Saturna’s Story

Explorers & early colonial settlers

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1791
  • The Santa Saturnina sailed through the islands and Saturna was named after the Spanish schooner. Later, “Deep Bay” would be renamed Narvaez Bay after the commander of the Saturnina, José María Narváez
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1858
  • The Colony of British Columbia is founded as a crown colony in British North America
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1859
  • The Pig War takes place between the United States and the United Kingdom over the British-U.S. border in the San Juan Islands. It is settled that the boundary goes through Haro Strait, which is favoured by the U.S 
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1859
  • Lyall Harbour is named after a surgeon onboard the HM, Surveying Ship Plumper
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1869
  • Peter Fraser becomes the first white settler to pre-empt land on Saturna
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1871
  • B.C. joins as a Canadian
    Province
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1872
  • William Elford takes up land in Winter Cove and Lyall Harbour
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1873
  • Charles Trueworthy begins homesteading on his 1400-acre property on the southern side of Saturna
    facing Plumper Sound
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1874
  • George Turner first surveys Saturna
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1882
  • R.P. Rithet, a stern-wheel steamer, begins operation in B.C. and services the Gulf
    Islands
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1884
  • Charles Trueworthy sells his property to Charles Payne and Warburton Pike
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1887
  • The government buys land at East Point from Warburton Pike and builds the lighthouse, which begins operation on
    January 1, 1888
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1889
  • James and Joan Georgeson of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, become the first long-time lighthouse keepers and serve until 1921. They take over from John Wick, who manned the lighthouse for one year to get it up and running. Gloria Manzano of the Georgeson Family still lives on Saturna
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1892
  • George Taylor acquires land at Potato Bay (now Taylor Bay) and opens a famous sandstone quarry shortly after
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1892
  • Gerald Payne builds his home at Breezy Bay. It is now the oldest standing house on Saturna
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1894
  • Harold Payne settles at Saturna Beach where he runs the first store and post office on the island until
    1896
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1896
  • Arthur Drummond takes over from Harold Payne and runs the store and post office
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1896
  • G.H. Anslie buys land in Winter Cove and a log cabin from a Japanese man who worked for Charles Gabriel on Tumbo. Anslie later sold
    to Hubert Payne
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1900
  • St. Nicholas Chapel—the first chapel on Saturna—is opened in Church Bay by Hubert Payne (Parson Payne). The church is a converted work shed that had belonged to a Japanese man
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1900
  • The SS Iroquois begins service from Sidney to Nanaimo, making stops in
    the Gulf Islands
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1908
  • Katie (Payne) and George Bradley-Dyne purchase Pike’s Farm
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1914