A grey and foggy morning as we left our anchorage at Waddington Bay. We motored up Retreat Passage and past the Fox Group of islands until we reached Echo Bay.
Echo Bay is a very popular destination for cruisers. Managed by the well known “Pierre”, the marina offers higher-end dinner options. Tonight was a $30 / plate for prime rib, with decorated tables in a covered tent. We were still expected to bring a potluck dish, however. Considering we were the only people in the bay who opted to anchor instead of pay for moorage, we decided that perhaps the prime rib dinner wasn’t for us either, despite Pierre’s excellent reputation. We did take advantage of laundry and showers though, and bought some much needed provisions at their store.
This bay was home to First Nations communities for over 10,000 years. Pictographs, or paintings made from pigmented minerals (ochre), are still visible on the steep rock face at the entrance of the bay. Beginning in 1910, pioneers (including loggers, trappers, and fisherman) lived in the protected bay. A beer parlour, fuel dock & store, shingle mill, fish-buying camp, post-office, and even a school serviced the community of a few hundred people. As the fishing industry declined and the hand-loggers were overtaken by logging companies and their new “clear-cut” practices, the community dwindled. The post-office and the school were still functioning until just a few years ago.
Bill Proctor has lived in this area for more than 60 years. He is reputed to know the Broughtons and their history better than anyone else. We had the pleasure of meeting this charismatic old-timer at his impressive museum, which he built to house the various treasures he has found on beaches and in local garbage dumps since he was 5 years old. In his collection is a hide scraper dated by archaeologists to be 8,000 years old, as well as jade pieces, Chinese coins, bottles from all over the place, glass fishing balls, old trapping devices, and logging equipment, to name just a few of the things he has saved.
A way of life in this part of the province is dying. People are moving to the big cities and leaving the smaller communities behind. People like Bill Proctor are a living reminder of days gone past. But in ways which he may not appreciate, he is also an inspiration to return to the way of life which is less industrialized and more community-based.
