Cape Scott Provincial Park

History of Danish Pioneers

From 1897 to 1907 the first white settlement attempt was made at Cape Scott. The settlers were Danes, mostly from Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota; they were hoping to establish an ethnic community around Hansen Lagoon and Fisherman Bay. The colony hoped to subsist initially on fishing until the government followed through on its agreement to build a road from Fisherman Bay to San Josef River and on to Holberg. This road was to provide the link necessary so that the settlers would be able to get their beef and dairy products to market. Unfortunately the road never materialized. The colony struggled to survive by fishing and trapping mink, river otter and beaver for their pelts. Eventually the trapping petered out and the men were forced to leave to fish at Rivers Inlet or to work in mines or logging camps. By 1907, the settlers had acknowledged the failure of their colony and plans were made for departure.

The population of the area between Cape Scott and Holberg numbered less than 60 in 1909. By 1913, another wave of settlers had arrived from Washington State, the prairie provinces, Eastern Canada and Europe to occupy land available for pre-emption. Many of these settlers established themselves in homes vacated by the Danes near Hansen Lagoon. Others took up land and built homes at Fisherman Bay and San Josef Bay. The population of the second settlement peaked at over 1,000, then began a slow decline as the new residents encountered the same hardships as the Danes had experienced. Conscription in 1917 for service in the First World War brought an end to this second community and soon Cape Scott was virtually deserted again.

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