Gribbell Island is an

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

on the

North Coast of British Columbia The British Columbia Coast, popularly referred to as the BC Coast or simply the Coast, is a geographic region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. As the entire western continental coastline of Canada along the Pacific Ocean is in the pr ...

, Canada, located on the east side of the entrance to

Douglas Channel Douglas Channel is one of the principal inlets (or fjords) of the British Columbia Coast, into which the Kitimat River flows. The channel was named in honour of Sir James Douglas, the first governor of the Colony of British Columbia. The offici ...

Wright Sound Wright Sound is a waterway on the British Columbia Coast, North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Wright Sound is south of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Prince Rupert and lies at the southern opening of Grenville Channel and between Gil Island ...

. Gribble Island Indian Reserve No. 10 is on its west coast, between Verney Passage and

Ursula Channel Ursula Channel is a channel in the North Coast region of British Columbia. It separates the east coast of Gribbell Island from the mainland. It was first charted in 1793 by Joseph Whidbey, master of the ''Discovery'' during George Vancouver’s ...

at . The small Wimbledon Range is on the south side of the island, facing the northern extremities of

Princess Royal Island Princess Royal Island is the largest island on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is located amongst the isolated inlets and islands east of Hecate Strait on the British Columbia Coast. At , it is the fourth largest island in Britis ...

to the south, at

Name origin

"Named in 1867 by Capt. Daniel Pender, RN, after his brother-in-law, the Rev.
Francis Barrow Gribbell Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie29 ...
, a clergyman of the Church of England. Arrived in Victoria, 1865; in charge of St. John's, Victoria, 1868; Rector of St. Paul's, Esquimalt, 1869; Principal of the collegiate school, Victoria, 1870-1875, when he returned to England. Vicar of Erith, Kent 1881; Vicar of Ringmer, Kent, 1891, where he now resides, 1906."

The Valhalla Wilderness Society has dubbed Gribbell Island the "Mother Island of the White Bear"''The Case for the Protection of Gribbell Island, Mother Island of the White Bear'', Valhalla Wilderness Society report, September 2012
/ref> The "white bear" referenced is the

Kermode bear The spirit bear, sometimes called the Kermode bear (''Ursus americanus kermodei''), is a subspecies of the American black bear and lives in the Central and North Coast regions of British Columbia, Canada. It is the official provincial mammal o ...

References

Islands of British Columbia North Coast of British Columbia {{BritishColumbia-island-stub