The village of Bamfield, at the southern entrance to Barkley Sound, lies within the traditional territory of the Huu-ay-aht. The Huu-ay-aht are one of seven Nuu-chah-nulth tribes whose territory covers parts of Barkley Sound. Their traditional principal village site was called Keeshan.
In 1849, a carpenter who had been working on a ship along Vancouver Island’s west coast named William Eddy Banfield left that post to start trading with the native “Indians” within Huu-ay-aht territory. Around 1860, Banfield established a permanent trading post there, which came to be named after him. William Eddy Banfield died under mysterious circumstances only two years later; early reports were that he had drowned while out canoeing, but later a Huu-ay-aht man was accused (but never convicted) of his murder.
The arrival of foreign trading ships disrupted Nuu-chah-nulth life up and down the coast, and by the 1880s the village of Keeshan was abandoned. Although the forest has grown up around the old site, some of the original longhouse posts and beams are still standing today. Huu-ay-aht are hoping to have the old village designated as a heritage site and to eventually open it up to tourism.
The true cause of Banfield’s death has never been determined, but his trading post has lived on. By the turn of the century, it had been chosen as the shore terminus for a submarine telegraph cable linking British North America to the British Commonwealth of Australia. The cable was laid and the first telegraph message sent in 1902.
With renewed importance, the little village opened its first post office a year later, but a spelling mistake by a government official changed its name forever. The village on the shore of Banfield Inlet became known as Bamfield, and the name has stuck.
The telegraph station closed in 1959, when the cable was extended further inland to Port Alberni. The village has continued to be a small, quiet seaside town with a population of several hundred. The Bamfield Marine Sciences opened in the old telegraph building in 1972, and is both a research centre as well as a facility with interpretive tours and displays for visitors over summer. The main economy now revolves around a small seasonal tourism industry, with its main focus on fishing, kayaking, and hiking.
Bamfield is still not the easiest place to get to (an 80 kilometre drive along active logging roads from Port Alberni, or a boat trip from either Port Alberni or Ucluelet), and the locals are quite happy to keep it that way. Tourists are definitely welcome, but as the locals themselves say, “Bamfield is not for everyone.” Those looking for fine culture and cuisine, shopping and nightlife may find Bamfield on the dull side. But those who appreciate small-town community spirit, and the treats that only nature at her wildest can provide, might find it right up their alley.
This article was written by Jacqueline Windh
