Imagine sitting in a rented room and picking up a newspaper that tells you about a new world, a place filled with large trees, where gold and silver lie just beneath the surface. This area offered land grants of 160 acres, providing an opportunity to start a new life. It was a chance to work, build a home, and start a business. Just imagine what it would be like to begin anew.

Changes made under the Indian Act in 1898 took effect when Mr. Devlin wrote a letter to Mr. A.W. Vowell on February 19, 1898. The letter included details about his visit on January 17. In December of 1897, Chief Charley expressed interest in cutting timber to build a new church, as the current one was no longer safe. During the visit, Mr. Devlin informed the Sliammon (Tla’amin) people that the new age of consent would be 21 years of age; with 32 Indians present, they were all given this information.

There were many other members of the Sliammon (Tla’amin) community; however, some were away hunting, visiting friends from the Klahoose and Homalco tribes, or working on Texada Island. The letter outlines the details of the church’s construction and the contractual conditions associated with it. Sliammon (Tla’amin) village is located on the Malaspina Strait, where an abundance of timber is available.

Mr. Devlin informs Mr. Vowell in the letter that the logs already on the beach were to be used to purchase timber for the church, as there are no nearby mills that cut timber.

In 1898, the Canadian Pacific Railway published a map of its railway routes, specifically a brochure map printed by Brownlee’s. This map illustrated the projected railway routes, showing that the CPR anticipated its line would extend to Bute Inlet and cross Valdes Island to reach Vancouver Island. These Brownlee brochures were distributed to travellers by the CPR, and soon after, the area from Bute Inlet down the coast became bustling with surveyors and land speculators.

One interesting aspect of the Brownlee Brochure is that Powell Lake in the map area is faintly displayed but visible, while Lund, which shows “PO,” indicating it is a post office, is prominently featured. This brochure sparked an exciting wave of interest in the Powell Lake area, drawing attention from all around.

Powell Lake, frequently mentioned in the British Columbia Gazette, attracted many visitors eager to learn more about it. On May 21, 1898, Mr. F. Hilbert received a license to cut timber and operate on a large island in Powell Lake, which is now known as Goat Island. Additionally, Mr. Hilbert applied for the same license on the west side of Powell Lake, two miles upstream from the lake’s outlet, where over 900 acres of timber were available.

At Lund, BC, the wharf was widened to 40 ft by 60 ft for $1,000 by the foreman in charge, Mr. R.F. Bonson. Further inland but still on the coast, Mr. Charles Harding received his Crown Grant for District Lot 1830, running alongside the Sliammon (Tla’amin) reserve on December 13, 1898.

A letter dated March 2, 1898, from Mr. A.W. Vowell, Indian Superintendent, was sent to Ottawa to inform the office that the Sliammon (Tla’amin) Band planned to cut and sell approximately one million feet of sawlogs. The band intended to use the proceeds from this sale to build a church on the Reserve, and that either this church would remain the property of the band and be available for use by the officiating priest for services, or it could be held in trust by the Department of Indian Affairs.

Mr. Vowell requested permission and directed Mr. Devlin to issue permits to cut and sell enough fir timber to fund the church’s construction, with the total not to exceed $2,000.

Mr. G.D. Scott intended to apply to construct a roadway for logging purposes, a quarter mile east of the outlet, in an area formerly known as “Milton Skidway”. Published on May 21, 1898, Mr. Scott was looking for rights from Powell Lake to Powell River near the summit of the falls. Mr. Scott also applied for a cut-and-carry timber license on the south side of a large Island, Powell Lake. We know this large island in 2026 as Goat Island.

May 20, 1898, marked the beginning of the Comox Electoral District poll, which included the area around Malaspina Strait. As settlements expanded and more people settled in the region, Mr. Alfred Gibbon Deighton and Mr. George Henry Deighton registered as farmers at Bear Brook, located on the Malaspina Strait. Bear Brook later became known as Deighton Creek, near Myrtle Rocks.

Many people were registered and staying at the Malaspina Hotel, making one question whether any rooms were actually available. Mr. Frank McCallum, a shipwright, and Mr. John McFadyen, a lumberman, were listed as numbers 680 and 683, respectively, on the polling list of eligible voters.

At the end of the poll list are Mr. James McLoed, Mr. Martin Norman, Mr. Thomas O’Brien, and Mr. Thomas Pamphlet, all of whom are Freeminers. Additionally, Mr. James Wilson, a Lumberman, completes the list of new settlers residing in Lund, BC.

Lower along the coast of Malaspina Strait in Wulffsohn Bay was Mr. John McPhee, who registered as a labourer. In Greenwood Bay, there were farmers, Mr. William Smith and Mr. Thomas Smith. Mr. Charles A. Thulin, the postmaster of the Malaspina Hotel, was prominently seated at the polling station. Additionally, Mr. Frederick Thulin, a merchant from Lot No. 91 in Lund, was also listed.

Labour for all these logging camps was people from all over the world, including Caucasians, First Nations, Japanese, and Chinese. There were so many people employed that Texada’s population was in the thousands.

On September 15, 1897, Attorney General C.B. Rabson’s office received a letter that would later surface in the provincial legislature. When the House met on February 28, 1898, the correspondence became part of a wider debate over the Mine Labour Act of 1897, legislation that barred Chinese workers from underground mining.

Mr. R. Blewett, the dedicated manager of the Van Ansa Mine, shared important information that faced a challenge from Mr. Forbes, who deemed it unconstitutional. While Mr. Forbes was staying at Mr. Blewett’s home, a firm discussion ensued, leading Mr. Blewett to ask him to leave.

A justice from outside Texada Island was assigned to hear the case, a choice that immediately underscored how serious and how politically charged the situation had become. Local authorities did not trust the island’s internal dynamics to handle the case impartially, especially given the growing unrest among the miners.

According to W. Wymond Walkem, the controversy went far beyond a simple labour dispute. He reported that Mr. Blewett had dismissed all the white miners working for him and replaced them with Chinese labourers, whom Mr.Blewett paid significantly less than the whites.

Since 1886, when Dr. Dawson visited Texada Island and wrote his geological report, the island has attracted attention for its mineral resources. Local place names, such as Point Upward at the southern end of the island, were mentioned in relation to the various minerals noted. Scottish Fir Point, another location referenced in 1886, is situated opposite Point Upward.

Walkem’s statement reflected a broader anxiety circulating through the mining communities of the coast in the early 1890s. White miners feared that employers would use lower‑paid Chinese workers to undercut wages and weaken the bargaining power of established crews. Simultaneously, mine owners and operators, including Mr. Blewett, viewed Chinese labour as a practical solution to labour shortages and increasing operating costs.

The accusation thus targeted a larger regional conflict: control of the labour market, valuation of work, and the extent to which employers would go to maintain profitability. By the time the case reached the attention of an off‑island justice, the dispute had already become a symbol of these wider tensions. Walkem’s account highlighted that the issue was part of a broader trend affecting labour relations along the coast.

Mr. Walkem exchanged correspondence with Lieutenant Colonel Hon. James Baker, who was the Minister of Mines in British Columbia. Baker planned to send a constable to collect all mining licenses from the Chinese labourers employed in the area. If any workers did not possess a license, they would face a fine and serve as an example to American employers.

However, letters were often misplaced or sent to the wrong addresses. Ultimately, Mr. Blewett and the Van Anda Company discharged several Chinese workers, although they retained some above ground.

Crews pushed forward the construction of roads and other public works on Texada Island. Financial funds approved in 1897 led to the arrival of James Craig, the Provincial Foreman. He oversaw the construction of a road from the Iron Mine to Van Anda, as well as a trail from Priest’s Lake to Van Anda. Additionally, on the opposite side of Texada, James Craig built a trail from the bay below Raven Bay toward Gillies Bay. The new trail contributed to the growth of the new settlement that emerged alongside the Moodyville Sawmill Company.

Since 1886, when Dr. Dawson visited Texada Island and wrote his geological report, the island has attracted attention for its mineral resources. Local place names, such as Point Upward at the southern end of the island, were mentioned in relation to the various minerals noted. Scottish Fir Point, another location referenced in 1886, is situated opposite Point Upward.

This report, written long before the mining rush, discusses the iron mine in Spratt’s Bay and includes recommendations for trails leading to the iron mine located in Van Anda Bay. Mine names such as “Raven,” “Little Billie,” and “Iron,” mentioned in 1886, indicate that these mines were already in existence. The “Victoria,” “Texada,” “Potosa,” and “Lorindale” mines were known worldwide for their high-grade ore veins.

By mid‑1886, the district had road access in place, and the Raven, Chief, and Joan mines were linked together along the old wagon road that wound toward Spratt’s Bay, just three miles south of Van Anda by trail. The Kirk Lake Gold Mine, which had shares traded worldwide, had a capital stock of $600,000 in 1886. By 1898, these mines had become the most prominent operations on Texada Island.

Water power generated at Kirk Lake allowed for the establishment of log cabins and blacksmith shops, with roads extending one and a half miles to Davis Bay, accompanied by well-constructed cabins. The final report, published in 1898, documented the issuance of 710 Free Miner Certificates, 1,157 mineral claims, and 272 bills of sale for mineral claims. These figures illustrate the significant number of people living on Texada Island.

Correspondence sent to Mr Vowell, the Indian Superintendent, on June 3, 1898, informed the office that a man named Joe Galligoes was residing on the Sliammon (Tla’amin) Indian Reserve and refused to lease, even though Mr Devlin had warned him that he needed to. The letter goes on to say that in January he informed the office that he would marry a Sliammon (Tla’amin) person and would live on the Reserve. Mr. Devlin advised that Mr. Galligoes would not be able to live on the Reserve and that he would have to lease.

Mr. Devlin arrived later at Sliammon (Tla’amin) and found Mr. Galligoes living in a house on the Reserve and ordered him to lease, but he again would not agree to a lease. Sliammon (Tla’amin) informed Mr. Devlin that the Chilean took the Sliammon (Tla’amin) woman to Comox, married her, and returned to live on the Reserve.

Mr. Devlin requested that he get authority from Mr. Alex Henderson, an agent for the Minister of Justice of BC, to present this information to him about residing on the Reserve. Mr. Devlin wishes that Mr. Henderson take charge of the issue, as Mr. Galligoes is not a desirable person to live on the Reserve. Mr. Devlin advised in the letter that Mr. Galligoes resided with a woman on the Squamish Reserve and had lived with her for about a year, although they were not married.

Land aplenty, mineral claims in abundance, just as on September 3, 1898, Mr. John Jackson Palmer received his Miner’s Certificate No. 45,924 for Lots 1 and 2. These Lots were now in control of the Marble Bay Fraction Mining claims under the Crown Grant issued by F.W. McCrady, the Agent for J.J. Palmer.

During the year, surveyors were searching for the next big strike. Mr. G.W. DeBeck had just returned from his property on Theodosia Arm, which he owned alongside Mr. J.M. Mackinnon. They had excavated a tunnel that was 40 feet deep through 25 feet of solid ore. While they were in the Theodosia area, Messrs. Dunsmuir and Rithet sent their own prospectors to the region.

The man, freshly returned from Powell Lake, spotted the party of Dunsmuir and Rithet as they moved along the trail. He recognized them immediately and noted their presence, aware that such prominent figures rarely travelled through the district without a purpose.

In the latter part of the fall of 1897, a letter was written to the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs by Mr. P. O’Rielly, the Indian Reserve Commissioner for the Province of British Columbia. This letter describes how the Sliammon (Tla’amin) people made their living primarily through lumbering, fishing, and hunting, with minimal farming.

There were no questions about whether this was what the Sliammon (Tla’amin) people wanted to do; there was just the letter saying this was how they made a living. Mr. O’Rielly, on October 12, 1897, tells the Dominion that due to insufficient funds, his agency was not able to carry out any of the work on the reserves of Sliammon (Tla’amin). No corrections of land, no extensions, no discussions, just that the survey already done by Mr. Green in 1896 for the reserves and that they were approved: 4,893 acres exactly.

A monthly magazine called “Recreation” published Volume IX, covering the period from July 1898 to December 1898. Within this volume, there is a story that had become more common: the editor, Mr. G. O. Shields, travelled by the steamer “Comet” to Powell Lake. They disembarked from the vessel and landed in a small cove, with no river in sight. The story recounts how they found a trail that led to a river located half a mile from their camp. As the tale continues, they took possession of a dugout canoe and ventured onto Powell Lake. They observed abundant game, caught plenty of trout, and hunted and fished during their stay, returning home with their catches.

Around the time the editor was paddling Powell Lake, Mr. Charlie Vest was applying to purchase land at the mouth of Powell Lake and on the lakefront. Mr. Vest was looking to buy one of the prime District Lots that contained 160 acres.

In 1898, the Malaspina Strait coastline underwent a significant transformation, marked by the emergence of new placenames that would etch themselves into the region’s history. Lund, with its picturesque charm, nestled alongside the serene waters of Malaspina Inlet, became a burgeoning settlement. Nearby, Frolander Bay and Sturt Bay offered tranquil havens for those seeking solace in nature, while the quaint community of Van Anda beckoned travellers with its inviting atmosphere. Grief Point stood out as a notable landmark, enhancing the area’s allure.

Deighton Brothers started a farm at Myrtle Point, hiring Whites, First Nations, Japanese, and Chinese, and selling their crop to passing vessels.

As these settlements flourished, more and more individuals decided to put down roots. Homes and hotels began to spring up, breathing life into the once quiet landscape. Texada City, with its vibrant community spirit, the scenic beauty of Powell Lake, and the bustling atmosphere of Powell River, has emerged as a popular destination for locals and visitors alike. People would gather on their porches, engrossed in their newspapers, sharing stories and dreams of adventure in this dynamic and evolving coastal region.