Texada Island

Texada Island is the largest island in the Strait of Georgia of British Columbia, Canada. Its northern tip is located about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southwest of the city of Powell River and west of the Sechelt Peninsula on the Sunshine Coast. A former mining and logging area, the island still has a few quarries and old logging roads. It is the largest of the Northern Gulf Islands at some 50 kilometres (31 miles) in length and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) in width, with its length aligned along a northwest-southeast axis. The island is 300.45 square kilometres (116.00 square miles) in land area and had a population of 1,053 in the 2011 census (1,107 in 2006, 1,129 in the 2001 census). The main settlements are Gillies Bay, Blubber Bay and Van Anda.

Other islands in the archipelago are Lasqueti, Jedediah, Harwood, Nelson, Hernando, and Savary Islands. Texada is separated from the mainland and Nelson Island by Malaspina Strait on its northeast and from Lasqueti Island by Sabine Channel along its southwestern flank. Off its northwestern end it is separated from Harwood Island by Algerine Passage and is flanked by the Strait of Georgia on ¾ of its western side.

Texada was named by the Spanish naval explorer José María Narváez for Felix de Tejada, a Spanish rear-admiral during the 1791 expedition of Francisco de Eliza. Narváez gave the name Isla de Texada to what is now called Lasqueti Island, and Islas de San Felix to Texada Island. The maps made by Eliza and Juan Carrasco in late 1791 moved the name "Texada" to the present Texada Island. The pioneer steamer SS Beaver would often stop at Texada Island to load up on wood and freshwater in its travels up the coast. At the time of Confederation the north end of the island became a fishing outport. For a few years, humpback whales were flensed on the beach, giving the place the epithet of Blubber Bay. Grey Whales migrating from California to Alaska pass by Texada Island. Twelve basking sharks were slaughtered as sport in Blubber Bay in 1947.

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