Island of Many Names
Given the brief extent of its history, the largest of B.C.’s Gulf Islands has worn many monikers. The Cowichan people called it Chu-an, meaning “facing the sea.” This was anglicized to Tuan. When a few Irish settlers got a hold of it they modified the spelling to Tuam in honour of the Galway town so-called.
James Douglas referred to Chuan, in 1853 correspondence to his Hudson’s Bay Company superiors, as an island where “many salt springs exist.” While early settlers took this early description as a name for their new-found home, the official surveyor, Captain George Henry Richards, would have none of it.
In retrospect, Richards seemed hell bent on naming everything on the island after some aspect of his navy, while locals were resolute in calling their homeSalt Spring. The name Admiral Island became a fixture on government maps until 1906, when officaldom surrendered to the will of the people. It should be noted that this capitulation did nothing but encourage the islanders, and bureaucracy has found them to be a stubborn bunch ever since. In a sinister act of subversion, the spelling Saltspring has gradually come to dominate government literature. They simply can’t leave well enough alone!
The choice of the people shall be my choice …as you can see the spelling I use.Salt Spring it is!
Regarding the name of Admiral Island, Captain Richards when surveying here evidently wished to associate the island with Rear Admiral Baynes, commanding at the time, 1857-1860, the Pacific Station, his flagship staff and officers. He therefore named the highest mountain, Baynes, and the island, Admiral.
Ganges Harbour was named after H.M.S. Ganges 84 guns, leaving Esquimalt for England on 10 September. The Ganges was the last sailing line-of-battle ship in active commission on foreign services.
Fulford Harbour is named after Captain John Fulford, H.M.S. Ganges.
Burgoyne Bay is named after Commander Hugh Talbot Burgoyne, V.C. H.M.C. Ganges
So Captain Richards did not get his way with the name of the island, but you can see his major influence with other names that are still in place today.