Stephens Island (British Columbia)

This article is about the island in British Columbia, Canada. For other uses, see Stephens Island (disambiguation).

Stephens Island (British Columbia)
Native name:
Ksgaxl
Northeast end of Stephens Island, as seen from Brown Passage
Stephens Island is located in British Columbia
Stephens Island
Stephens Island
Geography
Coordinates54°09′28″N 130°43′54″W / 54.15778°N 130.73167°W / 54.15778; -130.73167 (Stephens Island)[1]
Area14,000 ha (35,000 acres)

Stephens Island (Tsimshian: Ksgaxl) is an island in Canada, on the British Columbian Coast, to the northwest of Porcher Island, to the southwest of the city of Prince Rupert, and divides Chatham Sound from Hecate Strait.[1] The island was named by Captain Vancouver in honour of Sir Philip Stephens, secretary to the Admiralty from 1763 to 1795.[2]: 470 


Qlawdzeet Anchorage, located at the north end of Stephens Island between Hooper Point and Avery Island, is useful for fishers and pilots, and has pilings tucked in behind Dunn Island.[3] This is where Vancouver met Brown on 20 July 1793, with a squadron of three vessels, Butterworth, Jackal, and Prince Le Boo.[2]: 406 

The island is one of the two main islands (the other is Prescott) that are part of the Ksgaxl/Stephens Island Conservancy.[4]

History

The island once contained villages comparable in size to the largest settlements in the Dundas Islands and Prince Rupert Harbour. In addition to the major villages, several smaller shell-bearing sites were found on terraces about 10 metres (33 ft) above the present shoreline. Two distinct occupation phases have been identified: one dating from approximately 6400-9500 YPB, and another from about 5000-7200 YBP.[5]


Geology

Its main geological feature is the Early Cretaceous Stephens Island pluton, which dates to the Albian era (102±8 Ma),[6] and provides the backbone connecting Mount Stephens, at 432 metres (1,417 ft),[7] 54°07′39″N 130°40′15″W / 54.12750°N 130.67083°W / 54.12750; -130.67083 (Mount Stephens)[8] at the island's southeast end, to Congreve Hill, at 150 metres (490 ft)[9] 54°09′29″N 130°42′31″W / 54.15806°N 130.70861°W / 54.15806; -130.70861 (Congreve Hill) in the northwest.

Indian reserves

Squaderee Indian Reserve No. 91 is located on the west side of the island's northern part, at 54°08′00″N 130°47′00″W / 54.13333°N 130.78333°W / 54.13333; -130.78333 (Squadaree IR No. 9)[10] on Skiakl Bay at 54°08′17″N 130°47′02″W / 54.13806°N 130.78389°W / 54.13806; -130.78389 (Skiakl Bay),[11] in which there is a small island, Skiakl Island, at 54°07′38″N 130°45′44″W / 54.12722°N 130.76222°W / 54.12722; -130.76222 (Skiakl Island).[12]

Off Stephens Island's northern tip is Avery Island at 54°12′42″N 130°45′32″W / 54.21167°N 130.75889°W / 54.21167; -130.75889 (Avery Island),[13] the whole of which constitutes Avery Island Indian Reserve No. 92,[14] Both it and Squadaree IR No. 9 are under the administration of the Metlakatla First Nation.[15][16] It lies in Qlawdzeet Anchorage which is at 54°12′15″N 130°46′09″W / 54.20417°N 130.76917°W / 54.20417; -130.76917 (Qlawdzeet Anchorage).[17] Overlooking that from the south, at the northern tip of Stephens Island itself, is Qlawd Hill at 54°11′28″N 130°46′29″W / 54.19111°N 130.77472°W / 54.19111; -130.77472 (Qlawd Hill).[18]

Looking at Prescott island from Chatham Sound

Other features and adjoining islands

Other small islands adjoining Stephens Island include Skiakl Island, Philip Island, Parry Island, Arthur Island, and Joyce Island.[19]

Prescott Island is the largest of the small islands around Stephens Island, lying to its southeast between it and Porcher Island at 54°11′28″N 130°46′29″W / 54.19111°N 130.77472°W / 54.19111; -130.77472 (Prescott Island).[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Stephens Island". BC Geographical Names.
  2. ^ a b Walbran, John T. (1909). British Columbia coast names, 1592–1906: to which are added a few names in adjacent United States territory: their origin and history, with map and illustrations. Ottawa: Government Printing Bureau. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
  3. ^ Faggetter, Barb A. (17 March 2013). Chatham Sound Eelgrass Study Final Report (PDF) (Report). Prince Rupert, British Columbia: Ocean Ecology. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  4. ^ "Ksgaxl/Stephens Island Conservancy". BC Parks. Government of British Columbia. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  5. ^ Letham, Bryn; Martindale, Andrew; McLaren, Duncan; Brown, Thomas; Ames, Kenneth M.; Archer, David J.W.; Marsden, Susan (2015). "Holocene settlement history of the Dundas Islands archipelago, Northern British Columbia". BC Studies: The British Columbian Quarterly (187): 51–85. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
  6. ^ Symons DT (1977). "Paleomagnetism of Mesozoic plutons in the westernmost Coast Complex of British Columbia". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 14 (9): 2127–39. Bibcode:1977CaJES..14.2127S. doi:10.1139/e77-180. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  7. ^ Bivouac Mountain Encyclopedia entry "Mount Stephens"
  8. ^ BC Names/GeoBC entry "Mount Stephens"
  9. ^ Bivouac Mountain Encyclopedia entry "Congreve Hill"
  10. ^ BC Names/GeoBC entry "Squadaree 9 (Indian reserve)"
  11. ^ BC Names/GeoBC entry "Skiakl Bay"
  12. ^ BC Names/GeoBC entry "Skiakl Island"
  13. ^ BC Names/GeoBC entry "Avery Island"
  14. ^ BC Names/GeoBC entry "Avery Island 92 (Indian reserve)"
  15. ^ Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Reserve/Settlement/Village Detail
  16. ^ Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Reserve/Settlement/Village Detail
  17. ^ BC Names/GeoBC entry "Qlawdzeet Anchorage"
  18. ^ "Qlawd Hill". BC Geographical Names.
  19. ^ BC Names/GeoBC 10km radius search around "Stephens Island" entry
  20. ^ "Prescott Island". BC Geographical Names.
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