Boom-and-bust towns were all over the province of British Columbia. Small settlements like Van Anda, Texada City, and Marble Bay were growing and expanding, and the owners of the mining claims established in 1899 at Gilles Bay had a new settlement. The Puget Sound Iron Mining Company leased this claim for a term of two years on a royalty basis. From John Campbell, who mined Lot 175, named the Saxon, received on March 9, 1900, and Lot 106, the Whistler, there was no place left to get a mineral license near Van Anda itself.

The Van Anda mines have come under the control of an English syndicate. The Cornwell Mine and the Marble Bay Mine have been in full operation since late 1899. The Golden Slipper claim and the Iron mines have been consistently shipping ore to the Irondale furnace near Port Townsend, Washington. The Puget Sound Iron Company, which controls 2,700 acres on the southwest side of Texada Island, represents 5 million tons of ore, all of which is of the highest quality.

Newspapers like the Daily Colonist were now publishing ads. On September 3, 1900, the Marble Bay Line Company advertised “Absolutely Pure” Marble Bay Line, sold in Barrels, and kept in stock in Victoria by Kingham & Company.

The Sliammon (Tla’amin) reserve was receiving supplies for the new church. A letter dated April 1, 1901, from Mr. Devlin, the Indian Agent, described the completion of the order. The delivery included lumber, shingles, a door, and windows for $61.50; two kegs of nails for $7.00; shingle nails weighing 20 pounds and 50 pounds of 4-inch nails for $2.50; and freight to Sliammon for $20. In total, the supplies amounted to $91.00.

As the elections approached in the province, the election boundaries for May 9, 1901, were being established, which was confusing. The South Nanaimo district set its boundaries to follow the coastline, extending to the point of commencement, which included Texada Island. In the Comox district, the electoral boundaries encompassed Scotch Fir Point, Malaspina Strait, Texada Island, and Harwood Island. The Vancouver district extended as far as Scotch Fir Point, but none of the districts specifically mentioned Malaspina Inlet, Froek, or Lund.

Later in the year, Mr. Farquhar M McRae came to the Malaspina Strait. On August 27, 1901, he received his Crown Grant for District Lot 1779, which, when surveyed in 1878, had prime timber. The McRae family established their homestead on a large tract of land that became locally known as the McRae Lands.

In a newspaper published in Hawaii, there were 3 lines: “Two Men were carried over the Powell River falls, near Vancouver, and one was killed.”

Published on Tuesday, October 8, 1901, it was clear the world was paying attention to Powell Lake. This tragic event at Powell Lake marks yet another chapter in a disturbing pattern of violence, as it follows a history of similar incidents that have claimed lives in the area. On September 2, 1900, Mr. Aubray Lund, A. Vaughan, J Shortt, and J Pride were rowing out midstream to meet the SS Comox.

It was dark when the steamer collided with the boat, sinking it. Of the four people thrown into the water, only Mr. Pride and Mr. Shortt managed to reach the shore safely. Unfortunately, Mr. Lund and Mr. Vaughan did not make it and are presumed drowned.

In the Victoria Daily Colonist on Friday, September 7, 1901, it was announced by the newspaper that the bodies of Aubray Lund and A. Vaughan, who drowned, were located with special appliances supplied by Messrs. Oppenheimer Bros. The body of Mr. Lund will be sent to his parents in Sackville, Nova Scotia.

Aubray Lund was a clerk at the Merchants Bank of Halifax, while Mr. Vaughan, who was at the time an employee of Oppenheimer Brothers, sent a boat to search for the bodies.

In September 1901, the talented mining expert Mr. Arthur Goldie sadly lost his life in Powell River on the 23rd, with his body remaining unfound. This significant event captured attention and was reported in the Los Angeles Times the following day, September 24. There were two separate stories published; the second story, on October 25, 1901, in the Victoria Daily Colonist, was that a Mr. L.R. Goldie, who was a miner at Van Anda, where he was prospecting at the headwaters, canoeing ashore when he dropped his paddle and went over the 30-foot-tall falls

Later, on December 6, 1901, the Victoria Times reported that Mr. R. McEwen, a trapper, was missing on Powell Lake. His canoe, found adrift, led authorities to believe he also drowned.

As all these deaths were occurring on Powell Lake, the Industrial Power Company was looking around the area, the lake, and the river, and the 1,800 acres of freehold land where a crown grant of R.P. Rithet was coming to expire within 3 years. The company believed that the Powell Falls would generate 18,000 horsepower, enough to prompt the Industrial Power Company to create a new company, The Pacific Coast Power Company, and build a townsite called “Malaspina.”

In 1901, photography emerged as an effective tool for selling newspapers and magazines. The Department of Mines, responsible for issuing mineral claims, travelled throughout the province and published materials about the various mines in the area.

They visited Texada Island and took many photos of the mines, buildings, and surrounding areas. These photographs were significant for the Province of British Columbia, as they established that these settlements and mines were here to stay and that the income they generated was becoming increasingly important for the province.

The report came from Thos. Morgan, Inspector of Mines for the Province of British Columbia. He reported the fatal accident at the Tyee Mine of Charles Melrose, who fell down an open hatchway and died. Mr. John McInnis, the foreman, had his ribs broken, and there were 124 mining claims on Texada for the year 1901, 2 mining claims on Powell Lake, 5 mining claims at Theodosia Arm, and Malaspina Inlet.

As well, there was a report from Mr. H. Carmichael, a provincial assayer, who examined the Van Anda and Marble Bay Mines in 1899 and noted the work done on the properties on Texada Island. He noted work done on the coast in 1885 by Dr. Dawson, who made geological observations that led to the discovery of the Cornell, Copper Queen, and Marble Bay mines.