Today Telegraph Cove is world-renowned as a whale watching mecca, but long before the road was built in the 1950s to connect it to the Island Highway, Telegraph Cove was an important coastal hub for maritime vessels and a place of industry.
What remains of that history today are the buildings that were used to house a busy sawmill, and provide accommodation for the workers who lived there and operated the mill. The Museum at Campbell River offers a one-of-a-kind tour escorted tour Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, July 26 that includes a night’s stay in the mill worker’s cabins, that have been lovingly restored, and a visit by boat to nearby Sointula on Malcolm Island and Alert Bay on Cormorant Island.
Participants will meet at the Museum at Campbell River on Saturday afternoon and leave by bus for the two and a half hour trip to Telegraph Cove. Along the way a museum historic interpreter will discuss points of interest; highlighting such communities as Sayward and Kelsey Bay, Woss and Telegraph Cove. Upon arrival at Telegraph Cove, passengers will get settled into the cozy cabins; perched along a boardwalk overlooking the water.
The restaurant at the Cove offers a delicious salmon BBQ, or a varied menu for dinner, then after dinner, participants can join in on a talk about marine life that will be held at the Whale Museum.
The next morning after breakfast at the outdoor Seahorse Café, all will board the Kuluta, the large comfortable boat operated by Stubbs Island-Discovery Marine Safaris that will ferry everyone over to beautiful Malcolm Island. There will be an opportunity to tour the Sointula Museum to learn of the area’s fascinating Finnish history, enjoy a homemade ‘tea’ and see some of the village. Then back on board for a scenic trip to the U’mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay. Lunch will be served at the Centre, followed by a tour of its extraordinary collection, that includes ‘Namgis First Nation’s potlach masks that were expropriated and sent to Ottawa in the late 1920s, then returned when the Centre was built in the late 1970s specifically to house them.
Back in Telegraph Cove, the bus will return passengers back to Campbell River in the late afternoon. The cost for the trip is $295.00 per person and includes all transportation to and from Telegraph Cove, the evening talk, boat transportation, accommodation, coffee/tea at Sointula and lunch in Alert Bay. Dinner Saturday night and breakfast Sunday morning are not included. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to see three distinctive communities in one weekend, that each played an important part in early North Island history!
Call the Museum at 250-287-3103 to reserve and ask about their other Sunday boat cruises held throughout July and August.