Savary Island

Permanent European settlement on the island did not begin until well into the 19th century. In the 1870s the government subdivided the island into lots for homesteading despite Indigenous establishments on the island.^[citation needed]

Jack Green, the first non-Indigenous permanent resident, was an early settler who built a cabin and store in or about 1886.^{[citation needed]} Green Point (now known as Mace Point) was named for him. In or about 1893 Green and his friend and business partner, Taylor, were murdered on Savary, during a store robbery.^{[citation needed]} The events of the robbery and murder mirror the robbery by the Flying Dutchman in Union Bay. Green's murderer, Hugh Lynn of the Lynn Valley clan, was eventually captured in a multi-thousand mile, multinational chase and sent to the gallows.^{[citation needed]}

Development (Early 20th century)

The first hotel seems to have been "The Savary", built in 1914, near the Government Wharf. This hotel remained in operation until 1932 when it was destroyed in a fire. At the other end of the island, the Ashworth family built the Royal Savary Hotel at Indian Point.^{[citation needed]}

Gradually, private boats and water taxis from Lund provided the most common access to the island. The steamship services ended in the 1940s (Union Steamships) and 1950s (Gulf Steamship Line).^{[citation needed]}

For a brief time an airstrip was operating on the island, but it was later closed due to safety concerns^{[citation needed]} (two children were killed while riding on ATVs^{[citation needed]}). The main air access to Savary has been by seaplane and boats that come from Lund, a nearby town. In the summers, many island commuters from away come and go on seaplanes, especially on Friday and Sunday evening flights.

Shipwrecks

Over the years there have been several shipwrecks (including the Union Steamship Steamer Capilano in 1915) and aircraft crashes (including a small single engine crash in Seaweed Bay in the 1960s). The incidents include: an RCAF Hurricane fighter that crashed off Savary in 1943; lone survivor (12-year-old Fred Ilott) of the PowRivCo Tug Teeshoe sinking who washed up on Savary in the 1950s (Teeshoe: A Powell River Story by Filmmaker Jan Padgett); a Cessna on the airstrip; two fishboats, one in the Gulf and one in Malaspina Strait, each with loss of life; and a Gulf ship that sank on Dinner Rock in 1947. There have also been swimming and pleasure boating incidents over the years.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1960s human remains were found on Savary and these were transferred to the Laboratory of Archaeology at

In 1982 the Royal Savary Hotel was demolished. Since then several B&Bs have opened on the island.

Geology and soils

This island is composed mostly of unconsolidated material such as

Climate

In the rain-shadow of Vancouver Island, Savary Island receives between 950 and 1,300 mm of precipitation annually, with maximum amounts in late fall through mid-winter.^{[citation needed]} No permanent streams exist on the island, but at least one spring may be found mid-island called Indian Springs.^{[citation needed]} The dry warm summers and erodible soils condition distinctive ecologic settings and surface processes (including wind erosion and deposition). In addition, storm waves, which are predominantly from the southeast, have important erosion and sediment transport effects along the south shore of Savary.^{[citation needed]}

Ecology

Flora

Common trees are

Fauna

The animal population includes birds (bald eagles, barred owls, kingfishers, cliff and northern rough-winged swallows, seagulls, sandpipers, oyster catchers, and herons), mammals (black-tailed deer, mink, harbour seals, sea lions, otters, bats and mice), reptiles (garter snakes and northern alligator lizard), and numerous invertebrates. Surprisingly, the raccoon is absent; its failure to become established on the island has allowed ground-nesting birds to maintain their populations. Mink is the only native predatory mammal on land and has many mice to prey on.

Governance

Prior to colonization, Savary was governed by the Tla'amin Nation under Tla'amin law.^{[citation needed]} For many decades after colonization, there was no government to speak of on Savary.^{[citation needed]} Eventually, Savary Island became part of the Powell River Regional District, now qathet Regional District. In the late 1990s, the Regional District set began drafting an official community plan for the island.

Draft OCPs were prepared in 2001, 2002, and 2006.^{[citation needed]}

On February 22, 2007, the Savary Island Official Community Plan, Bylaw No. 403, 2006 was adopted by the Powell River Regional District. The principal aim of the OCP is to maintain Savary Island's unique character and rustic island lifestyle while protecting the island's ground water resources, its sensitive ecosystems, and its unique biophysical characteristics.^{[citation needed]}

Culture

Savary Island has inspired a great deal of creativity; artists whose work features Savary include Stephanie Aitken, Helen Griffin,

The natural surroundings of Savary inspired poet Alice Brewer to verse found in her 1926 chapbook entitled Spring in Savary.[15]

Further reading

Bloomfield, Gladys (2005). Magnetic Isle: Gladys Bloomfield's Savary. Savary Island Heritage Society. Whonnock, BC: Savary Island Heritage Society.

Brewer, A., MacDonald, J. E. H., & Somerville, R. S. (1926). Spring in Savary. Toronto: Ryerson Press. Ryerson poetry-chap books, no. 10. OCLC 21718301.

Kennedy, Dorothy I. D., Bouchard, Randy (1983). Sliammon Life, Sliammon Lands. Vancouver: Talonbooks.