Milbanke Sound is a
sound
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...
on the coast of the
Canadian province
Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...
of
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
.
Geography
Milbanke Sound extends east from
Queen Charlotte Sound, with
Price Island on the west,
Swindle Island on the north, and the Bardswell Group of islands on the south. Milbanke Sound is one of the open sea portions of the
Inside Passage
The Inside Passage () is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland. The route extends from southeastern Alaska in the United St ...
, with
Seaforth Channel joining from the east and
Finlayson Channel from the north.
Mathieson Channel
Mathieson Channel is a channel of the British Columbia Coast. It is a northern extension of Milbanke Sound. To its west are Pooley, Roderick, Susan and Dowager Islands, to its east the Don Peninsula. It was first charted in 1793 by James Johns ...
also connects to Milbanke Sound from the north, and leads to
Fiordland Conservancy
The Fiordland Conservancy, also known as the Fiordland Recreation Area formerly, and since also as the Fiordland Conservation Area, is a conservancy in British Columbia, Canada. It preserves a portion of the province's coast containing glacial f ...
.
On the islands surrounding the sound is a group of five volcanos called the
Milbanke Sound cones.
History
The
Heiltsuk
The Heiltsuk , sometimes historically referred to as ''Bella Bella'', or ''Híɫzaqv'' are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Central Coast Regional District, Central Coast region in British Columbia, ...
peoples traditionally occupied the land around Milbanke Sound.
[Historical Notes on the Bella Bella Heiltsuk]
, The Heiltsuk Cultural Education Centre
In late June, 1788, the British
fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...
r
Charles Duncan, captain of , entered Milbanke Sound, which was then uncharted waters. He spent a few days trading with the
Heiltsuk
The Heiltsuk , sometimes historically referred to as ''Bella Bella'', or ''Híɫzaqv'' are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Central Coast Regional District, Central Coast region in British Columbia, ...
.
[ online a]
Google Books
/ref> He named the sound after Vice Admiral Mark Milbanke. Explorer George Vancouver sailed through the sound a few years later.Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
established Fort McLoughlin in the Milbanke Sound area.Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon (' or ', also known simply as ''Chinook'' or ''Jargon'') is a language originating as a pidgin language, pidgin trade language in the Pacific Northwest. It spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to othe ...
, commonly used elsewhere, was not widely known in Milbanke Sound at the time. The fort operated for about ten years, and then was abandoned; the company later opened a small store at the same location.
Economy
The sound is popular with sports fishing enthusiasts."Great Fishing on the Wild Central Coast of British Columbia"
''Sports Fishing Magazine'', Doug Olander. September 15, 2014
See also
*
Milbanke Sound Group
References
External links
*
{{British Columbia hydrography
Sounds of British Columbia
Central Coast of British Columbia
Heiltsuk
Range 3 Coast Land District