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Photographs

A painting of a large sailing ship with its sails furled passing by mountainous islands, surrounded by roughly 15 canoes filled with people. The painting is shaped like an oval and has a border of dots and dashes.
Painting of Columbia Rediviva by George Davidson, illustrator for Robert Gray’s second voyage on the ship. Canoes greet the ship, which fires a salute. Oregon Historical Society Research Library
A painting of a sailing ship with all sails set during a storm. The wind is blowing the ship to the side, so that it is tipped over at a 45 degree angle to the water. There is a border of dots and dashes around the painting.
Painting of Columbia Rediviva by George Davidson, illustrator for Robert Gray’s second voyage on the ship. The ship braves a squall under full sail. Oregon Historical Society Research Library
A painting of a large sailing ship in the water, surrounded by 20 canoes, each filled with people. People from two of the canoes are climbing aboard the ship. There are also people on the deck.
J.J. Astor’s Tonquin before meeting its fiery doom, an epic made famous by Washington Irving’s book Astoria. Edmund Fanning, 1838, Wikimedia Commons
A view from the water of a sandy beach, with canoes and logs lying on the sand. Behind the sand is a long line of buildings and houses, backed by evergreen trees. At the right side of the picture, there are mountains behind the evergreens and two people are walking on the sand in the distance.
A panoramic view of houses and canoes at Ahousat (circa 1914). Alberni Valley Museum Photograph Collection PN01913
A large canoe filled with people is being carried on poles out of the water onto a sandy beach. Dozens of people are walking beside the men carrying the canoe. Two people have large drums. The water and islands behind are partially obscured by fog.
In ceremonial welcome to a potlatch, a large canoe filled with twelve honoured guests is carried by men using poles under the canoe, on the shore at Opitsat on Meares Island. A Union Jack flies from a pole at the canoe’s stern (circa 1916). Alberni Valley Museum Photograph Collection PN02077
A canoe sealed shut with wood is lying on the ground in front of two carved poles. The left pole is carved in the shape of two people holding plaques, one standing on the other's shoulders, with a face at the top. The right pole is painted as if it's wrapped by a giant snake, with a face on top and a large bird at the bottom. There are three buildings behind the poles.
View of Clayoquot village (Opitsat) showing two carved poles, one probably a grave marker. The canoe in the foreground may also contain a burial, and carved houseposts can be seen on the left side of the picture (circa 1900). Alberni Valley Museum Photograph Collection PN03205
An illustration of a man with chin-length, wavy hair and a moustache. He is wearing a cape and a woven hat featuring images of whalers. The hat comes to a bulbous point at the top.
Maquinna, famed chief Tsaxawasip of the Mowachaht of Nootka. Fernando Selma, 1802, Harbour Publishing Archive
An illustration of a man with fluffy wavy hair. He is wearing a puffy scarf and a frilly shirt under a high-collared coat with two rows of buttons down the front.
John Meares, ardent merchant adventurer, master and commander, and wizard of geographical spaces. Meares Island commemorates his name. W. Beechey, 1790, Harbour Publishing Archive
A large ship approaching a dock. The photo was taken from the dock, so the ship is seen head-on. There are several people and a few dogs waiting next to the buildings on the dock.
First regular trading vessel to west coast Vancouver Island ports, the lovely Tees, seen here approaching the dock at Alberni (circa 1910). Robert D. Turner Collection
A very large steam ship in the water. The bottom of the ship is darker and the top is white. It has a tall stack in the center, as well as masts at either end. There are several cranes and pulleys on the ship. The name 'Princess Maquinna' is painted on the side near the front.
Famed CPR passenger and cargo carrier Princess Maquinna, “Old Faithful,” linked Victoria with all major west coast Vancouver Island communities. Built in Esquimalt in 1913, and shown here in the 1920s, she was a lifeline to the wider world for decades. Cyril Littlebury photo, Robert D. Turner Collection
A closer picture of the Princess Maquinna, taken from the dock. There is a long line of people waiting to get on the ship. The deck of the ship is crammed with people and their luggage and cargo.
Indigenous men and women, many of them cannery workers, depended on the Princess Maquinna for transport to and from places of work. Here are some of them, with their belongings, crowding the foredeck. Harbour Publishing Archive
People installing a large wooden sign that reads 'Meares Island Tribal Park.' One person is digging with a shovel, and three more are holding the sign upright. Three more people are watching from the right side.
Declaration of Meares Island as a Tribal Park, April 21, 1984. Wilderness Committee Archive
A large crowd of people is in front of a stone building. In the middle of the crowd is a giant wooden carved statue of a man. The statue has its palms upturned and is wearing a fringed cloth around its waist. Its hat is the same shape as the one worn by Maquinna.
“Save Meares” protest of 1,200 people gathered on the steps and lawn of the British Columbia Legislature in Victoria on October 21, 1984. Wilderness Committee Archive
A large crowd of protesters, many of whom are carrying signs. A large banner behind the crowd reads 'Save Clayoquot Sound! Protect B.C.'s Ancient Forests.' In the foreground, two rows of uniformed people are standing facing forward with the crowd behind them.
Meares Island crisis led to others, seared deep in memory. Here is the 1993 Clayoquot “War in the Woods” protest on the Legislature grounds, Victoria. Meanwhile, on forest access roads, protesters put up blockades. These led to arrests, charges, and many criminal sentences. Wilderness Committee Archive
The front page of a report detailing the peaceful protest that halted logging on Meares Island. It reads 'Meares Island, January 1985' at the top and the headline is 'Peaceful Protest Halts Logging.' There are also photos of people greeting the loggers' boat as it is landing.
January 1985 report of events of November 21, 1984: (top right) Moses Martin, chief councillor of the Tla-o-qui-aht, tells loggers that the island is his people’s garden and they are not to cut the trees; (top left) tree protectors greet the loggers’ boat as it lands at C’is-a-quis (Heelboom Bay); (middle left) RCMP officials observe the confrontation; (bottom left) a small flotilla of fishing boats meets MacMillan Bloedel’s crew boat, Kennedy Queen, and explains their resolve to protect Meares from logging. Wilderness Committee Archive
An aerial view of several small islands densely covered with evergreen trees. There is a larger island on the horizon which is more mountainous.
Aerial view of Meares Island. Adrian Dorst photo, Wilderness Committee Archive
The base of an extremely large tree trunk surrounded by smaller trees and other plants.
A spectacular cedar tree found along the Big Tree Trail on Meares Island, where some old-growth is estimated to be more than 1,000 years old.christopher, Adobe Stock
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