Port Alberni
| Port Alberni | |||
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| Location in British Columbia | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | British Columbia | ||
| Regional District : | Alberni-Clayoquot | ||
| Coordinates : | 49 ° 14 ′ N , 124 ° 48 ′ W | ||
| Area : | 19.76 km² | ||
| Residents : | 17,743 (as of 2011) | ||
| Population density : | 897.9 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Pacific Time ( UTC − 8 ) | ||
| Postal code : | V9Y | ||
| Mayor : | Mike Ruttan | ||
| Website : | www.portalberni.ca | ||
Port Alberni is a city of almost 18,000 people in the Canadian province of British Columbia . It is located on the island of Vancouver Island at the end of Alberni Inlet and is the capital of the Alberni-Clayoquot administrative district .
For the economy of the region, but also for the culture of the First Nations , the Pacific Rim National Park is just as important as the Strathcona Provincial Park and Sproat Lake .
Members of the Nuu-chah-nulth live in Port Alberni and the greater metropolitan area , for example from the First Nations of the Tseshaht , Hupacasath , Huu-ay-aht or Hesquiaht, who live in the region . The surrounding area in a narrower and in a wider regional sense is also called Alberni Valley , which includes the city of Port Alberni and the neighboring communities.
history
The city was named after the Catalan captain Don Pedro de Alberni (1747-1802), who commanded the only Spanish fortress in Canada on Nootka Island from 1790 to 1792 . The place owes its name to the Spanish lieutenant Francisco de Eliza (1759-1825), who appreciated the good relationship between Albernis and the Indians .
In the 1860s, the settlement of the place took place by English operators of a sawmill, which was run by the Anderson Company . The Indians defended themselves in vain by building barricades. In 1856 Adam Horne, a Scottish fur trader for the Hudson's Bay Company , was sent out to build a trail across Vancouver Island. A path of the Nuu-chah-nulth was known which began at Qualicum. Horne found the path that led to the Alberni Valley. It is known today as the Horne Lake Trail . Some settlers came to the Alberni Valley through him.
The original sawmill, built by Captain William Stamp in 1858, was an economic failure, but another sawmill, the McLean Mill , followed in the 1880s and later became Canada's only steam-powered sawmill , which operated from 1926 to 1965. Since 1989 the mill has been a so-called National Historic Site of Canada . The Alberni Valley Museum endeavors to portray the history of the area, including the Nuu-chah-nulth story. As early as 1861, the Anderson Company brought wood from the Somass River on the basis of land grants by Governor James Douglas . A year later, gold was discovered at China Creek , followed by other small finds in Alberni Inlet at China Creek and Mineral Creek in the 1890s. The gold search extended well into the 1960s.
AB Rogers, a land surveyor, came to the town in the late 19th century to work for the Canadian Pacific Railway. A stream that flows through the middle of Port Alberni, the Rogers Creek, is named after him. In 1912 the place was incorporated, so received its own city government with mayor, when the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway reached Port Alberni. However, the Canadian National Railway's plans were dropped.
The city became the center of logging, as there were still large stocks of giant arborvitae and Douglas fir, which were largely cut down. The largest Canadian timber companies were active here, sawmills were founded. During the Second World War, the focus shifted to pulp production, with MacMillan Bloedel Limited dominating the Alberni Valley. But in the course of the sixties and seventies the timber industry reached its natural limits, and the residents resisted the deforestation of further forests.
On June 23, 1946, a massive 7.3 magnitude earthquake destroyed numerous buildings in the city, including the Bank of Montreal building. The epicenter was on the Forbidden Plateau north of Port Alberni. In 1964, the earthquake known as Good Friday Earthquake and the two tsunami waves it triggered caused severe damage. About 375 houses were damaged, 55 completely washed away, but no one was seriously injured.
In 1967 Alberni (in the north) and Port Alberni (in the south) were combined to form Port Alberni.
In 1973 the Alberni Indian Residential School , which had operated since 1891, was closed. It was one of the schools in Canada for the children of the Indians and Inuit, who were housed there like boarding schools . In general, there were thousands of attacks on students, with high death rates, for which the government apologized in 2008. The building was demolished in 2009.
The city developed into an important tourist center on Vancouver Island , especially after the Pacific Rim National Park was created.
Demographics
The 2011 census showed the city had a population of 17,743. The city's population has increased by 1.1% compared to the 2006 census, while the population of the entire province of British Columbia grew by 7.0% at the same time.
politics
The granting of the status of a city ( incorporated as a city ) and the associated local self-government took place on March 12, 1912.
Mayor of the parish is Mike Ruttan. Together with six other citizens, it forms the council of the small town (council).
economy
The median income of Port Alberni workers in 2005 was a below average C $ 23,392, while at the same time the average for the entire province of British Columbia was C $ 24,867. The important large companies include the wood processing companies and sawmills, for example the Port Alberni Mill .
traffic
The city is located on Highway 4 and has its own airport, Alberni Valley Regional Airport . In addition, a museum railway is operated, the Alberni Pacific Railway , which runs with a steam locomotive from the station building on the Port Albernis harbor area to the historic McLean Mill (now McLean Mill National Historic Site ), which was operated from 1926 to 1965.
There is also a supply ship to Ucluelet and Bamfield with the Frances Barkley .
Personalities
- Gilbert Malcolm Sproat (1834–1913), Canadian entrepreneur (later high government official and author), employed in the city's first sawmill, which was operated by the Anderson Company
- Kim Campbell (born 1947), 19th Prime Minister of Canada
- Margaret Horsfield (* 1953), non-fiction author and journalist
- Rick Hansen (* 1957), disabled athlete
- Eric Jespersen (* 1961), sailor
- Kenneth Oppel (* 1967), writer
- Davis Payne (born 1970), ice hockey player and coach
- Laurent Brossoit (* 1993), ice hockey goalkeeper
Web links
- Port Alberni ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .
- Official website of Port Alberni
Individual evidence
- ^ Port Alberni Community Profile. Census 2011. Statistics Canada , November 2, 2012, accessed November 30, 2012 .
- ^ Origin Notes and History. Port Alberni. GeoBC , accessed November 30, 2012 .
- ↑ City website: Mayor and Council. Retrieved January 23, 2014 .
- ↑ Port Alberni Community Facts. BCStats, accessed November 30, 2012 .