Halkett Island

Towards the middle of the Selkirk Waters lies this small, rocky island. Local First Nations people often used such small islands for burials. The one pictured above is now called Halkett Island. A plaque on the Selkirk Walkway reads as follows:

In 1850, the "Island of the Dead" contained subsurface burials, but was mostly covered with small sheds, burial boxes and canoes containing human remains. The deceased were often placed in a fetal position and wrapped in a cedar bark mat. Adults were placed in a European-made, metal trimmed trunk and children were often placed in wooden cracker boxes.

Life sized carved wooden memorial figures representing prominent individuals were a common feature of burial locations.

The Lekwungen people, from the old Songhees reserve across the water, came to the island at twilight for feeding of the dead ceremonies. Sticks with chunks of sap were thrown into a fire to keep it blazing until midnight. Ritual words and chanting proceeded, as food to feed the dead was thrown into the fire.

Burials were no longer placed here after 1867, when a fire set by three Victoria boys got out of control and burned off the island. The boys' parents were heavily fined under the Indian Graves Protection Act. The island was taken away from the Songhees in 1924 by a Federal Indian Reserve Commission, but was restored to them by court order in 1993.

Joseph Pemberton, Victoria's most prolific early map maker, gave the name Halkett to the island in 1851. The Halketts were a well known, prominent British Navy family at the time.


(From a plaque placed on the shoreline near Halkett Island by the City of Victoria)

Autumn on the Gorge 2

Like yesterday's photo, today's was taken from the Selkirk Trestle, but looking south towards the city.

Autumn on the Gorge

Many of the trees along the water's edge of the Gorge are turning now. I took this photo near the center of the Selkirk Trestle, an old railroad bridge that has been repurposed as part of the Galloping Goose trail for walkers and cyclists.

Autumn

We're still having lovely warm, sunny days but there's a nip in the air in the mornings and as this photo of the Gorge shows, autumn colors are tinting the landscape.

Selkirk Trestle 1 - Looking North

One of the most distinctive features of Victoria is the body of water called The Gorge. I've mentioned before that no matter where you are in the city you are never far from the water. One reason for this is that the city is located on the pointed tip of Vancouver island and so is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east, south and west. The Gorge is another reason we are always close to water. It is a long finger of the ocean (6 kilometers from the Selkirk Trestle to Portage Inlet) that penetrates the city and adjacent municipalities and provides a great deal more shoreline. Where I live in Vic West, for instance, is only a few minutes walk southwards to the Songhees and West Bay Walkways that skirt the Inner Harbour. A few minutes walk north brings me to the shores of the Gorge. The Selkirk Trestle marks the eastern end of The Gorge where it widens and becomes Selkirk Water and then the Upper Harbour. It's called a trestle because it was originally built as a rail crossing for the Canadian National Railway that ran a line out to Sooke. That line carried a train called "The Galloping Goose" and the name has been carried over to the trail that now follows the rail right-of-way. Selkirk Trestle is part of that trail and is reserved for cyclists and pedestrians.

Halkett Island

In the centre of the Selkirk Waters lies this tiny island, Halkett Island, here looking surprisingly verdant despite the freezing temperatures. It is also known as Deadman's Island because it was used as a burial place by First Nations people. There's a good short article about the island's history on Wikimapia, as well as the lovely aerial photo below. The "bridge" on the lower left of the photo below is the Selkirk Trestle and is where I took the above photo of the island.

Selkirk Trestle

As well as providing nice views up and down the Gorge, the Selkirk Trestle is an interesting structure in itself. It was originally part of the Canadian National Railway system and is now a part of the Galloping Goose Regional Trail.

Normal Birdwatching

Usually when I post photos of birds they are like close-ups though they have been taken with telephoto lenses. Today's photo is what I usually see. Have you noticed the Belted Kingfisher? He's practically dead centre in this photo. By the time I have fumbled around attaching the telephoto lens the bird I have spotted has often flown away. The wooden structure in the background is the Selkirk Trestle that gives its name to this part of the Gorge, known as the Selkirk Waters. The Selkirk Trestle was originally for rail traffic but is now a part of the Galloping Goose Trail for cyclists and pedestrians.

Boats in the Snow

Yesterday's big snowfall (about 6 or 8 inches) transformed our landscape from early spring back to early winter. I walked down to Banfield Park in Victoria West, overlooking the Gorge. The photo above is of the Gorge looking downstream towards the Inner Harbour. That's the Selkirk Trestle (part of the Galloping Goose Regional Trail) in the distance.

Selkirk Trestle Sunrise

Residents of Victoria West, like myself, are lucky in that we have access to waterfront both to the north (The Gorge) and to the south (the Inner Harbour). Where I live is about equidistant from the two bodies of water. Usually I have been walking down to the Inner Harbor and along the Westsong Walkway since this offers more expansive views across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the mountains of Olympic Peninsula. There is often a cruise ship or the Coho car ferry visible as well, while the Gorge is a little more domestic with lots of kayaks and canoes and our local rather diminutive mountains. However, the other morning before sunrise I went down to the Gorge and was pleasantly surprised to find that dawn is like the philosopher's stone that turns everything to gold. There's lots of beauty and interest in the Gorge's smaller scale. The above photo of Selkirk Trestle is nearly a reprise of one I took almost two years ago. This is where the Galloping Goose Regional Trail crosses the Gorge over what used to be a railroad trestle. The Galloping Goose Regional Trail is for pedestrians and cyclists only and is used extensively by a growing number of commuters who prefer to walk, run or ride on two wheels.

Sunset on the Gorge

The Gorge is a splendid feature of Victoria and is well used by residents who like to be on the water. This is a fairly typical scene in the late afternoon as rowers and boaters head for home under some very photogenic clouds. This photo was taken from Selkirk Trestle, looking towards the city. The island on the left, Halkett Island, was featured in an earlier post.

Halkett Island

This small rocky island lies in the middle of the Gorge just east of the Selkirk Trestle (to the right in the photo). It was originally a burial island and marked the boundary between two family groups of the Lekwungen, now known as the Songhees and the Esquimalt First Nations.

In 1850, the "Island of the Dead" contained subsurface burials, but was mostly covered with small sheds, burial boxes and canoes containing human remains. The deceased were often placed in a fetal position and wrapped in a cedar bark mat. Adults were placed in a European-made, metal trimmed trunk and children were often placed in wooden cracker boxes.

Life sized carved wooden memorial figures representing prominent individuals were a common feature of burial locations.

The Lekwungen people, from the old Songhees reserve across the water, came to the island at twilight for feeding of the dead ceremonies. Sticks with chunks of sap were thrown into a fire to keep it blazing until midnight. Ritual words and chanting proceeded, as food to feed the dead was thrown into the fire.

Burials were no longer placed here after 1867, when a fire set by three Victoria boys got out of control and burned off the island. The boys' parents were heavily fined under the Indian Graves Protection Act. The island was taken away from the Songhees in 1924 by a Federal Indian Reserve Commission, but was restored to them by court order in 1993.

Joseph Pemberton, Victoria's most prolific early map maker, gave the name Halkett to the island in 1851. The Halketts were a well known, prominent British Navy family at the time.

(From a plaque placed on the shoreline near Halkett Island by the City of Victoria)

The Railyards

I've written about the Dockside Green development several times. It occupies the western shoreline of the Gorge between the Johnson Street Bridge and the Bay Street Bridge. The shoreline between the Bay Street Bridge and the Selkirk Trestle is occupied by the development pictured above, The Railyards. It makes no pretensions to being green, and for a long time I didn't like its style much - corrugated metal siding just looks cheap to me. However, over time I've grown to like it a bit more. For those interested in prices, a two bedroom condo here will cost about $450,000. They also have one bedroom apartments and bachelor suites down to about $300,000 though I think the latter are all sold. The Galloping Goose Regional Trail passes in front of both Dockside Green and The Railyards as it follows the Gorge out of downtown.

Selkirk Trestle

After passing under the Bay Street Bridge, the Gorge widens into what is called the Selkirk Waters. Here it is bridged by a restored railway bridge called the Selkirk Trestle. The trestle is part of the Galloping Goose Regional Trail and its use is limited to cyclists and pedestrians. At this point the Gorge leaves the industrial area behind (only small boats can pass beneath the trestle) and from here on it passes through residential areas. The photo below is taken just upstream of the trestle from a small park near where I live called Banfield Park.