Minstrel Island Dock – Historic Center of the Broughtons

Morning departure from our anchorage in the Warren Islands was at 9 a.m. in order to make the 10 a.m. slack water through Chatham Channel.

Negotiating Chatham Channel (note the Range Markers on shore)

After reaching the northern end of Chatham Channel, we came to “The Blow Hole,” the waterway between Minstrel Island and East Cracroft Island. Situated at the northwestern entrance to The Blow Hole on Minstrel Island is a public dock that once served as the hub of activity in the Broughton Islands.

The Public Landing on Minstrel Island (new dock on left)

Oscar Soderman was the first European to settle on Minstrel Island, where he built a cabin in 1904. Europeans found the Broughtons an attractive place to live due to its plentiful fish, timber, and wild game. Other Europeans followed Oscar’s lead and the population rapidly increased. Thanks to the steamers that made the area accessible, women lived in the Broughtons as well and raised their families there. A machine shop and boat repair shop were located on Minstrel Island; and by the 1920’s, a hotel, school, and dance hall had been established. In the 1950’s there were several cafes on Minstrel Island serving the area. On “boat day” when the freight arrived, the docks were a center of activity.

New Dock at Minstrel Island Pier

Today, there is little evidence of what was once an important community. The Minstrel Island public docks have decayed over the years due to lack of maintenance, and pleasure boaters rarely stop here. As we motored past, we decided to take a closer look. Upon approaching the docks, we could see that a new dock had been installed and a sign posted at the site.

Signage regarding future plans at Minstrel Island

The signage announced that work would be taking place to remove all unsafe structures, including the old docks and the wharf. The work is being done by “Small Craft Harbours,” run by Fisheries & Oceans, a nation-wide program which maintains a number of public docks. The good news is that the new 160-foot dock or float will be available for transient boaters by the summer of 2020; however, the new dock/float will not be connected to shore. One of the older docks, that's still in acceptable condition, will serve as a second guest dock, also disconnected from land. There will be no fee to tie-up at these guest docks, at least in the near future. Guests may come ashore to the public lands by dinghy or kayak; other surrounding areas are private property.

Perhaps Minstrel Island has a shot at a new lease on life and may rediscover its past through its future.