Up along the north coast, at the mouth of Douglas Channel, you will find Hartley Bay. It is about 150 km from Prince Rupert.
Up along the north coast, at the mouth of Douglas Channel, you will find Hartley Bay. It is about 150 km from Prince Rupert. It is a First Nations community of 200 and is only accessible by water or air. Hartley Bay is home to the Gitga’ata, who are members of the Tsimshian Nation.
Instead of roads, some boardwalks link the whole village, so many coastal towns have these, but only a few still use them. Without autos, there was no need for roads. The first time I saw them was in Namu, back when I was a young man.
Hartley Bay was established in 1887. Several families were following a lay minister named William Duncan. He had created a utopian missionary in Metlakatla. When Duncan and quite a few of his followers decided to move the mission to New Metkatla in Alaska, many of the Gitga’at refused to leave and moved back to their traditional territories, but instead of the ancient village, they settled in Hartley Bay.
Fishing, along with some logging, has been the way of sustaining the village, but both are in decline. Tourism is becoming a new industry. They are finding employment in the various fishing lodges in the area and are beginning to open up other avenues of employment, like remote kayaking guiding.
On March 22, 2006, the Queen Of The North hit an underwater ridge and sank just off Hartley Bay. The residents were the first to respond; they managed to save 99 of the 101 passengers. They used their hall as a rescue center where they fed and kept the survivors warm.