Anvil Island, is the third-largest of the islands in

Howe Sound Howe Sound (french: Baie (de /d')Howe, squ, Átl'ka7tsem, Nexwnéwu7ts, Txwnéwu7ts) is a roughly triangular sound, that joins a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia. It was designated as a UNESCO Biosph ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and the northernmost of the major islands in that sound. The island is part of West Howe Sound, Electoral Area F within the

Sunshine Coast Regional District The Sunshine Coast Regional District is a regional district in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southern mainland coast, across Georgia Strait (part of the Salish Sea) from Vancouver Island. It borders on the qathet Regional Distri ...

(SCRD) on the Sunshine Coast. It is located northeast of

Gambier Island Gambier Island is an island located in Howe Sound near Vancouver, British Columbia. It is about in size and is located about north of the Horseshoe Bay community and ferry terminal in westernmost West Vancouver. A rugged and sparsely populate ...

and southwest of

Britannia Beach Britannia Beach (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh: Shisháyu7áy, ) is a small unincorporated community in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District located approximately 55 kilometres north of Vancouver, British Columbia on the Sea-to-Sky Highway on Howe Sound. I ...

and west of

Porteau Cove Porteau Cove Provincial Park is a provincial park located along the eastern shore of Howe Sound in British Columbia, Canada. Situated along the Sea to Sky Highway, park is 50 hectares in size, and offers picnicing, camping, swimming, windsurfin ...

. The

Defence Islands The Defence Islands are two small islands in Howe Sound, British Columbia, Canada, located northeast of Anvil Island and in the northern reaches of that sound near Porteau Cove. The easterly and smaller of the two comprises Defence Island Indian ...

are to its northeast and are Indian Reserves of the

Squamish Nation The Squamish Nation, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw () in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim (Squamish language), is an Indian Act government originally imposed on the Squamish (''Sḵwx̱wú7mesh'') by the Federal Government of Canada in the late 19th cen ...

. A summer camp, Daybreak Point Bible Camp, operates on the south of the island, and some summer homes are located there.

Name origin

The name was conferred on June 14, 1792, by Captain

George Vancouver Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what a ...

, whose journal for the day reads: :''"The sun shining at this time for a few minutes afforded an island which, from the shape of the mountain that composes it, obtained the name of Anvil island."'' The

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

Squamish name for the island is Lhaxwm. It was an important place of spiritual training. In mythology, a serpent resided at the peak of the island.

Terrain

The terrain of Anvil Island is mostly cliffs and hills. Starting at the south-side of the island it is more of a flat and plain terrain. At the very tip is Irby point. 'The Point' as it is often referred to by the local population, is the place where most of the deer would go to feed. Going west along the coast of the south-side, there is Daybreak Point where a Bible Camp is located.

People

Anvil Island has a small population living on the island year-round, and is mostly populated during the summer.

References

*
Leading Peak in the Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia
Islands of British Columbia Sea-to-Sky Corridor Sunshine Coast Regional District {{BritishColumbiaCoast-geo-stub