Cowichan Bay (English: /ˈkaʊɪtʃæn/)[1] is a bay and community located on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island near Duncan, in British Columbia. The mouth of the Cowichan River is near Cowichan Bay. Mount Tzouhalem and its hiking trails and ecological reserve stands to the north. The bay is known for its fishing and scenic value. The area's main industries are fishing and tourism.
For many thousands of years Cowichan Bay was home to First Nations people who harvested the wealth of salmon and shellfish found in its many coves, tidal flats and swiftly flowing rivers. A rare steatite anthropomorphic bowl was discovered on Cowichan Bay in the late nineteenth century. One of only about 50 so far found and estimated to originate from the Marpole Culture (400 BC-400 AD), it is now in the British Museum's collection.[2]
European settlement
Cowichan Bay was the gateway for European settlement of the Cowichan and Chemainus valleys from the early 1860s. A steamer service from Victoria was the major link for goods and people before the coming of the railway. Bypassed by the Esquimalt and Nanaimo line and later by the Island Highway, Cowichan Bay nevertheless was a thriving little community, based on sport and commercial salmon fishing, and log and lumber exports.
From the early 1900s Cowichan Bay attracted sportsmen from all over the British Empire for superb salmon fishing in the Bay and the Cowichan and Koksilah rivers. It was, for a time, the Salmon Capital of the World offering not just fishing, but fine sailing waters, an annual regatta and, next to Wimbledon, the oldest grass tennis courts in the world.
Tourism
Mount Tzouhalem from Cowichan Bay
The village of Cowichan Bay is a tourist attraction in the summer because of its cozy fishing-village feel. The community began a transformation in 2004 when Jonathan Knight opened True Grain Bread, a European inspired bakery at the centre of the seaside village. His organic breads and pretzels and a focus on local and sustainable business practices quickly made a name for the bakery and the community. His success spawned other businesses to open in the bay; Radway Studios, an organic clothing store; Hilary's Cheese, a local-made cheese shop; The Udder Guys, an old-style homemade ice-cream parlour; The Masthead, an upscale restaurant that serves delicious local foods; The Mud Room Clayworks, a pottery shop run by a local artisan; as well as many other eateries and knick-knack shops. Cowichan Bay offers visitors a chance to see their impressive wildlife through kayak tours and rentals and whalewatching tours. Depending on the time of year it is not uncommon to see bald eagles, seals, herons or other wildlife in the area.
South Cowichan Lawn Tennis Club
South Cowichan Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1887. It is one of the oldest lawn tennis clubs in the world and the oldest lawn tennis club in Canada.[3]
A noted deepwater port where tankers and container ships can still be seen at anchor regularly, Cowichan Bay has been plagued by derelicts abandoned at anchor and left to rot — most notably the fuel-filled Dominion, which dragged anchor during a winter storm before being towed away for scrap after a 5-year period, and the replica Beaver, which replaced her, towed in by the same tug that removed the derelict Dominion. Cowichan Bay's former economic base is declining, but being replaced with more recreational water activities, a revived interest in boatbuilding, an appreciation for the history and ecology of the Bay, and tourism.
Local politics
Cowichan Bay services are provided by the Cowichan Valley Regional District, with fire protection provided by the Cowichan Bay Improvement District which operates Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue. In 2009, Cowichan Bay became Canada and North America's first Cittaslow community.[4]
Notable residents
James Dunsmuir - Former Premier and Lieutenant-Governor of BC
Robert William Service - Poet and writer of the Yukon Gold Rush, he worked in several farms of Cowichan Bay from June 1896 to November 1897 and then from October 1898 until October 1, 1903 in the Corfield Farm. A memorial bench has been erected in the Robert Service Wayside Park and a plaque has been embedded up the seat where it can be read few lines of a poem of Robert Service entitled "Heart o' the North" excerpt from "Rhymes of a Rolling Stone".[5]
cowichan, english, community, located, east, coast, southern, vancouver, island, near, duncan, british, columbia, mouth, cowichan, river, near, mount, tzouhalem, hiking, trails, ecological, reserve, stands, north, known, fishing, scenic, value, area, main, ind. Cowichan Bay English ˈ k aʊ ɪ tʃ ae n 1 is a bay and community located on the east coast of southern Vancouver Island near Duncan in British Columbia The mouth of the Cowichan River is near Cowichan Bay Mount Tzouhalem and its hiking trails and ecological reserve stands to the north The bay is known for its fishing and scenic value The area s main industries are fishing and tourism Cowichan Bay The area is served by the nearby coast spanning Island Highway and Island Rail Corridor Contents 1 First Nation history 2 European settlement 3 Tourism 3 1 South Cowichan Lawn Tennis Club 4 Economy 5 Local politics 6 Notable residents 7 References 8 External linksFirst Nation history EditFor many thousands of years Cowichan Bay was home to First Nations people who harvested the wealth of salmon and shellfish found in its many coves tidal flats and swiftly flowing rivers A rare steatite anthropomorphic bowl was discovered on Cowichan Bay in the late nineteenth century One of only about 50 so far found and estimated to originate from the Marpole Culture 400 BC 400 AD it is now in the British Museum s collection 2 European settlement EditCowichan Bay was the gateway for European settlement of the Cowichan and Chemainus valleys from the early 1860s A steamer service from Victoria was the major link for goods and people before the coming of the railway Bypassed by the Esquimalt and Nanaimo line and later by the Island Highway Cowichan Bay nevertheless was a thriving little community based on sport and commercial salmon fishing and log and lumber exports From the early 1900s Cowichan Bay attracted sportsmen from all over the British Empire for superb salmon fishing in the Bay and the Cowichan and Koksilah rivers It was for a time the Salmon Capital of the World offering not just fishing but fine sailing waters an annual regatta and next to Wimbledon the oldest grass tennis courts in the world Tourism Edit Mount Tzouhalem from Cowichan Bay The village of Cowichan Bay is a tourist attraction in the summer because of its cozy fishing village feel The community began a transformation in 2004 when Jonathan Knight opened True Grain Bread a European inspired bakery at the centre of the seaside village His organic breads and pretzels and a focus on local and sustainable business practices quickly made a name for the bakery and the community His success spawned other businesses to open in the bay Radway Studios an organic clothing store Hilary s Cheese a local made cheese shop The Udder Guys an old style homemade ice cream parlour The Masthead an upscale restaurant that serves delicious local foods The Mud Room Clayworks a pottery shop run by a local artisan as well as many other eateries and knick knack shops Cowichan Bay offers visitors a chance to see their impressive wildlife through kayak tours and rentals and whalewatching tours Depending on the time of year it is not uncommon to see bald eagles seals herons or other wildlife in the area South Cowichan Lawn Tennis Club Edit South Cowichan Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1887 It is one of the oldest lawn tennis clubs in the world and the oldest lawn tennis club in Canada 3 Economy EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed February 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message A noted deepwater port where tankers and container ships can still be seen at anchor regularly Cowichan Bay has been plagued by derelicts abandoned at anchor and left to rot most notably the fuel filled Dominion which dragged anchor during a winter storm before being towed away for scrap after a 5 year period and the replica Beaver which replaced her towed in by the same tug that removed the derelict Dominion Cowichan Bay s former economic base is declining but being replaced with more recreational water activities a revived interest in boatbuilding an appreciation for the history and ecology of the Bay and tourism Local politics EditCowichan Bay services are provided by the Cowichan Valley Regional District with fire protection provided by the Cowichan Bay Improvement District which operates Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue In 2009 Cowichan Bay became Canada and North America s first Cittaslow community 4 Notable residents EditJames Dunsmuir Former Premier and Lieutenant Governor of BC Robert William Service Poet and writer of the Yukon Gold Rush he worked in several farms of Cowichan Bay from June 1896 to November 1897 and then from October 1898 until October 1 1903 in the Corfield Farm A memorial bench has been erected in the Robert Service Wayside Park and a plaque has been embedded up the seat where it can be read few lines of a poem of Robert Service entitled Heart o the North excerpt from Rhymes of a Rolling Stone 5 Arthur Vickers Artist story teller References Edit The Canadian Press 2017 The Canadian Press Stylebook 18th ed Toronto The Canadian Press British Museum Collection Wilson Deborah August 6 2017 The lawn game Historic Vancouver Island tennis courts get international notice CBC Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2015 04 02 Retrieved 2012 01 13 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Robert W Service 1874 1958 Poet amp Adventurer Biographie Retrieved 24 January 2016 External links EditThe History E Book on Cowichan Bay Cowichan Bay Fire Rescue Website Cowichan Bay Improvement Association Cowichan Valley Regional District Coordinates 48 45 N 123 36 W 48 750 N 123 600 W 48 750 123 600 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cowichan Bay amp oldid 1130176710, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
