Mount Arrowsmith has been a landmark for centuries. Now, it could anchor Port Alberni's future
Mountain's rich and colourful history could help shape a future in adventure tourism, city says
Driving into Port Alberni, B.C., it's hard to miss the looming face of Mount Arrowsmith.
The mountain's prominence has made it an important fixture in the small Vancouver Island community, located around 200 kilometres northwest of Victoria, known for its fishing and resource economy, which caused it to become one of the highest-paid communities in Canada at one time.
Once stoked with timber and fish, Port Alberni's resource industry has suffered mill closures and mill shift curtailments. The burgeoning fishing industry is no more. But local leaders are now looking to Mount Arrowsmith and its surroundings to anchor a future in adventure tourism.
The peak's significance has a long history, extending much further past the time in the mid-1800s when English settlers, according to the local museum, named it after cartographers Aaron Arrowsmith and nephew John Arrowsmith.
The Tseshat and Hupačasath First Nations of the area, both part of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth, shared a common name for the mountain: Kuth-KahChulth (pronounced "Cuth-ka-chuulth"), translated as, "that which has sharp pointed faces." The mountain features prominently in the oral histories of both First Nations.
For the Tseshaht, the mountain is a protector. Darryl Ross, the nation's manager of natural resources, says that just about a thousand years ago, there was a great flood in the Alberni Valley, and Mount Arrowsmith was one of a handful of peaks that provided a high anchor point for boats.
"Her name was a jagged face. She laid down and saved our people from the great flood. So you could still see her face on Kuth-KahChulth. So it was very, very significant history," he said.
"There are numerous flood stories where the land disappeared, and that's the only thing that saved the Nuu-Chah-Nulth people."
Hupačasath member Rod Sayers tells the story of the Thunderbird and the Whale: The Thunderbird, hunting over the Pacific, captures two grey whales, one in each talon. While flying back to its nest, the great mythical bird drops one of the whales on the peak of Kuth-KahChulth.
"In years following, archeologists and anthropologists found the carcass of a grey whale way up high on Arrowsmith. They proposed that the whale was stranded there during the great flood," said Sayers.
"They came into the valley to talk to the old people, and they said, 'No, no, that wasn't left there by the great flood. The Thunderbird dropped that whale there.' I am told that that carcass is still on Arrowsmith today."
Outside of its significance in oral histories, the mountain also serves as an essential territorial marker, denoting the easternmost boundary of the Alberni Valley.
Geographically, Sayers also notes it is the source of a crucial watershed, with water flowing down Arrowsmith through Roger Creek and into the Somass River, which runs through Port Alberni's north.
Arrowsmith and Port Alberni's future
While Mount Arrowsmith has a prominent history in the valley, it's also a key part of its future.
The mountain is home to a network of hiking trails. While it's located within the Regional District of Nanaimo, the trailhead is just a half-hour drive from Port Alberni — making it the closest place to stay for outdoors enthusiasts.
It's just one of a handful of natural attractions that are drawing people to the city, which Pat Deakin, manager of economic development, says the municipality is trying to lean into.
"One of the areas that we're digging into deeply is adventure tourism. We really believe that we've got a big future in that area. I mean, kayaking, all kinds of water sports, sport fishing. We're surrounded by lakes as well, and we've got trails," said Deakin.
"I'm truly inspired by this unceded territory of Tseshat and Hupačasath. It is absolutely a huge gift."
Deakin says the city has been working with Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprises (KORE), a Kootenay-based non-profit organization dedicated to the outdoor sector, about moving forward as an adventure tourism destination.
He says the city recently implemented the Municipal Regional District Tax (MRDT) on short-term accommodations — a program first introduced in 1987 by the Province to fund local tourism projects. Deakin says the city plans to invest the funds in outdoor recreation, and it is looking at expanding its network of trails within municipal limits.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
