Discovery Island (British Columbia)

During the early stages of the 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic, which started in Victoria, almost all Songhees self-quarantined themselves by abandoning their villages and relocating en masse to Discovery Island.

[1][2] The Lighthouse at Sea Bird Point, the eastern end of Discovery Island, marks the junction of the Haro and Juan De Fuca Straits.

The island has two homes for the light keeper's families, a helicopter pad, a diesel power generation station, a well, a water reservoir, a boathouse and dock.

Sea Bird Point was named after an American paddle steamer which caught fire and was run aground in 1858 to save the lives of the crew.

[3] Beaumont was an avid seaman and even in his 80s would regularly row his boat from Discovery Island to Ten Mile Point, where he would go for walks in the woods.

[4] The lone wolf, Takaya, was relocated to an area near Port Renfrew by conservation officers in January 2020.

[5] Other flora and fauna on the island include sea lions, seals, mink, mussels, clams, rock crab, morel mushrooms, and blackberries.