of gold, of which almost half of a single, very profitable. She was in possession of Adolf Meier Aich. 1938 worked around 400 men in 30 claims, a ship, the Princess Maquinna (see Maquinna ) connected the town with the outside world. The steam boat went the Tahsis Inlet outward direction Ceepeecee, where there was a shop before the gold rush. The Catholic St. Anthony's Church was built in 1939 by the Benedictine Father Anthony Terhaar. Since today is where Mason 's Motor Lodge, stood from 1939 to hospital (until 1945), which, although heavily remodeled, but still reveals the Hospital character.
The flower was extremely short: Of the three hotels, the laundromat, the bakery and the two taxi companies as well as the weekly and the infamous Goat Ranch, one of the brothels, which stood near the cemetery, in an area that today is constantly under water stands, remained with the beginning of World War II nothing left. In July 1940, also raged a fire in the village. Early as 1942 all gold mines were closed, especially since the price of gold had fallen to $ 35 per ounce and was therefore no longer to think of an economical operation of gold mines.
The remaining population - at the low point lived probably 35 people in the place - held after the Second World War by other revenue sources out; In the early 1950s they started to build a wood industry, 1962 was added in an iron ore mine, which closed in 1969 but has been back. 1964 hit the city at the narrow fjord a triggered by an undersea earthquake off Alaska tsunami that not only flooded the village, but millions of fish ashore wore.
The granting of local government (incorporated Village ) for the church was on 27 June 1952.
Today, the Western Forest Products Ltd.. (formerly Tahsis Company Limited) main employer of the town. In addition, a fish farm exists. Tourism is due to the poor accessibility of the remote site is still in its infancy. After all, there are now again four small hotels and several restaurants.
Demography
The census in 2011 showed a population of 125 inhabitants of the small town. The population has thereby decreased compared to the census of 2006 by 64 residents (equivalent to 33.9%), while the population in British Columbia grew by 7.0 % at the same time. This works for the community continued the downward trend of the last census. In 2001, 224 residents were still living in the community.
Attractions
In Zeballos is a city museum, which documents the history of the place, especially the boom time mining town.
Parts of the Zeballos River area are now considered Wetland Reserve under a certain amount of protection. Here numerous bird species can be observed again, including hummingbirds. As the old forests in the area are cut down, there are considerable difficulties to attract significant amounts of tourists to the area. For kayakers and anglers, the area is still interesting, as well as for climbers around the valley of the River Nomash. In contrast, the Nootka Trail is now an attractive, 30 -km-long trail with very old trees that give an impression of how this looked temperate rainforests once. Boats leave from Zeballos to the starting point in the Louie Bay. At Bajo Point and at Beano Creek to find Indian villages.
In addition, the nearby Woss Lake Provincial Park, and the cave system in Artlish Caves Provincial Park.