Possessing Meares Island: A Historian’s Journey into the Past of Clayoquot Sound

To see natural beauty at its most sublime, one need look no further than the stretch of small islands bordering the western coast of Vancouver Island. A series of inlets and sounds separate one island from another, and guided by Canadian author Barry Gough, Possessing Meares Island reveals a history abounding with inter-tribal rivalry, eighteenth century ocean trade, John Jacob Astor’s ambitions, and the Hudson’s Bay Company’s search for a colonial base.

The sea otter, prized for its luminous pelt, played a leading role in the saga until excessive harvesting brought “the world’s most beautiful mammal” to the point of extinction. Over the generations, Britain, Canada, Russia, and China all stood on the stage, far distant geographically from the larger world.

Gough, a naval coast historian, writes as a member of the legal team now the island’s present status is threatened by attempts to clear cut the forests and destroy the territory present-day inhabitants vow to preserve. The book singles out past human intrigues like the early struggle between two chieftains seeking hegemony, betrothing the daughter of one to the son of the other as a means to protect inheritance in the manner of European royal families.