Deas Island is a peninsula in the south arm of the Fraser River between

Delta, British Columbia Delta is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, as part of Greater Vancouver. Located on the Fraser Lowland south of Fraser River's south arm, it is bordered by the city of Richmond on the Lulu Island to the north, N ...

and

Richmond, British Columbia Richmond is a coastal city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. It occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough), between the two estuarine distributaries of the Fraser River. Encompassing the adja ...

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 ...

. The peninsula is home to a regional park approximately in size. It is home to three historic buildings; Burrvilla, a stately Victorian home, Inverholme, a one-room schoolhouse, and the Delta Agricultural Hall. Between 1895-1940's, the peninsula had a small Greek settlement with the population being approximately 80 at its peak. The peninsula is also home to many types of birds and is a popular bird watching destination. The peninsula is notable for being the site of the southern end of the

George Massey Tunnel The George Massey Tunnel (often referred to as the Massey Tunnel) is a highway traffic tunnel in the Metro Vancouver region of southwestern British Columbia. It is located approximately south of the city centre of Vancouver, British Columbia, ...

(originally the Deas Island Tunnel). The tunnel is part of Highway 99 and connects Delta to Richmond. The tunnel goes from Deas Island to

Lulu Island Lulu Island is the name of the largest island in the estuary of the Fraser River, located south of Vancouver, British Columbia, and the second-most populous island in British Columbia, after Vancouver Island. The city of Richmond occupies mos ...

(Richmond) to the north. There is a small bridge that completes the connection between Deas Island and the main part of Delta.

Origin of the name

The peninsula was named for

John Sullivan Deas John Sullivan Deas (c. 1838 – July 22, 1880) was a Black tinsmith who helped found the salmon canning industry on the Fraser River in southern British Columbia, Canada. His cannery was located on Deas Island, which bears his name to this day. In ...

, an African-Canadian

tinsmith A tinsmith is a person who makes and repairs things made of tin or other light metals. The profession may sometimes also be known as a tinner, tinker, tinman, or tinplate worker; whitesmith may also refer to this profession, though the same w ...

who established a

cannery Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although ...

on the peninsula in 1873. His was the leading cannery on the Fraser River until 1878, at which point growing competition encouraged Deas to sell.Ralston, Keith
"John Sullivan Deas: A Black Entrepreneur in British Columbia Salmon Canning."
BC Studies: The British Columbian Quarterly 32 (1976): 73-76."

References

Metro Vancouver Parks Page
Islands of British Columbia Delta, British Columbia Islands of the Fraser River Former islands of Canada {{GVRD-geo-stub