Gil Island is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

on the

North Coast of British Columbia North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

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 ...

, located on the west side of Whale Channel in the entrance to

Douglas Channel Douglas Channel is one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast. Its official length from the head of Kitimat Arm, where the aluminum smelter town of Kitimat to Wright Sound, on the Inside Passage ferry route, is . The actual length o ...

, one of the main coastal inlets, on the route of the

Inside Passage The Inside Passage (french: Passage Intérieur) is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland. The route extends from southeaster ...

between

Pitt Island Pitt Island is the second largest island in the Chatham Islands, Chatham Archipelago, New Zealand. It is called ''Rangiauria'' in Māori language, Māori and ''Rangiaotea'' in ''Moriori language, Moriori.Government of New Zealand, Dept. of Cons ...

and

Princess Royal Island Princess Royal Island is the largest island on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is located amongst the isolated inlets and islands east of Hecate Strait on the British Columbia Coast. At , it is the fourth largest island in British ...

. It is 26 km (16 mi) long, with a width ranging from 6 to 13 km (4 to 8 mi), and an area of 231 km² (89 sq mi). The only named summit on the mountainous island is Mount Gil, which faces the opening of Douglas Channel.

Name origin

"Named in 1792 by Lieutenant Commander
Jacinto Caamaño Jacinto Caamaño Moraleja (1759–September 8, 1829 Guayaquil) was the leader of the last great Spanish exploration of Alaska (then Russian America) and the Coast of British Columbia. He was a Knight of the Military Order of Calatrava. Early life ...
of the Spanish corvette ''Aranzazu'', while searching along the coast under orders from the viceroy of Mexico for the mythical 'Rio de Reyes'. This strait or river, supposed to connect the Pacific with the Atlantic, was claimed to have been discovered in 1640 by Admiral Pedro Bartolome de Fonti, in command of a fleet of 4 vessels, his flagship being named the ''Holy Ghost'' (''Greenhow's Oregon'', 1844, p.84.) The ensign-bearer of the ''San Martin'', flagship of the
Duke of Medina Sidonia Duke of Medina Sidonia ( es, Duque de Medina Sidonia) is a peerage grandee title of Spain in Medina-Sidonia, holding the oldest extant dukedom in the kingdom, first awarded by King John II of Castile in 1380.Nootka 13 June 1792, steered northwards, and after examining Port Bucareli (Alaska) anchored in
Dixon Entrance The Dixon Entrance (french: Entrée Dixon) is a strait about long and wide in the Pacific Ocean at the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of Alaska and the province of British Columbia in Canada. The Dixon Entrance is part of t ...
, probably under Rose Spit, on the 20 July. He then coasted southward along the continental shore, passing through Principe Channel into Nepean and Whale Sounds and out again near Surf Inlet and thence southward through Laredo Channel. In making the examination along this coastline for Fonti's strait, Caamaño bestowed several names, among others being the channels he passed through, and
Campania Island Campania Island is an island on the coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located south of Prince Rupert, east across Hecate Strait from Haida Gwaii. To the west of Campania Island, across Estevan Sound, is the Estevan Group arc ...
,
Campania Sound Campania Sound is a sound on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada, located between Campania Island and Princess Royal Island Princess Royal Island is the largest island on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is located amongst ...
, and
Aristazabal Island Aristazabal Island (french: île Aristizabal) is an island situated south west of Princess Royal Island in British Columbia, Canada. It has an area of . The island was named on August 30, 1792, by Lieutenant Commander Jacinto Caamaño Jacinto Caama ...
, all of which
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
adopted on his chart. Caamaño arrived at Nootka from his cruise 7 September 1972...."

Indian reserves

Indian reserves In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

on the island are under the jurisdiction of the

Hartley Bay Indian Band The Hartley Bay Indian Band is also known as the Gitga'at First Nation or the Hartley Bay First Nation. The members of the Gitga'at First nation are often referred to as Gitka'a'ata. The population of Gitk’a’ata peoples living in Hartley Bay ra ...

, and are: *Kunhunoan Indian Reserve No. 13, on Small Bay on the west side of the island, at , 2.30 ha. (5.7 acres). *Maple Point Indian Reserve No. 11 at the point of the same name , 50.20 ha. (124.0 acres). *Turtle Point Indian Reserve No. 12, at the point of the same name, which is Gil Island's northernmost tip, 51.80 ha. (128.0 acres).BC Names/GeoBC entry "Turtle Point 12 (Indian reserve)"
/ref>

Wreck of the ''Queen of the North''

The M/V '' Queen of the North'' was a Canadian

RORO Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their o ...

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

operated by

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry ...

, which sank on March 22, 2006 after hitting Gil Island on a southbound voyage during the night. All but two passengers were rescued by the people of

Hartley Bay Hartley Bay is a First Nations community on the coast of British Columbia. The village is located at the mouth of Douglas Channel, about north of Vancouver and south of Prince Rupert. It is an isolated village accessible only by air and wate ...

, which is nearby.

References

External links

"Gil Island" article in ''The Columbia Gazetteer of North America''. Columbia University Press, 2000
* {{coord, 53, 12, 00, N, 129, 14, 00, W, region:CA-BC_type:isle, display=title Islands of British Columbia North Coast of British Columbia Spanish history in the Pacific Northwest