The Haunting of Vancouver Island by Shanon Sinn

Author:Shanon Sinn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Touchwood Editions
Published: 2017-04-08T04:00:00+00:00

Physical education class at Qualicum Beach School, which became Qualicum College in 1949.

IMAGE I-68637, COURTESY OF THE ROYAL BC MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES

Paper Mill Dam Park no longer allows overnight camping.

PHOTO BY SHANON SINN

THE LADY WHO WALKS ON WATER

PORT ALBERNI

ADAM GRANT HORNE, ONE-ARMED TOMA, and the rest of their party made the trek across Vancouver Island from Qualicum to present-day Port Alberni. They did this by following a rough-hewn path used for trade between the Salish and the Tseshaht Nuu-chah-nulth living on the shores of the Alberni Inlet. After making contact and engaging in trade, the group returned to Victoria to report the success of their mission.

A paved road makes journeying across the island to Port Alberni much easier today. Many people pass through as they travel toward the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and the vacation village of Tofino. Like other communities on Vancouver Island, Port Alberni has its fair share of haunted locations only known locally. Its most unique ghost, however, is a woman who is seen on, or nearby, the Somass River at the Paper Mill Dam Park.

According to Jan Peterson in The Albernis: 1860–1922, British Columbia’s first paper mill was built at the site in 1892. The original construct from the year before had been destroyed and swept downriver by heavy rain. This second project was fitted with used papermaking machinery from Scotland. The mill began to produce paper by 1894, but the woodchips were not suitable for making a quality paper product. It ceased operations the following year. The Paper Mill Dam was destroyed and removed in 1915 to make way for spawning salmon and boat traffic.

Paper Mill Dam Park is on the east side of the river, while Tseshaht First Nation land is on the west side of the river. The Somass River is a favourite swimming hole for Port Alberni locals. It is also a popular place for tubing—floating down the river on a tire inner tube. At night, the park was a popular drinking place for generations of teenagers. In more recent years, a gate has been put in place as a deterrent. A sign warns park users that camping is not permitted and that the gate will be locked from “dusk” until eight o’clock. There are no signs—literal or figurative—indicating the location is believed by many to be haunted.

Port Alberni residents claim that the haunting is old. One commenter on my blog, Nelda Jackson, said that her grandmother—eighty-two years old in 2014—remembers hearing about the ghost when she was “a little girl.” If true, this would make the tale as old as the late 1930s or early 40s at the very least. Nelda shared two second-hand stories of encounters: one on my site at Living Library (2014) and the second on the Real Haunts website (2015). She used the term “the lady who walks on the water,” which resonated as a good name for the spirit. The following comment was taken from my site:

I heard stories about the Paper Mill Dam from many people since I was a little girl.

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