Whaletown Strathcona Regional District, British Columbia

Locality - A named place or area, generally with a scattered population of 50 or less. W side Cortes Island at N end strait of Georgia, Sayward Land District

Mapped Location

Whaletown: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.

 

Information

General information on Whaletown

  • Feature Type: Place

 

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Whaletown

A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named

Name Description
Whaletown Official

 

Origin Notes and History of Whaletown

References to Whaletown that document the origin of its place name

Whaletown (Settlement) adopted 6 April 1950 on 92/NW. Form of name changed to Whaletown (Post Office & Steamer landing) 6 November 1952 on 92K. Form of name changed to Whaletown (Locality) 15 June 1982 on 92K/3.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

Referring to the whaling operation here, 1869-70. James Dawson (1819 - 1875) and Abel Douglass took 8 whales from Saanich Inlet in 1868 - the beginning of the non-native whaling industry in British Columbia. The following year they built a whaling station in this bay on Cortes Island, and by the end of December 1869, 14 whales had been landed and more than 450 barrels of oil had been shipped from Whaletown to Victoria and San Fransisco. In June 1870 the Whaletown operation was moved to what is now called Whaling Station Bay on Hornby Island, the Dawson and Douglass Company subsequently amalgamating with the Lipsett Whaling Company to form the British Columbia Whaling Company. The company was liquidated in December 1871 due to increased competition, and a decrease in the number of whales in the Strait of Georgia.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

 

Strathcona Regional District

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2023-10-01