In May and June of 1874, Surveyor Mr. Hargreaves conducted a series of timber lease surveys along the eastern shores of Jervis Inlet and the adjacent Malaspina Strait. His observations provide a detailed record of the region’s physical landscape and forest conditions during this early colonial period of resource assessment.

On May 18, 1874, Mr. Hargreaves surveyed a timber lease situated on the shores of Thunder Bay, north of the present‑day location of Saltery Bay. He characterized the area as steep and irregular, noting the presence of good black soil in several locations. The forest cover consisted predominantly of Fir, Cedar, and Hemlock, although he also recorded extensive tracts of burnt timber, indicating prior fire disturbance across portions of the surveyed ground.

Two days later, on May 20, 1874, Mr. Hargreaves surveyed the timber lease at Scotch Fir Point, beginning from the post on the west side of Thunder Bay. His field notes describe the terrain as generally flat inland, but bordered by steep and rocky banks along the shoreline. He identified one small stream within the lease area and again recorded mixed coniferous timber, consistent with the broader forest composition of the inlet.

On June 3 1874, Mr. Hargreaves proceeded southward to survey the timber lease extending from Thunder Bay to the bay now known as Saltery Bay. He observed that the northern portion of this tract was “very rough and rocky,” with comparatively thin timber near Thunder Bay. As he advanced southward, the landscape shifted: the forest became increasingly dense, dominated by Fir, Cedar, and Hemlock, and numerous streams entered the inlet from the interior valleys.

Hargreaves completed the sequence of surveys on June 10, 1874, when he examined the timber lease on the Malaspina Strait side, west of Scotch Fir Point. He described this area as swampy, with black soil and generally level ground, heavily timbered with Cedar, Fir, and Hemlock. Further along the lease, the soil transitioned to rocky, gravelly substrates. During this survey, he encountered a significant stream, which he named Kokanees (now known as Eagle River). He recorded a 30‑foot waterfall in its upper reaches, followed by a canyoned section leading to a lower channel where the water ran swiftly at a depth of three to four feet. The surrounding terrain included extensive swampy areas densely stocked with young Hemlock and Cedar, suggesting zones of more recent forest regeneration.

On August 4, 1874, the surveyor Mr. Hargreaves surveyed a timber lease on the east side of the Malaspina Strait, which began one and a half miles east of Grief Point. Previously, he surveyed the west and north of Grief Point for a timber lease of R.P. Rithet.

The timber lease of August 4, 1874, went south and as far as the timber boundaries, which ended at Coal Creek (Lang Creek). The timber claims traversed the coast of Malaspina Strait, connecting the timber claims of R. P. Rithet and Moody, Nelson and Company from the R.P. Rithet post at Grief Point.

With the two timber licenses of R.P. Rithet and Moody, Nelson and Company connected, the combined timber licenses travelled from Scuttle Bay ( Wilde Road) down the coast to Coal Creek (Lang Creek ).

Independent cedar cutters working in the Malaspina Strait during the early 1870s formed a loosely connected yet highly active network. Researchers can trace their operations through timber‑cutting licenses, customs correspondence, boom tallies, and local oral histories.