Jervis Inlet
Encyclopedia
Jervis Inlet is a principal inlet of the British Columbia Coast
, about 95 km (59 mi) northwest of Vancouver
.
near Texada Island
. It is the deepest fjord on the British Columbia coast with a maximum depth of 732 metres (2,401.6 ft).
The inlet is made up of three arms or reaches:
At its uppermost stretch is Queens Reach, which takes a sharp right-angle often seen in fjord
areas, to become Princess Royal Reach
. Both reaches are about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) in length. The flanks of the fjord and the valley of the Skwakwa River, which feeds the head of the inlet, are the site of two of Canada's highest waterfalls, James Bruce Falls
(840m or 2,755 ft) and Alfred Creek Falls.
The most frequented and best known inlet in the area is Princess Louisa Inlet
, with the Malibu Club and Young Life
Camp at the entrance of the inlet and Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park
, including Chatterbox Falls, at its head.
At the mouth of Jervis Inlet a passenger and vehicle ferry operated by BC Ferries
connects Earl's Cove (on the upper end of the Sechelt Peninsula and lower Sunshine Coast
) with Saltery Bay
(on the bottom end of the Malaspina Peninsula and upper Sunshine Coast).
Population is sparse on the shores of Jervis Inlet and there is no road access to the area. Industry includes small operations in aquaculture, commercial fishing and logging, but a substantial number of independent power projects are expected to develop in coming years.
George Vancouver
named the inlet after the 1791-95 expedition
to search for the fabled Northwest Passage
. In the Royal Navy
tradition, Vancouver named this main waterway after his friend Rear Admiral Sir John Jervis (Earl of St. Vincent)
for his victory over the Spanish fleet
on February 14, 1797 at Cape St.Vincent in Portugal. He named St. Vincent's Bay (near the entrance of Jervis Inlet) after the location of the battle, St.Vincent Bay.
The three specific reaches of the inlet and mountains were named in the 1860 survey by the HMS Plumper, which charted the known area in honor of members of Queen Victoria's family. The waterways named during this survey mission were: Princess Louisa Inlet
, Queens Reach
, Princess Royal Reach
, and Prince of Wales Reach
. Also named were the main mountains of the area:
In the early 1900s, logging and commercial fishing developed in the Jervis Inlet area. Relatively large logging camps operated at Goliath Bay, Vancouver Bay and Hotham Sound, commercial fishing was conducted by owner-operators based in Egmont, Pender Harbour and Saltery Bay, and several fish-processing plants operated in Egmont, Pender Harbour and Saltery Bay.
British Columbia Coast
The British Columbia Coast or BC Coast is Canada's western continental coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The usage is synonymous with the term West Coast of Canada....
, about 95 km (59 mi) northwest of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
.
Geography
It stretches 77 kilometres (47.8 mi) from its head at the mouth of the short (18 km or 11.2 mi) Skwakwa River to its opening into the Strait of GeorgiaStrait of Georgia
The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...
near Texada Island
Texada Island
Texada Island is the largest island in the Strait of Georgia of British Columbia, Canada. Its northern tip is located about southwest of the city of Powell River and west of the Sechelt Peninsula on the Sunshine Coast. A former mining and logging area, the island still has a few quarries and old...
. It is the deepest fjord on the British Columbia coast with a maximum depth of 732 metres (2,401.6 ft).
The inlet is made up of three arms or reaches:
- Prince of Wales ReachPrince of Wales ReachPrince of Wales Reach is the first arm of the Jervis Inlet and is located within the Coast Mountain Range of British Columbia Canada. This arm was named during the 1860 survey by the HMS Plumber who charted all the of the area and was named after Albert Edward - the Prince Of Wales, later Edward...
- Princess Royal ReachPrincess Royal ReachPrincess Royal Reach is a the second arm of Jervis Inlet and is located within the Coast Mountain Range of British Columbia Canada. This arm was named during the 1860 survey by the HMS Plumper who charted all the of the area and was named after HRH Victoria the Princess Royal of England who was...
- Queens ReachQueens ReachQueens Reach is a the last arm of the Jervis Inlet and is located within the Coast Mountain Range of British Columbia Canada. This arm was named during the 1860 survey by the HMS Plumber who charted all the of the area and was named after named after Queen Victoria of England.- External links :**...
At its uppermost stretch is Queens Reach, which takes a sharp right-angle often seen in fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
areas, to become Princess Royal Reach
Princess Royal Reach
Princess Royal Reach is a the second arm of Jervis Inlet and is located within the Coast Mountain Range of British Columbia Canada. This arm was named during the 1860 survey by the HMS Plumper who charted all the of the area and was named after HRH Victoria the Princess Royal of England who was...
. Both reaches are about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) in length. The flanks of the fjord and the valley of the Skwakwa River, which feeds the head of the inlet, are the site of two of Canada's highest waterfalls, James Bruce Falls
James Bruce Falls
James Bruce Falls is the highest measured waterfall in the continent of North America and ninth tallest in the world. Located in Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada, it stems from a small snowfield and cascades down to Princess Louisa Inlet...
(840m or 2,755 ft) and Alfred Creek Falls.
The most frequented and best known inlet in the area is Princess Louisa Inlet
Princess Louisa Inlet
Princess Louisa Inlet on the British Columbia Coast is in length and lies at the north east end of Jervis Inlet. It is entered through Malibu Rapids off Queens Reach past Malibu, a former private resort and now youth camp. A portion of the area makes up Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park...
, with the Malibu Club and Young Life
Young Life
YoungLife is a worldwide, non-profit, Evangelical Christian organization. YoungLife consists of many branches of ministry , but most commonly the name "YoungLife" refers to the outreach arm of the organization directed toward high school students...
Camp at the entrance of the inlet and Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park
Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park
Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada surrounding Princess Louisa Inlet....
, including Chatterbox Falls, at its head.
At the mouth of Jervis Inlet a passenger and vehicle ferry operated by BC Ferries
BC Ferries
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. or BC Ferries is a de facto Crown Corporation that provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services for coastal and island communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia...
connects Earl's Cove (on the upper end of the Sechelt Peninsula and lower Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast, British Columbia
The Sunshine Coast is a region of the southern mainland coast of British Columbia, on the eastern shore of the Strait of Georgia, and just northwest of Greater Vancouver...
) with Saltery Bay
Saltery Bay Provincial Park
Saltery Bay Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located southeast of the city of Powell River, and on the north side of the entrance to Jervis Inlet in the central area of that province's Sunshine Coast region....
(on the bottom end of the Malaspina Peninsula and upper Sunshine Coast).
Population is sparse on the shores of Jervis Inlet and there is no road access to the area. Industry includes small operations in aquaculture, commercial fishing and logging, but a substantial number of independent power projects are expected to develop in coming years.
Climate
History
The head of Jervis Inlet was once a seasonal settlement of the Sechelt Indian Band, who called it xénichen.George Vancouver
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
named the inlet after the 1791-95 expedition
Vancouver Expedition
The Vancouver Expedition was a four-and-a-half-year voyage of exploration and diplomacy, commanded by Captain George Vancouver. The expedition circumnavigated the globe, touched five continents and changed the course of history for the indigenous nations and several European empires and their...
to search for the fabled Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
. In the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
tradition, Vancouver named this main waterway after his friend Rear Admiral Sir John Jervis (Earl of St. Vincent)
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
for his victory over the Spanish fleet
Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797)
In the Battle of Cape St Vincent a British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated a larger Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal.-Origins:...
on February 14, 1797 at Cape St.Vincent in Portugal. He named St. Vincent's Bay (near the entrance of Jervis Inlet) after the location of the battle, St.Vincent Bay.
The three specific reaches of the inlet and mountains were named in the 1860 survey by the HMS Plumper, which charted the known area in honor of members of Queen Victoria's family. The waterways named during this survey mission were: Princess Louisa Inlet
Princess Louisa Inlet
Princess Louisa Inlet on the British Columbia Coast is in length and lies at the north east end of Jervis Inlet. It is entered through Malibu Rapids off Queens Reach past Malibu, a former private resort and now youth camp. A portion of the area makes up Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park...
, Queens Reach
Queens Reach
Queens Reach is a the last arm of the Jervis Inlet and is located within the Coast Mountain Range of British Columbia Canada. This arm was named during the 1860 survey by the HMS Plumber who charted all the of the area and was named after named after Queen Victoria of England.- External links :**...
, Princess Royal Reach
Princess Royal Reach
Princess Royal Reach is a the second arm of Jervis Inlet and is located within the Coast Mountain Range of British Columbia Canada. This arm was named during the 1860 survey by the HMS Plumper who charted all the of the area and was named after HRH Victoria the Princess Royal of England who was...
, and Prince of Wales Reach
Prince of Wales Reach
Prince of Wales Reach is the first arm of the Jervis Inlet and is located within the Coast Mountain Range of British Columbia Canada. This arm was named during the 1860 survey by the HMS Plumber who charted all the of the area and was named after Albert Edward - the Prince Of Wales, later Edward...
. Also named were the main mountains of the area:
- Mount AlfredMount AlfredMount Alfred is a mountain located at the Queen Reach arm and head of the Jervis Inlet within the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. The mountain is the highest in the portion of the mainland between Jervis and Toba Inlets, with its prominence defined by the pass...
- Mount Fredrick William
- Mount Arthur
- Mount Wellington
- Mount AliceMount Alice (British Columbia)Mount Alice is a mountain located at the Queens Reach arm of the Jervis Inlet within the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia Canada...
- Mount VictoriaMount Victoria (British Columbia)Mount Victoria is a mountain located above Queens Reach of Jervis Inlet within the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia Canada...
- Mount Helena
- Mount Albert
In the early 1900s, logging and commercial fishing developed in the Jervis Inlet area. Relatively large logging camps operated at Goliath Bay, Vancouver Bay and Hotham Sound, commercial fishing was conducted by owner-operators based in Egmont, Pender Harbour and Saltery Bay, and several fish-processing plants operated in Egmont, Pender Harbour and Saltery Bay.