Bentinck Island is a small island in the

Strait of Juan de Fuca The Strait of Juan de Fuca (officially named Juan de Fuca Strait in Canada) is a body of water about long that is the Salish Sea's outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The international boundary between Canada and the United States runs down the centre ...

just off the southern tip of

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 ...

Metchosin The District of Metchosin is a municipality and community in Greater Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is a coastal community adjacent to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Metchosin is part of the Western ...

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 near

Race Rocks Race Rocks Ecological Reserve is a BC Parks ecological reserve off the southern tip of Vancouver Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Metchosin, British Columbia, Canada. Description Located at a narrow part of the Strait, the area covers o ...

. It served as a leper colony beginning in 1924, when the federal government shut down

D'Arcy Island D'Arcy Island is an 83- ha island in Haro Strait, south of Sidney Island and east of the Saanich Peninsula (Vancouver Island). It is the southernmost of the Gulf Islands and is included in its entirety in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. ...

(also a leprosy colony), as Bentinck Island was closer to medical quarantine facilities, until 1957, when the last person affected by leprosy died. The

Holland America Holland America Line is an American-owned cruise line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. Holland America Line was founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and from 1873 to 1989, it operated ...

cargo liner ran aground on Race Rocks on 15 October 1925. She was refloated on 19 October and beached on Bentinck Island. The tug ''Hope'' and her crew of seven were lost trying to salvage the liner.

References

Greater Victoria Islands of the Gulf Islands Leper colonies Medical and health organizations based in Canada {{BritishColumbiaCoast-geo-stub