By 1889, word of opportunity along the coast of British Columbia had spread widely, reaching both established capitalists and those aspiring to wealth. The waters of the Malaspina Strait and Texada Island came to be described as “untouched lands,” drawing increasing numbers of prospectors, investors, and speculators. Some secured passage aboard coastal sailing vessels, while others turned to the provincial land office to file claims for mineral rights, timber licenses, and agricultural lands.

Among the earliest corporate actors, the Texada Mining Company sought formal incorporation, applying for a 25-year charter and staking claims to twenty-four mining properties. Its trustees, John Ellery Jenkins, Calvin R. Miller, and Richard Prowes, had the company based in the City of Nanaimo. Additional associates included Alex Easson, Wm. Tree, and Geo. Tippett, with Jenkins also acting as the company’s legal representative.

Texada Island quickly became the center of a localized gold and mineral rush. On January 19, 1889, T.D. Jones, A. Raper, T. Morgan, and J.W. Stirtan jointly filed for 640 acres of pastoral land. That same day, E. Priest, known as Elijah Priest, a civil engineer and prospector who later had Priest Lake named in his honour, submitted a separate pastoral application for the southern portion of the island. Shortly thereafter, on February 7, 1889, James Leonard Stamford, a mining engineer, filed a pre-emption claim for 160 acres and also applied for Lot 3 on Texada Island.

Timber interests advanced in parallel with mineral speculation. On December 24, 1888, John E. Glover applied for multiple timber tracts, including parcels on the eastern side of Texada Island, at the northwest reaches of the Strait of Georgia, and on the Thormanby Islands west of Buccaneer Bay. Notably, one tract extended to the western boundary of the Sliammon (Tla’amin) Reserve near Hardy Island, reflecting the immediate adjacency of settler claims to Indigenous lands. Glover continued his acquisitions on December 27, 1888, with an application for Lot 8 at Sturt Bay.

As the region, particularly within the New Westminster District, became widely recognized as open for development, a surge of corporate and individual applications followed. Areas including Sliammon (Tla’amin), Hardy Island, Texada, and Okeover Inlet saw rapid industrial encroachment. Companies arrived not to establish permanent communities, but to extract timber and mineral wealth, bringing with them axes, drills, and explosives.

On January 20, 1889, a letter from Mr. H. Moffat, who was the acting Indian Agent for the Province of British Columbia, raised significant concerns. During a visit to areas around Jarvis Inlet the previous Wednesday with Dr. McGiugan, he reported several cases of smallpox at various reserves and Indian logging camps, identifying it as the worst type of smallpox.

Many camps were placed under quarantine, requiring provisions to keep individuals confined for 2 weeks. Reserves along the coast, including Sliammon (Tla’amin), Sechelt, and Clahoose, were all affected, and visits were not allowed during this period. Although nearly all individuals at Sliammon (Tla’amin) were already vaccinated before, they received re-vaccinations by the doctor, and Dr. McGiugan left strict instructions to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the area for two months.

Asked later by Mr. P McTierman why they never reported it to the authorities, Mr. Moffat was informed by those at Sliammon (Tla’amin) that some white men told them that the disease was black measles instead.

May 8, 1889, Mr. E.M. Skinner arrived in the Sliammon (Tla’amin) area to start his final surveys, set the reserves, and began doing so before leaving to do others up north. Mr. Skinner sent his letter of May 19, 1889, to inform Mr. P. O’Reilly that he had completed all the requested surveys for the Sliammon (Tla’amin) reservations and would now proceed to Seymour Inlet as soon as he could. As Mr. Skinner closed out the year, he delivered his seasonal report on November 4, 1889, providing details of all surveys on a location-by-location basis, marking the end of his 1889 survey year.

Established firms expanded aggressively. Although the Moodyville Sawmill Company had operated on the coast for over a decade, and Timber Leases had been given to other people and companies from Grief Point all the way down to Thunder Bay, it continued to acquire new timber limits, applying on June 22, 1889, for cutting rights opposite Sykes Island in Saint Vincent Bay, as well as in Thunder Bay.

The Brunette Saw Mill Company followed on July 20, 1889, applying for timber licenses on Lots 525 and 518 in Theodosia Arm. Shortly thereafter, Henry C.V. Edmonds filed claims on Thormanby Island on July 27, and on adjacent Moodyville holdings at the head of Malaspina Inlet on August 15, 1889.

By the latter part of 1889, the scale of applications had become so extensive that F. G. Vernon reported an extraordinary volume of surveys and claims in the British Columbia Gazette. The concentration of activity made it clear that the corridor between Texada Island and the mainland had become a primary zone for resource acquisition.

Additional filings reinforced this trend. On May 26, 1889, John Letherdale received a timber license along the shores of Okeover Arm. M.C. Ireland submitted notice of intent to claim lands around Penrose Bay, while W.P. Sayward applied on August 19, 1889, to lease 1,000 acres of timberland in Okeover Arm. The volume of mineral claims became so overwhelming that on December 6, 1888, Vernon—acting in his capacity as Gold Commissioner—ordered all new mining applications in the New Westminster District suspended until May 31, 1889.

As accessible timber licenses diminished, expansion pushed further north. For example, John Elgerson secured a 1,000-acre timber license in Bute Inlet. Meanwhile, mining activity on Texada intensified following the incorporation of the Invincible Mining Company on June 13, 1889. Subsequent claims included applications for Sections 17 and 18 submitted by Wm. Hoggan, David Hoggan, John Wilson, John B. Allan, and David Taylor on July 31, 1889. Meanwhile, Sections 19, 21, and 22 were granted to Wm. Hoggan and James McGregor on May 16, 1889, based on earlier filings.

Additional allocations included Lot 13, which was granted to C.H. DeBeck on September 2, 1889, along with a timber license issued to J.B. Kennedy. District Lot 19 was awarded to Ezra S. Cook on February 10, 1889, while District Lot 1 was granted to John Irving on August 16 of the same year. The entire coast on both sides of the Malaspina Strait was alive with people, small camps, and boats as communities were developing.