History from the water
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To many strollers and rowers along the Selkirk waterway, Halkett Island is simply a rocky point of interest in the harbour.
Cruising past the bite-sized island, however, passengers aboard the Historic Harbour Tour learn its true origin as a burial ground for the First Nations of the area.
The attraction is a partnership between Maritime Museum of B.C. and the Victoria Harbour Ferries running May 31 to Oct. 4.
Passing under the Johnson Street bridge, the museum volunteer guide follows the shores of the Songhees lands.
Where luxury condominiums stand on converted industrial land, the First Peoples once lived. Women raised long-haired dogs used for making clothes, before the breed died out when the Europeans arrived with sheep.
Along the 90-minute tour, the guide points out the original location of Fort Victoria, the many bridges that spanned various inlets, some now filled in, and the history of the Inner Harbour causeway, once a marsh dividing James Bay from the rest of the city.
The tour departs every day at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. For more information, please call 250-708-0201.
rholmen@saanichnews.com
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