St. Aidan On-the-Hill

Mar 10, 2021 | Historical Buildings

The Smallest Church on Vancouver Island in 1929 In 1929 this spot was the site of the smallest church on Vancouver Island. The tiny church was moved down the hill, where it served as a library, a gift shop and a teen gathering place, until it was finally demolished in...

Military History

Jul 30, 2020 | Military History and WW2

Many remnants of Ucluelet’s military past can still be seen around the town.  During World War II, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Canadian Army were stationed in Ucluelet. The RCAF base was located on what is now Seaplane Base Road. The Stranraer...

Early Logging

Jul 1, 2020 | Industry

Logging has always been an exceptionally demanding and dangerous industry.  The first loggers didn’t have access to power tools and machinery and had to do everything by hand using very rudimentary hand tools. In this image, Herbert James Hillier and George...

The Old Fishing Fleet

Jun 1, 2020 | Industry

Ucluelet has long been recognised as a safe place to sit out a storm – the name even means ‘Safe Harbour’.  In the first of our images of the fishing fleet you can see a group of three whaling boats moored at the wharf on the east side of Ucluelet...

Amphritrite Lighthouse

May 1, 2020 | Historical Buildings

The Pacific Ocean around Ucluelet was known as the Graveyard of the Pacific due to the high number of shipwrecks along the coast. The first Amphitrite Lighthouse was built at the point after the Pass of Melfort sank with all aboard. The unusual design of the second...

Settler Families

Apr 1, 2020 | European Settlement, Settler Families

Several places around Ucluelet are named after some of the first settler families in the area.  One example is Tugwell Fields named after the Tugwell family.  Their home and business building is still standing at the top of Main Street where it is now a thrift store...