Bamfield is a community that is surrounded by

Crown Land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

, First Nation Lands belonging to the Huu-ay-aht Nations, and portions of the Pacific Rim National Park, located on Barkley Sound,

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

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, ...

. The community, with a population of 179 as of 2016,Population of Bamfield
2016 Census data. is divided by Bamfield Inlet.

History

Bamfield was populated by Huu-ay-aht of the

Nuu-chah-nulth The Nuu-chah-nulth (; Nuučaan̓uł: ), also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth or Tahkaht, are one of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fifte ...

, the local Indigenous people. Europeans founded a small fishing community sometime in the late 1800s. Most of the Indigenous people now live in the neighbouring village of Anacla about 5 kilometres from Bamfield. Bamfield was named after the first government agent of the area, William Eddy Banfield. The name "Bamfield" with an "m" is said to have occurred either because of how the Huu-ay-aht had pronounced the agent's name, or it was a mistake made by the postal organization. In 1902, the Bamfield cable station was constructed as the western terminus of a worldwide undersea

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

cable called the All Red Line by some, as it passed only through countries and territories controlled by the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

, which were coloured red on maps of the time. The cable initially went to

Fanning Island Tabuaeran, also known as Fanning Island, is an atoll that is part of the Line Islands of the central Pacific Ocean and part of Kiribati. The land area is , and the population in 2015 was 2,315. The maximum elevation is about 3 m (10 f ...

, a tiny coral atoll in the mid-Pacific, and from there continued to

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. On May 16, 1915, American newspapers reported that an enemy Demo team had tried to land at Bamfield but was scared off by the military guards. A second building, made of concrete, was built on the site in 1926 to replace the old wood structure. This building, designated a historic site in 1930, is now used by the

Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (formerly the Bamfield Marine Station) is a marine research station established in 1972, located in Bamfield, Barkley Sound, British Columbia and run by the University of Victoria, the University of British Colu ...

. During the early years of World War II, Cable & Wireless' cable station was shelled by an Imperial Japanese Navy submarine from nearby Barkley Sound without any major damage being inflicted, however the Canadian Government arranged for a company of troops to be based there until the end of that conflict. A

Marine and Fisheries Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

lifesaving station on the Pacific coast was established at Bamfield in 1907. It was the first lifesaving station on Canada's Pacific Coast. In 1953 the cable was extended up the Alberni Inlet to

Port Alberni Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. It is the location of the head offices o ...

and the local station was closed on June 20, 1959. Following the closure, only the large concrete building, two cable storage tanks and an adjacent building survived, as all the rest were demolished. In 1968, the National Research Council asked five western Canadian universities (University of British Columbia, University of Victoria, University of Calgary, University of Alberta and Simon Fraser University) to propose the best location for a marine biology station on the Pacific Coast. Although Victoria was the earlier winner, a feasibility study tendered in 1969 recommended Bamfield as the better location. The former cable station property was purchased in 1969 and a formal structure for the management and development of the station was created in 1970 when the five universities ratified a Constitution and joined the Western Canadian Universities Marine Biological Society. In 1971, development began to convert the site into a research station. With most of the physical facilities completed, the

began operations by the end of 1972. It became the largest employer in the community since. Commercial fishing was based in Bamfield up to the mid-1980s. Bamfield is now home to several sport fishing lodges, which pursue primarily

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

and

halibut Halibut is the common name for three flatfish in the genera '' Hippoglossus'' and ''Reinhardtius'' from the family of right-eye flounders and, in some regions, and less commonly, other species of large flatfish. The word is derived from ''h ...

. Bamfield is also the northern terminus of the West Coast Trail, a hiking trail built in 1907 along the west coast of

to help survivors of the area's many

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

s find their way back to civilization. The trail runs along extremely rugged terrain. Today Bamfield is primarily a tourist destination, either for the West Coast Trail,

ocean kayaking A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak developed for the sport of Watercraft paddling, paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. T ...

or sport fishing. The research activities at the

attracts hundreds of researchers every year. The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre also offers credited university courses through its five associated universities. An out reach program, which provides multi-day immersion field trips for school, college and adult learners, also bring thousands of visitors to the community every year. The town is featured in the first episode of

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

's 2015 comedy/reality series '' Still Standing''."Murdoch Mysteries’ Jonny Harris hosts new show Still Standing"
canada.com, June 22, 2015.

Climate

Bamfield experiences an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

Gallery

File:CCG motor lifeboat, 1907.jpg, The motor lifeboat stationed at Bamfield in 1907 File:Bamfield.jpg, Bamfield dock File:Princess Norah (steamship) at Bamfield, 1929.jpg, SS Princess Norah at Bamfield, 1929 File:Frances Barkley at Bamfield 6.jpg, MV Frances Barkley stopping in Bamfield, 2016

References

External links

Bamfield Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Designated places in British Columbia Populated places in the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District Barkley Sound region