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Description of Sandspit, Queen Charlotte Islands
The only town on Moresby Island, Sandspit (pop. 570) is located next to the main airport that services the Queen Charlotte Islands. The nearby village mall offers a grocery store, liquor store, ATM and nearby gas station. Shopping is limited to several art galleries.
Sandspit can trace its history to the ancient Haida Village of Kil located east of Haans Creek. The present community of Sandspit dates back to around 1900, when ranchers and settlers settled near the grassy flats of the spit. One of the first industries in 1910 was a dogfish oilery, followed by a fish cannery in 1913. In 1945, the Canadian Air Force built an airport for a seaplane base at Sandspit and officers based in Sandspit began constructing cabins along the beach at Sachs Creek. After the base closed in 1954, Transport Canada claimed the airport. The cabins were relocated to Sandspit to provide housing for the town’s residents.
Over the course of the next 10 years a handful of familiessettled in the area and a school was opened. After Pacific Mills (now Timber West Forest Ltd.) moved into the area in 1944 more settlers arrived.
The island has about 30 kilometers of paved road most of which is around Sandspit Village between the village and Alliford Bay BC Ferry. There is also between 40-50 kilometers of active logging roads. Both road systems encompass the Sandspit Loop, a scenic drive that winds through the accessible parts of the island. The rest of the island, the parks and the ancient Haida Villages, are further south and only accessed by boat, including kayak, helicopter or floatplane tours.
