It rained most of the night but now around 8am it is clearing up but still plenty of smoke around.
I did go down to the tennis courts around 11am but they were still wet so I went and did some shopping......
Then came home and picked up Boomer and we went here...
It was nice to see the sky and the smoke leaving....
It is a pretty area to walk around...
this is called Shack Island..
Here is the history..
Nanaimo is full of small parks and nature to explore. Bowen Park, offering tranquil duck ponds and amphitheatre. Icarus Park’s meandering stairs down to the beautiful beach. And Pipers Lagoon Park, with its picturesque view of Shack Island.
It’s hard to miss the small collection of buildings that cluster on the strips of land stretching away from the northern tip of Pipers. There’s a certain rustic charm to them, each boasting a quirky defining detail. The one with the freshly painted Canadian flag on its roof, the olive green abode that stands apart from the others, the maroon one with a Wales flag flapping in the wind, the bright yellow paint job of another.
With these fine points of care to each house, the question that they might be old, long-abandoned relics quickly fades. The two individuals sitting on the porch of one house, a third working on the roof of another, strengthens the notion that these buildings are well lived in. The collection of dogs that happily yap at each other as they meander down the beach and park themselves on their own preferred porch solidifies the fact that a strong community exists on this little spit of land in the shelter of Hammond Bay. But as high tide approaches, and the shell-covered beach that connects Shack Island to Pipers Lagoon slowly disappears underwater, one might wonder just how this community came about.
The current cabins on the island find their roots in the 1930s, arising as people struggled with the Great Depression. But Shack Island’s full history dates back a little earlier than that. In 1907, the Pacific Whaling Company set up a factory in Pipers Lagoon (known then as Page Lagoon). Humpback whales frequented the coast at the time, following the herring runs through the Salish Sea. In one year, the factory caught close to a hundred whales, and it’s believed to be responsible for their near complete population wipe-out in the area. Pipers Lagoon had a short history as a whaling station, and the factory was soon dismantled and sent north to Rose Harbour, located on Kunghit Island, Haida Gwaii. But Shack Island was not yet done as a key location for those making their living from the sea.
As the Great Depression took hold of Canada in the ’30s, the small collection of islands became a key fishing spot for those willing to take their catch back into town to sell. With property taxes becoming harder and harder to pay as the economy struggled to rebuild, those fishers that frequented the area began building shelters and lean-tos on the small spit of land. A seasonal rotation formed, with life on the sea somewhat perilous in wintertime. The higher tides, thick algae, and harsh winds would force residents back into Nanaimo to wait out the colder months. Come spring, repairs would be made, supplies would be ferried out for the new season, and the island would once again come to life.
Life on and near the sea is always tuned to the tides. But residents of Shack Island are especially knowledgeable of the change, as the rising of the tide cuts the island off from the rest of Nanaimo for part of the day. In the island’s early years, supply runs timed up with the lowering of tide. Bundles of goods, small children, and even beloved pets would be carried over the oyster-laden ground as the waters receded. As kids got older, and explored farther and farther from home, the tides became the curfew point. Be home before late tide came in or be stranded on the lagoon’s beach, trying to calculate whether you could swim back home and dry off before your mother noticed your late arrival.
As the population increased, the community’s dependence on interdependence also grew: everyone looked out for each other, because far out to sea, no one else was there to do it. Residents combed the rocky beach for driftwood each morning, storing their finds under the cabins to dry out for later use. Anything that could be recycled and reused was, a must when you could only head into town at certain times of the day. Boats were treasured, and kids were taught early on how to row and care for them.
Nanaimo is full of small parks and nature to explore. Bowen Park, offering tranquil duck ponds and amphitheatre. Icarus Park’s meandering stairs down to the beautiful beach. And Pipers Lagoon Park, with its picturesque view of Shack Island.
It’s hard to miss the small collection of buildings that cluster on the strips of land stretching away from the northern tip of Pipers. There’s a certain rustic charm to them, each boasting a quirky defining detail. The one with the freshly painted Canadian flag on its roof, the olive green abode that stands apart from the others, the maroon one with a Wales flag flapping in the wind, the bright yellow paint job of another.
With these fine points of care to each house, the question that they might be old, long-abandoned relics quickly fades. The two individuals sitting on the porch of one house, a third working on the roof of another, strengthens the notion that these buildings are well lived in. The collection of dogs that happily yap at each other as they meander down the beach and park themselves on their own preferred porch solidifies the fact that a strong community exists on this little spit of land in the shelter of Hammond Bay. But as high tide approaches, and the shell-covered beach that connects Shack Island to Pipers Lagoon slowly disappears underwater, one might wonder just how this community came about.
The current cabins on the island find their roots in the 1930s, arising as people struggled with the Great Depression. But Shack Island’s full history dates back a little earlier than that. In 1907, the Pacific Whaling Company set up a factory in Pipers Lagoon (known then as Page Lagoon). Humpback whales frequented the coast at the time, following the herring runs through the Salish Sea. In one year, the factory caught close to a hundred whales, and it’s believed to be responsible for their near complete population wipe-out in the area. Pipers Lagoon had a short history as a whaling station, and the factory was soon dismantled and sent north to Rose Harbour, located on Kunghit Island, Haida Gwaii. But Shack Island was not yet done as a key location for those making their living from the sea.
As the Great Depression took hold of Canada in the ’30s, the small collection of islands became a key fishing spot for those willing to take their catch back into town to sell. With property taxes becoming harder and harder to pay as the economy struggled to rebuild, those fishers that frequented the area began building shelters and lean-tos on the small spit of land. A seasonal rotation formed, with life on the sea somewhat perilous in wintertime. The higher tides, thick algae, and harsh winds would force residents back into Nanaimo to wait out the colder months. Come spring, repairs would be made, supplies would be ferried out for the new season, and the island would once again come to life.
Life on and near the sea is always tuned to the tides. But residents of Shack Island are especially knowledgeable of the change, as the rising of the tide cuts the island off from the rest of Nanaimo for part of the day. In the island’s early years, supply runs timed up with the lowering of tide. Bundles of goods, small children, and even beloved pets would be carried over the oyster-laden ground as the waters receded. As kids got older, and explored farther and farther from home, the tides became the curfew point. Be home before late tide came in or be stranded on the lagoon’s beach, trying to calculate whether you could swim back home and dry off before your mother noticed your late arrival.
As the population increased, the community’s dependence on interdependence also grew: everyone looked out for each other, because far out to sea, no one else was there to do it. Residents combed the rocky beach for driftwood each morning, storing their finds under the cabins to dry out for later use. Anything that could be recycled and reused was, a must when you could only head into town at certain times of the day. Boats were treasured, and kids were taught early on how to row and care for them.
It was a good walk!!
The hockey finals started tonight and I watched the first game...
I like these..
On the drive..
Stay safe and healthy!!
Yashi Kochi!!
