Telegraph Cove is a community of about 20 inhabitants, on

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

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, ...

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, located approximately northwest of Campbell River. It is a former

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and cannery village that has become a launch point for

eco-tourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

. It shares the inlet with Beaver Cove which is up the inlet. The community grew out of a one-room station at the northern terminus of the Campbell River telegraph line built by the federal government in 1911–12. Next to the arts and crafts gallery stands the home of community pioneer Fred Wastell, whose father purchased most of the land around the cove. Together with Japanese investors, he established a chum salmon saltery and a small sawmill.

Economy

Today, Telegraph Cove's economy is based primarily on tourism due to its prime location on

Johnstone Strait , image = Pacific Ranges over Johnstone Strait.jpg , image_size = 250px , alt = , caption = Johnstone Strait backdropped by the Vancouver Island Ranges , image_bathymetry = Carte baie Knight ...

and its proximity to

Robson Bight Robson Bight is a small Vancouver Island bay at the west end of Johnstone Strait across from West Cracroft Island in British Columbia, Canada that includes a protected killer whale habitat famous for its whale-rubbing beaches. The bight is adjac ...

ecological reserve. Telegraph Cove serves as the send-off point for kayakers and other whale-watchers who are interested in sightings of the large number of orca whales that spend the summer months in Johnstone Strait, which separates the northern part of Vancouver Island from the rest of British Columbia. The old fishing village of Telegraph Cove has been turned into a resort where numerous small businesses head up operations that take tourists into Johnstone Strait. Stubbs Island Charters (Telegraph Cove Whale Watch) helped put the cove on the whale watching world's radar nearly 30 years ago. Telegraph Cove Marina and RV Park is also located at Telegraph Cove and is owned by Telegraph Cove Holdings (TCH). Since 1991, TCH has owned 127 hectares in and surrounding Telegraph Cove excluding the old village of Telegraph Cove and excluding Telegraph Cove Resort's marina and RV park. The Telegraph Point strata subdivision is located across the cove from the historic village, and will ultimately consist of sixty-six residential homesites and six commercial sites located directly on the cove designed to match the character of the historic old town. The first three phases of residential homesites (24 lots) have been marketed and sold and there are nine houses at Telegraph Point with new homes built every year.

Improvements

In the summer of 2006, the Telegraph Cove Road improvement project was completed, bringing a widened, realigned, and paved road all the way to Telegraph Cove. Telegraph Cove Marina's 130 slip marina underwent a complete rebuild in 2007/2008 and has moorage for small and large vessels with potable water and power. Both Telegraph Cove Marina and Telegraph Cove Resorts' marina primarily cater to trailerable boats. Telegraph Cove Resorts has one slip available for 100+ foot yachts, while Telegraph cove Marina has moorage for boats up to and 8 commercial moorage slips for vessels 40–60 feet.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20060319073135/http://www.vancouverisland.com/regions/towns/?townID=76 * http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Travel/story?id=3470108&page=1 * {{Authority control Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Populated places in the Regional District of Mount Waddington Northern Vancouver Island