Time Line

Howard Harris and Clara Menzies get married on Pender, the first wedding to take place on the island. They build a home at Hope Bay.

Miss Eva Baynes is the school teacher, with a salary of $400 a year.

The Pender cemetery is established and the first burial takes place on one acre of land donated by Rutherford Hope.

John MacKinnon purchases 160 acres from Mr. S. Hayashi (the land is now the MacKinnon Road area).

R.S.W. Corbett opens the Post Office and the first general store at Hope Bay. The store continues in business under the Corbett family for the next 50 years.

Stanley and Howard Harris relocate the sawmill from Shingle Bay to Hope Bay.

Miss Lina (?) Abercrombie is the teacher from September to December.

Washington Grimmer sells his house and 160 acres at Port Washington to Spencer Percival, who calls it 'Sunny Side Ranch'. It is now the Old Orchard Farm. (1902?)

The first B.C. provincial election that involves political parties takes place.

The Harris brothers, Stanley and Howard, arrive on Pender and establish a sawmill at Shingle Bay, which is moved to Hope Bay in 1905. They become active members of the church and have a small steam launch named Pearl in which local folk are occasionally taken on outings. Fuel for steam is from wood and bark gathered from the beach.

R.S.W., Isabella Corbett and their children purchase 160 acres of land near Hope Bay from Albert Menzies. They build a house on the land, which still stands today on Corbett Road.

The first power boat arrives on the island, a 30-foot steam launch called 'Pearl' which belongs to the newly arrived Harris brothers, Howard and Stanley, at Shingle Bay sawmill.

Government wharves are built at Hope Bay and Bedwell Harbour. At Bedwell Harbour, a wharf with a small shed serves as the South Pender Island Post Office. No regular post office exists, so the mail bag is dropped off on the wharf.

The North Pender Post Office is relocated from Port Washington to a shed at Hope Bay. The Postmaster is James Auchterlonie.

Canal excavation begins between North and South Pender to facilitate the navigation of the SS Iroquois and other boats, after a petition is sent to the province.

The privately owned S.S. Iroquois launches and begins ferry service to Pender Island.

Victor Menzies joins the Presbyterian Church congregation at age 16 'on profession of Faith'.

On July 7th, Winifred Higgs marries Ralph Grey at Harold Payne's place on Saturna Island. The couple moves to Samuel Island.

Rutherford Hope marries Jennie Reid on July 4th.

After a great fire in New Westminster destroys their homes, Alexander Hamilton and the Brackett families move to Pender full time.

Mr. A.M. Johnston is the school teacher until June of 1899. He teaches singing, astronomy, Sunday school, and games. He is very popular with his pupil Victor Menzies. Miss Jennie McMartin takes over in June of 1899 for a year.

A period of provincial political instability is underway.

Winifred and Mabel Higgs return to the Higgs property on South Pender, to their new home called 'Blue Tarpon' or 'Blue'. The construction of this house was overseen by their brother Leonard during the preceding winter.

Hope Bay quarry owner Evan Hooson marries Frances 'Fanny' Lawson, the first school teacher on Pender. Fanny resigns her post as teacher.

The first school building is constructed during July and August beside the Community Hall on Port Washington Road, near the present lumberyard, on land donated by Washington Grimmer. The cost of the new school is $400. Edith M. Dabby is the first teacher in the completed school.

Robert and Margaret Roe and their children George, William, Margaret and Robert Jr. (Bert), come to Canada from Port Glasgow, Scotland, via Cape Horn. They spend a few years in Victoria, BC, before arriving on Pender.

Twenty-five year old Winifred and her sister Mabel Higgs come to South Pender from England in June to visit their brother and sister-in-law Leonard and Emma Higgs at Kloshie Illahee for the summer. Their experiences are documented in the book 'Winifred Grey', edited by Marie Elliott and published in 1994.

John MacDonald builds a house (which is still standing today) on 22 acres acquired from James Auchterlonie. The land sits between the current Nu-To-Yu and the police station.

J. Alexander Brackett comes to Pender from New Westminster to help Hugh Hamilton build his house at the head of Port Browning. He purchases a small parcel of land from the Hamiltons and a larger parcel from Rutherford Hope, located opposite the present Driftwood Centre.

Japanese Canadians are disenfranchised.

The first school and three-member school board are elected on the island, with 11 pupils that year. Class takes place in the Community Hall near the current lumberyard. Fanny Lawson is the first teacher and boards with the Davidsons of Clam Bay until she marries Evan Hooson. A small separate building is erected close to the hall for the exclusive use of the school.

Leonard Higgs sells his property to Arthur E. Stanford and calls his new ranch 'Southlands'.

George W. Grimmer is born on April 5th.

Albert Hugh and Henrietta Menzies arrive on Pender via the steamer Yosemite with their children (one of whom is Victor Menzies). Albert works for Washington Grimmer for three years in exchange for $200 a year in cash and $250 a year in land, at $5 an acre for a total of 180 acres.

Andrew Angus Davidson arrives on North Pender (via South America) with his wife Margaret and their four children. He buys 300 acres at Clam Bay from Washington Grimmer.

Leonard Higgs's wife Emma and son Tom join him on South Pender from England.

Washington Grimmer builds a house at Sunnyside Farm, at Port Washington. It is now known as the Old Orchard Farm.

A post office is established in Washington Grimmer's home at Port Washington and Washington takes the position of postmaster. The postal address is: Pender Island, BC. Washington first brought the mail in a rowboat from Mayne Island.

The first BC-born settlers on Pender, brothers Robert and Sweany Colston, take land at Hope Bay.

The first horse is brought to Pender by Alexander Hamilton.

Elizabeth Grimmer gives birth to Neptune 'Nep' Navy Grimmer on April 11th in a rowboat enroute to the midwife on Mayne Island.

William Hooson arrives on the island with his 27-year-old son Evan. They acquire land from the Auchterlonies along what is now Hooson Road, south of Hope Bay. Being stonemasons, they open a quarry at Hope Bay, as well as a forge.

Helen Auchterlonie, sister of David Hope and wife of Lawrence Auchterlonie, dies.

Spalding purchases 800 acres of land from absentee owner James Alexander. The land previously belonged to John Tod.

Nellie Grimmer becomes the first white child born on Pender on September 24th.

The first transcontinental train arrives in Vancouver.

Alexander Hamilton arrives on Pender after being sent by Mortimer's Monumental Works of Victoria to work at a quarry located at the site of the present canal. He pre-empts 180 acres of land at the head (west) end of Browning Harbour, where the Driftwood Centre and airfield are located today.

Survey officer Lieut. Daniel Pender of the Royal Navy, after whom Pender is named, retires. He dies in 1891.

Mrs. Potts patents stovetop 'sad irons' with removable wooden handles. Millions are sold.

Lawrence and Helen Auchterlonie, with their 15 yr. old son James and daughter Elizabeth, arrive on Pender. They divide David Hope's property with Helen's brother Rutherford Hope. Rutherford takes the portion from the present community hall to Port Browning.

The province surveys North and South Pender into quarter sections.

John Tod's land is sold to James Alexander on South Pender.