Settlement of Fanny Bay
Settlement
Fanny Bay is located in Vancouver Island
Fanny Bay
Fanny Bay
Location of Fanny Bay in British Columbia
Fanny Bay is located in British Columbia
Fanny Bay
Fanny Bay
Fanny Bay (British Columbia)
Coordinates: 49°29′41″N 124°49′11″W / 49.49472°N 124.81972°W / 49.49472; -124.81972
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
RegionVancouver Island
Regional districtComox Valley
Area
 • Total7.40 km2 (2.86 sq mi)
Elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total921
 • Density124.5/km2 (322/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
Postal code span
V0R 1W0
Area code(s)250, 778
Highways19A
WaterwaysBaynes Sound
Websitefannybaycommunity.com

Fanny Bay is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located on Baynes Sound on the east coast of Vancouver Island. It has a population of 921.[1] It is best known for its fine oysters. The area is served by the Island Highway.

Fanny Bay with oyster processor and sea lions
View of Fanny Bay, BC

Origin of the name

There is no consensus on the origin of the name Fanny Bay and none of the various explanations — comical, romantic, local or historical — can be considered without skepticism. The name first appeared on British Columbia maps in 1913 and was officially adopted by the government in 1923. This adoption was based on British Admiralty charts of the 1860s, taken from surveys by Royal Navy Captain G.H. Richards. However, if Capt. Richards knew who "Fanny" was, he did not record the information.[2] Geographer A.B. McNeill wrote in his book Origin of Station Names, Esquimalt and Nanaimo Division that "...Fanny Bay was named after a sea captain who lived in this vicinity"; however, no dates or any other supporting information are provided.[3] A popular and persistent local theory holds that Fanny Bay was named by Captain George Vancouver in 1792. However, Capt. Vancouver's nautical charts and journals only describe the east side of the nearest body of water, the Strait of Georgia (including Texada Island). There was only a rough outline of the eastern shore of Vancouver Island between Nanaimo and Comox, and his charts omitted several nearby islands and other features.[3]

Fanny Bay may have been named after Francis "Fanny" Palmer, the daughter of a popular Victoria family who ran a music and dance studio. Fanny perished in the sinking of the Pacific off Cape Flattery on November 4, 1875, at the age of 18. The Palmer family had a number of daughters who were accomplished singers, and their home was at the centre of the social circle in early Victoria.[4]

Fanny Bay has a fire hall,[5] community school, government wharf. A community located in Fanny Bay called Ships Point also has their own fire department.

Shellfish

Fanny Bay is well known as a source of farmed shellfish, specifically Pacific oysters (scientific name Crassostrea gigas), manila clams (Venerupis philippinarum), savoury clams (Nuttallia obscurata) and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), for both domestic and global markets.[6]

Fisheries sign for Fanny Bay

Oysters were introduced to the area as early as 1912 or 1913, with further seedings around 1925.[7] As a result of the lack of Pacific oysters from Japan during World War II, further seeding occurred in 1942 (along with seedings in other parts of the Strait of Georgia).[7]

Eikichi Kagetsu introduced 9 crates of oyster seed from Japan around 1926-1927 In the 1930s they received permission from the E&N Railway to use 10 acres along the shore to develop oyster culture.

Oyster boats at Fanny Bay, BC
View of Fanny Bay, BC service docks and oyster boats

Oyster and clam seeding in Baynes Sound at Fanny Bay occurred about 1947, by Joseph McLellan, a pioneer in oyster aquaculture.[6] McLellan imported his first batch of oyster seed from Japan and seeded the beach areas around Fanny Bay - Mud Bay, Ship Point, Buckley Bay and Denman Island. McLellan's descendants still own and operate the oyster and clam farm located in Fanny Bay, Mac's Oysters Ltd.[6]

Manila clam seed was inadvertently included in Joseph McLellan's initial seed shipments from Japan.[6]

History

The 20th Century

Eikichi Kagetsu incorporated the Deep Bay Logging Company, which owned and operated timberlands in Deep Bay as well as at least 3,000 acres in Fanny Bay. There was a settlement that housed the labourers, with split-cedar houses, a water system, and a school. The labourers in this logging company were predominantly Japanese-Canadian, although at the time it was against the law for Japanese people to operate steam machines, so Caucasian workers were hired to operate those.[8]

During the Internment of Japanese Canadians in World War II, the Canadian government confiscated all of Kagetsu's property and businesses, eventually selling the logging company to the H.R. MacMillan Export Company at a loss.[9]

The 21st Century

Until 2005, a restaurant operating out of a pulled-ashore barge, named Brico, was located in Fanny Bay.[10][11]

Arts and Culture

Wacky Woods

Fanny Bay was home to an outdoor art exhibit known as Wacky Woods. It was built in the 1970s by artist George Sawchuk.[12][13] Many of the artworks in the woods had a political and surrealist nature, with works touching on topics from old-growth logging to the War in Afghanistan. Visitors could tour the outdoor art installation freely. Sawchuk passed away in 2012. Wacky Woods closed in 2018, as the property was sold. [14][15]

Fanny Bay Inn

The Fanny Bay Inn is a recognizable landmark and popular pub located on the Island Highway in Fanny Bay. It was built in 1938, and for decades has operated as a pub and local gathering spot, hosting music performances and jam sessions. It celebrated it's 80th anniversary in 2018.[16][17]

References

  1. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (February 9, 2022). "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Fanny Bay, Unincorporated place (UNP) [Designated place], British Columbia". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  2. ↑ Akrigg, Helen B. and G.P.V. (1997). British Columbia Place Names. Victoria: Sono Nis Press or UBC Press.
  3. 1 2 "Fanny Bay". BC Geographical Names.
  4. ↑ Nolan, Frederick W. (2009). The Lincoln County War: A Documentary History. Santa Fe. p. 478. ISBN 978-0-86534-721-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ↑ "Fanny Bay Fire Department – Fanny Bay Community Association". Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Bryan, Liz (2011). Country Roads of Western BC: From the Fraser Valley to the Islands. Toronto: Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-926613-94-9.
  7. 1 2 Committee on Nonnative Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay of the National Research Council (2004). Nonnative Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay (PDF). Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-0-309-09052-0. LCCN 2003117095. Retrieved April 23, 2014.on GoogleBooks
  8. ↑ "No. 192: Nikkei History: Winter 2016/17 | BC Studies: The British Columbian Quarterly". ojs.library.ubc.ca. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  9. ↑ TADASHI JACK KAGETSU (2017). THE TREE TRUNK CAN BE MY PILLOW (PDF). British Columbia: University of Victoria. pp. 46–47. ISBN 9781550586138. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ Lovegrove, Donald. "Fanny Bay". Vancouver Island News, Events, Travel, Accommodation, Adventure, Vacations. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Ship details". www.nauticapedia.ca. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  12. ↑ "The Book of George: The Life and Art of George Sawchuk". Comox Valley Art Gallery. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  13. ↑ "George Sawchuk - George Sawchuk". web.archive.org. August 15, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  14. ↑ "The Folk Art-Filled Forest of Vancouver". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Popular Fanny Bay forest gallery closes; property sold". Comox Valley Record. June 29, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  16. ↑ "FBI up for sale with $1.6M price tag". Parksville Qualicum Beach News. May 14, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Historic Pub | Local Oysters | Fanny Bay Inn". fanny-bay-inn. Retrieved January 7, 2024.

49°29′30″N 124°48′40″W / 49.49167°N 124.81111°W / 49.49167; -124.81111

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