The Icelandic Canadian - 01.03.1981, Qupperneq 48

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
SPRING, 1981
POINT ROBERTS —THE UNIQUE COMMUNITY
Traditional Icelandic costumes worn by
local grandmother and granddaughter.
Since its first appearance on a Spanish
explorer’s map in the year 1791, the little
peninsula of Point Roberts, then called
Punta Zepeda, has enjoyed a unique and
colorful career, playing its own role in the
history and development of the Pacific
Northwest.
Considered part of the disputed Oregon
Territory (neither British nor American)
from 1811 until the signing of the Treaty of
Washington in 1846, the area received little
attention until the time of the Fraser Gold
Rush, when the lively community of
Roberts Town developed to cater to the
miners and prospectors heading North.
As the Gold Rush era passed, the Point
slipped into a time of temporary obscurity.
The area was designated a military reserve
by the U.S. Government, thus making
homesteading illegal, and became a popular
hiding place for smugglers and others not
willing to tangle with the law.
Permanent settlers began to arrive by the
1880s. Though still considered ’’squatters”
by the Government, these early pioneers,
many of whom were of Icelandic origin,
worked hard and diligently and eventually
carved a community of neat homes and
farms out of the wilderness.
It was not until June 1908 that the settlers
of Point Roberts were granted full title to
their lands by President Theodore Roose-
velt, an occasion for much celebration.
In those early days fishing and farming
were the main activities. The economic base
for the community was founded with the
opening of two large salmon canneries in the
early 1890s: the Alaska Packers Association
operated in the area now called Lilly Point,
and the George and Barker Cannery was
established at the old Township site. Be-
tween these two many tons of salmon were
handled annually, and much needed em-
ployment was provided for local people.
Many more Icelanders came over from
Victoria at the prospect of working in the
canneries. In the 1930s a third cannery was
started, just North of Lighthouse Park — the
Lighthouse Packing Co.
When the fish traps were made illegal by
new Fishing Legislation in 1934, the major
canneries closed down, and the main source
of employment in the community was lost.
During subsequent years, life revolved
mainly around farming activities, with a few
of the more adventurous locals involved
otherwise during Prohibition.
With the rapid expansion of the city of
Vancouver, B.C. many Canadians began
purchasing summer homes on the water-
front at Point Roberts. Several of the local
families sold much of their acreage, which
was developed into small recreational com-
munities with attractive cottages and cabins.
The opening of the Deas Island Tunnel (later
renamed George Massey Tunnel) in 1959
increased the ease of access to the Point and
made the area even more popular with
weekend and seasonal visitors.