Talk:Cortes Island

message: Might link to Cortes Island (Hansen Airfield) Airport.  Is the island named after Hernán Cortés? KenWalker | Talk 15:12, 5 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: References to add

message: Looking at old Spanish maps, such as this one, I can see that Isla Cortes was named by the Spanish way back then -- though the name appears on a little sliver of an island that is actually a piece of West Redonda Island. Everything to the west is sketchy. Cortes Island itself is just a few coastline fragments, not clearly an island. More curious to me is Hernando Island, supposedly named in 1792 along with Cortes Island and making the case that both are named for Hernan Cortez. This old map, and others, do not show Hernando Island as an island at all, but just another unnamed coastline fragment. Along with fragments of Savary Island and bits of pieces of Cortes Island, these fragments look more like part of Vancouver Island than islands in their own right. In addition, Galiano's report describes their very fast sail from Point Grey (Vancouver) to Desolation Sound -- they sailed with Vancouver non-stop the whole way and it was dusk by the time they reached the vicinity of Hernando Island. There is no mention of any exploration of the area south of Desolation Sound.
So, while I've yet to find a definitive answer, I'm becoming ever more skeptical of the claim that Galiano and Valdes named Hernando Island in 1792, and that Cortes Island is necessarily named for Hernan Cortes, despite the statements by Akrigg and others. I've yet to see a definitive answer one way or the other. But, in looking into it I've learned that a great many place names in the region were given by the Geographic Board of Canada (such as Quadra Island, Sonora Island, and Maurelle Island, all given in 1903). I've also learned that the "18th Report of the Geographic Board" (perhaps spelled "Eighteenth Report..."), published in 1924, summarized all the changes the Board made between 1898 and 1924. This report would be very interesting to see, but I am unable to find it online. So I'm posting this comment about it here in case anyone who might have a clue about how to find it sees this. Any ideas? Other people who bestowed names in honor of Spanish people long after the Spanish were in the region include Capt. John Walbran, Capt. John F. Perry (named Cordero Channel, Dionisio Point, Dikuxante Point, etc. in 1905), Capt. Richards of HMS Plumper (around 1860 or so named a number of things, including Malaspina Strait, Meares Island, Sutil Channel, Galiano Island, Valdes Island, etc.), and Robert Douglas, who was the Secretary of the Geographic Board of Canada from 1916 to at least 1924. If anyone has any ideas on how to find info on the names these people and agencies made, let me know. Maybe we can put to rest some of the assumptions Akrigg was known to make. Pfly (talk) 05:47, 27 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Name origin etc

message: This is at least We wai kum and Kwiakah traditional territory, maybe also Klahoose or Homalco, and there are IRs on the island that need specifying; SFAIK this is the Campbell River Forest District of the Coast Forest Region, and the Vancouver Island-Coast Development Region; Health Region should be included, and local Health Area, not sure what its MoE region is etc.  Point is that the ongoing focus on labelling things by regional district is largely meaningless in terms of relevant political geography; e.g. the electoral districts should also be here, also school districts.  Regional districts have too much undue weight in Wikipedia, this must start being corrected....that the RD was mentioned here without even proper grammar in the sentence is waht touched me off; all BC articles suffer the same problem....Skookum1 (talk) 02:53, 31 March 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: IRs, traditional territories, MoE Region, Forest Region/District etc all needed