by Sandy McCormick Shelter Point Park on Texada Island is a real mystery.
The Powell River Regional District park is surrounded by ocean vistas and loaded with tranquil grasslands and spring wildflowers, as well as towering evergreen and deciduous trees for summer shade. The park is an amazing setting for camping or just hanging out.
It has the only public boat launch ramp on the island’s west side making it a popular spot for pleasure-boaters and fishers alike. Well-equipped campsites adorn the beaches and nestle in the forest. It has hosted weddings and family gatherings, as well as the annual Spookwalk at Halloween. Children play along its peaceful shore and frolic in the designated summer swimming area.
Prior to the 2012 fire, which destroyed the well-used food concession building and caretakers’ residence, the park was enjoyed by locals and visitors alike as an idyllic recreational destination with no hint of any historical significance.
For decades, writers documenting Texada’s history asserted that first nations had no interest in the island. As the long-standing legend goes, after the Ice Age when glaciers filled what is now the Strait of Georgia, then receded, Texada rose quickly, in geological terms. First nations would not settle here because as quickly as the land mass rose they feared one day it would sink.
The story was told to me when I first started coming to the island in the 1980s and has been re-told many times since. So how did such a legend evolve when archaeological digs following the fire have proven the park to be of great first nations significance? That’s the mystery.
Archaeologists found evidence of former buildings, household implements and tools used by ancient communities who occupied what is now Shelter Point Park. The findings are irrefutable and their value forced a year-and-a-half delay on plans to rebuild the much-missed concession and caretaker’s home. It’s wonderful that a locale so well-used and enjoyed today was also inhabited and appreciated by people thousands of years ago. The place isn’t just beautiful, it’s historically important.
The downside is the construction delay the findings have caused in the rebuilding of facilities badly needed for the park to function to its intended potential. True, the park caretaker has been housed elsewhere, which is only a big problem during the summer tourist season when an on-site person in charge is really required. And true, concession operators have done an amazing job of providing delicious food and refreshments from a mobile kitchen. But as we approach the second summer of temporary digs, the rain- and wind-proof concession eating area is sorely missed and the cooking opportunities provided from a mobile kitchen are limited, no matter how creative the concession operators might be.
As one Texada resident who appreciates history I’m pleased by the first nations’ artifacts that were found at Shelter Point Park. It would be great if a gathering structure, proposed for the park before the fire, could be built with a first nations’ design. But enough is enough already with the re-building delays. Finally, tenders have been requested by the regional district for the construction of new facilities. Archaeologically significant or otherwise, Texadans just want the concession back and the sooner the better.
Sandy McCormick is a Texada Island resident living just south of Shelter Point Park.
