Ucluelet, pronounced you-KLEW-let, is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, about fifty miles west of Port Alberni. The name Ucluelet means "people with a safe place to land" and it comes from the local First Nations people.
The history of Ucluelet starts in 1787, when maritime traders such as Charles William Barkley, the famous captain of the Imperial Eagle, arrived in Barkley Sound. Back then, sea otter pelts were in great demand.
Around 1870, a fur trader who owned plenty of ships decided to establish a trading post in Ucluelet. New people moved there, and just twenty years later, in 1890, Ucluelet became a town. People kept arriving, hoping that a road from Port Alberni would be built.
After 1890, Ucluelet saw a sharp rise in its population. A Mission House and school were built by the Presbyterian Church, and in 1898 a doctor arrived in the area. The following years brought further development: a lighthouse, a government telegraph office and lifeboat stations were built, and the Canadian Pacific Railway began running a freight boat from Victoria a few times each month.
A very important event was the establishment of a whaling station in 1903, which paved the way for fishermen, with 1915 bringing the commercial fishing industry to Ucluelet.
Florencia Bay, a few minutes north of Ucluelet and once known as Wreck Bay, drew many prospectors and campers who came to pan for gold during the 20th century. Made up of fine gravel and thin beds of blue clay, the bay gathered the much-desired gold near the base of the cliffs.
The origin of the gold is not exactly known, but according to the Ministry of Energy it may have come from the quartz veins abundant west of Kennedy Lake. Most of it was mined between 1899 and 1902, with the Annual Report of 1900 recording 23,996 grams removed from the bay.
With the advent of the Second World War, a seaplane base was built in Ucluelet, and south of Tofino the Canadian government built a military base.
A landmark in Ucluelet's history was the opening of the road to Port Alberni, which made way for the commercial fishing industry and drew still more people to the town. At one point three fuel stations lined the Ucluelet inlet, and the season for harvesting herring, cod, salmon, halibut and pilchards began. As the industry grew, ice plants, buying stations and canneries appeared along the harbour.
It was a golden age for fishing. Limits on the catch had not yet been imposed, and the commercial boats were free to harvest whatever they could bring in.
Forestry was another important player in the town's growth. The timber industry rises and falls with the seasons, so when demand slowed, a new player joined the game: tourism.
The population of Ucluelet is around 1,627 and on the rise. Its climate is oceanic, with cool, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Temperatures rarely climb above 30C or fall below -10C.
Precipitation averages around 3,350 mm (132 in) per year, which is quite high, though most of it falls in the winter months.
Tourism is now the largest driver of the local economy, and there is plenty to draw visitors to this unique town. Trails with mesmerizing scenery wind along the rugged shoreline, through stands of hemlock, cedar and fir.
Popular activities include:
This is truly a gem of the community. Californian sea cucumbers, jellyfish, rockfish, clams, starfish and green surf anemones are just some of the life forms you can see here. The creatures are gathered from local waters and returned to the ocean at the end of each season.
Ucluelet is a perfect destination for anyone looking to escape the urban rush. Here you will find no billboard ads, no traffic jams and no superstores. Instead, you will be connected with nature.
