Pender Island ( Saanich: ) is one of the

Southern Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands are a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia," the original term used by George Vancouver in his ma ...

located in the

Gulf of Georgia The Strait of Georgia (french: Détroit de Géorgie) or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada and the extreme northwestern mainland coast ...

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 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 ...

. Pender Island is approximately in area and is home to about 2,250 permanent residents, as well as a large seasonal

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

. Like most of the rest of the Southern Gulf Islands, Pender Island enjoys a sub-Mediterranean climate and features open farmland, rolling forested hills, several lakes and small mountains, as well as many coves and beaches.

Geography

Pender Island consists of two islands, North Pender and South Pender, which are separated by a narrow canal originally dredged in 1903. In 1955 the islands were connected by a one lane bridge, as it remains today. Most of the population and services reside on North Pender Island, with the highest concentration surrounding the upper class Magic Lake.

History

At the time of European

Contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * ...

, Pender Island was inhabited by

Coast Salish peoples The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coa ...

speaking the

North Straits Salish language North Straits Salish is a Salish language which includes the dialects of *Lummi (also known as W̱lemi,Ćosen, Xwlemiʼchosen, xʷləmiʔčósən) ''(†)'' * Saanich (also known as Senćoten, sənčáθən, sénəčqən) *Samish (also known as ...

. There is an

Indian reserve 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 ...

at Hay Point on South Pender Island, which is home to members of the

Tsawout The Tsawout First Nation is a First Nations government located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. They are a member of the Sencot'en Alliance. In the 1850s they were signatories to the Douglas Treaties. They speak the SENĆOŦEN la ...

and Tseycum

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

Carbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. The method was dev ...

of artifacts in shell middens near Shark Cove identify an Indigenous village site that has been more or less continuously inhabited for five millennia. The Poets Cove Resort was built on an ancient First Nations village site. The provincial government's 2007 settlement with the

Tsawwassen First Nation The Tsawwassen First Nation ( hur, sc̓əwaθən məsteyəxʷ, ) is a First Nations government whose lands are located in the Greater Vancouver area of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada, close to the South Arm of the Fraser River ...

included hunting and fishing rights on and around Pender Island—an arrangement to which the

Sencot'en Alliance The Sencot'en Alliance is a First Nations grouping, composed of the Tsartlip, Tsawout First Nation, Tsawout, Pauquachin bands from the Saanich Peninsula and the Semiahmoo First Nation, Semiahmoo from White Rock, British Columbia, White Rock. Saani ...

objected, saying those rights are theirs under the 1852 Douglas Treaty. Sencot'en placenames on Pender Island (''st̕ey̕əs'') include ''ʔiləčən'' (Bedwell Harbor), and ''x̣ʷəl̕isən̕'' (Port Browning). On North Pender Island: ''šxʷsəɬqʷsət'' (Shark Cove), ''x̣ʷəx̣ʷiʔéčsəŋ'' (Shingle Bay), ''kʷeqsən'' (Stanley Point), ''kʷeqsən'' (Boat Nook), ''təlasəŋ̕'' (Hope Bay), ''sq̕ʷəq̕ʷiŋ̕əs'' (Oaks Bluff), ''q̕eʔƛ̕əŋ'' or ''sq̕eʔəƛ̕əm'' (Otter Bay), and ''x̣ʷiʔx̣ʷnəčénəm'' or ''sx̣ʷix̣ʷθəʔ'' (Wallace Point). On South Pender Island: ''sk̕ʷən̕enxʷ'' (Gowlland Point), ''st'eyus'' (Bedwell Harbour), and ''smanəč'' (Teece Point). A Spanish expedition led by

Francisco de Eliza Francisco de Eliza y Reventa (1759 – February 19, 1825) was a Spanish naval officer, navigator, and explorer. He is remembered mainly for his work in the Pacific Northwest. He was the commandant of the Spanish post in Nootka Sound on Vancou ...

visited Pender in 1791, naming it "Ysla de San Eusevio". The islands, along with

Pender Harbour Pender Harbour is a harbour community on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, on the east side of Malaspina Strait. The harbour itself is an intricate amalgam of bays and coves that encroach inland for five kilometres and provide over 60 kilometres ...

on the Sunshine Coast, were given their current name by

Captain Richards Sir George Henry Richards (13 January 1820 –14 November 1896) was Hydrographer of the Royal Navy from 1863 to 1874. Biography Richards was born in Antony, Cornwall, the son of Captain G. S. Richards, and joined the Royal Navy in 1832. ...

for Staff Commander, later Captain,

Daniel Pender Daniel Pender was a Royal Navy Staff Commander, later captain, who surveyed the Coast of British Columbia aboard , and from 1857 to 1870. Pender was recorded as the second master of the admiralty survey vessel, HMS ''Plumper'', in 1857 when h ...

, RN who surveyed the coast of British Columbia aboard , and from 1857 to 1870. The first permanent resident of European descent arrived on South Pender Island in 1886. In 1903, residents of Pender Island petitioned the government to dredge the isthmus between what is now North and South Pender Islands.

Culture

Pender Island is a popular destination for fishing, boating, scuba diving and other outdoor pursuits. The island also boasts a 9-hole golf course. In 1937 several Pender residents put up money to purchase a parcel, on which to develop the course, from George Grimmer, a son of Pender pioneer Washington Grimmer. These first individuals and many others took out memberships as well as planned and developed the layout of the golf course. Incorporated as a society in 1945, with the exception of a brief hiatus during World War II, Pender Island Golf Course has existed ever since. There is also a 27-hole

Disc Golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

course (Golf Island Disc Park) close to Magic Lake. This course is well known in the Disc Golf community and is the site of many tournaments including The Republic of Pender Invitational (The Ropi) and the

Pender Island Invitational The Pender Island Invitational (PII) is a long-running fall disc golf competition on Pender Island, British Columbia, Canada where players compete over four days in the pursuit of The Bark, and $10 Ace-Pots. The PII is typically played in October ...

The ''Pender Post'' and th
''Island Tides''
are locally published independent newspapers. ''Th
Pender Islands Handbook
' is the island's main 400p reference book and travel guide with hiking, boating, biking, history, etc and a map atlas. Pender Island is home to Canada's first olive grove, Waterlea Farm. Owner Andrew Butt tends 100 olive trees in hopes to produce the first made-in-Canada olive oil.

Parks and beaches

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is a national park located on and around the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, Canada. In the National Parks System Plan, this park provides representation of the Strait of Georgia Lowlands natural region, the ...

has opportunities for boating, kayaking, hiking, camping and wildlife viewing. A difficult trail at Beaumont leads from the Ainslie Point parking lot to the shoreline via steep switchbacks that cut through dense temperate rainforest. The difficult trail at Mt. Norman ascends to a panoramic look-out with views of the

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...

. The moderate trail at Roe Lake meanders through the Shingle Bay uplands to one of the Southern Gulf Island's few freshwater lakes. At Roesland, visitors can explore a historic 1908 farmhouse which has been restored by members of the Pender Islands Museum Society.Welcome , The Pender Islands Museum
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Camping

has two options for campers on North Pender at this time: The drive-in, frontcountry sites at Prior Centennial Campground or the walk-in (or kayak-in) backcountry sites at Shingle Bay. Prior Centennial has 17 reservable sites and amenities include potable water, pit toilets, picnic tables and fire pits (seasonally available). Shingle Bay campground in the Roe Lake portion of the Reserve has 10 reservable primitive campsites with picnic tables and a pit toilet but no potable water. The walk/boat in sites at Beaumont on South Pender are closed for overnight camping until further notice as of summer 2022. Beaumont has 11 sites, and amenities include pit toilets and 15 mooring buoys for boaters, which remain open. There is no potable water at Beaumont and no campfires are permitted, regardless of season. * Private camping is available at Port Browning Marina. The sites are drive-in and frontcountry. Tents can be pitched anywhere on the large waterfront lawn of the marina. Small RV's are also welcome but there are no hookups or dump station.

Transport

Pender Island can be accessed by regular

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 ...

service provided 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 ...

from

Swartz Bay Swartz Bay, located on the north end of the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island, is primarily known for being the location of one of BC Ferries' main terminals, the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal. Swartz Bay was named after John Aaron Swart, purchas ...

(near Victoria),

Tsawwassen Tsawwassen ( ) is a suburban, mostly residential community on a peninsula in the southwestern corner of the City of Delta in British Columbia, Canada. It provides the only road access to the American territory on the southern tip of the peninsul ...

(near Vancouver), and other southern Gulf Islands. There are also scheduled seaplane and water taxi services. There is also a system of "car stops," Pender Island's official alternative to hitch hiking. Conveniently located around the island you will find posts with maps, and often a handy chair. Pender Island also has a helicopter pad located near the main shopping mall, the Driftwood Centre. Select helicopters can also land at Fire Hall #1. Bedwell Harbour is an official

port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internati ...

for sailors from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

; Port Browning and Otter Bay also offer anchorages.

Geography

History

Culture

Parks and beaches

Camping

Transport

See also

References

External links