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History - Chapter 9
Ward’s Pass, on the trail
south of Bitter Creek, was called after Ward Brightwell, who slashed a trail
over the rocky bluffs there, when the river shifted course and wiped out a
narrow path that ran between the rocks and the river. The trail was a
straight-up-and-down variety with some good handholds in places, and for some
was a hard climb for the heavy-laden prospectors, who had to use it. It was
known as “Ward’s (Blank! Blank!) Pass.
With the summer of 1904, a considerable number of prospectors arrived in
the district and, to meet the growing traffic, a small steam launch, the
Rustler, started to ply between Port Simpson and the head of the Canal. This
was followed about a year later by the Camosun making regular sailings from
Vancouver.
At that time there was no steamer landing, and the Stewart Trading Co.
built a floating wharf and anchored it a short distance out in the bay from
where the Crawford dock now stands. The wharf was constructed of logs, with a
warehouse on it, and served for some years, until it was carried away by a
whale, which became entangled in the anchor cables.

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