Coal
Harbour, bordering Holberg Inlet, is a charming village just twenty
minutes from Port Hardy.
Take the road ... to Coal Harbour
and you enter a colourful past. Mining town, military base, whaling
station - this community has been all of these things, and more.
On a sunny day the waters shimmer
with the reflections of fishing boats and the magnificence of
the mountains. The temperature can often be warmer in Coal Harbour
than anywhere else on the North Island. On foggy days the mountains
rise above the clouds, hinting at the rugged beauty that lies
beyond in Quatsino Sound.
An afternoon in Coal Harbour can
disappear very quickly. Wander along the shore or down the dock,
and watch a coastal community at work. Bring your binoculars -
you never know how many bald eagles you may spot. At low tide
you can wander the beaches, scouting for brilliantly-coloured
starfish and shy crabs. And lucky visitors may spot seals and
dolphins, maybe even a killer whale or two.
But be sure to pack a lunch. On a sunny day there is no prettier
spot on the North Island for an afternoon picnic.
So take the road to Coal Harbour
- and come journey into our past.
Coal Harbour's name celebrates the
mineral that brought the Northwest Coal Company to the shores
of Stephens Bay. Coal seams promised much but failed to deliver,
leaving Coal Harbour with little more than a company caretaker
to watch over the remains of the mine. But what a caretaker! Was
he John Sharp, as he said he was? Or was he a member of the Jesse
James gang, on the run from the law? Perhaps only the two strangers
who arrived in town that day in 1907 to murder him really know
for sure...
Coal Harbour is the gateway to Quatsino Sound and beyond to the
wild West Coast. The community was an important centre of transportation
for much of the early part of this century.
The mail was carried in from Port Hardy, a trip that was like
a modern-day triathalon: one walked, rowed, and then walked some
more. By 1927 things were a little easier - the road from Port
Hardy to Coal Harbour was completed.
Like many West Coast communities,
Coal Harbour played a vital part in Canadian coastal defence during
the Second World War. The Royal Canadian Air Force began work
on a seaplane base and reconnaissance station in 1940, and by
1941 over 250 personnel were stationed in the community. The base
crews provided off-shore surveillance, using long-range flying
boats to patrol up and down the coast. The only intrusion arrived
onshore in 1945, when an incendiary balloon landed in the forest
near Holberg Inlet, one of thousands of balloons released by the
Japanese with the intention of starting forest fires and sowing
panic among the West Coast population.
When the war ended the base closed, leaving the community with
empty buildings and quiet streets. Many of the original base buildings
were converted for local uses. But in 1986 the community rang
once again with the voices of those days. The Coal Harbour Reunion
brought back many of the families who had lived and worked at
the base for three days of fun and fond memories.
In front of the Moby Dick Store you
will see the jawbones of a blue whale - the largest of the whale
family. The bones are one reminder of this community's whaling
past.
From 1947 to 1967 Coal Harbour was the site of a commercial whaling
operation. Several companies operated the station, providing oils
and meat for local and export consumption. These were the days
when you could order a whale burger at the local cafe! But by
1967 whale populations were in decline, and the whaling station
closed.
Mining returned to the Coal Harbour area in the 1970's with the
opening of the nearby Island Copper Mine. The mine brought money,
new residents and new building to the community. And to accommodate
the larger community the road from Port Hardy was paved, increasing
access and improving local shopping options!
