On Friday, July 29th, 1910, an expedition, led by British Columbia’s Chief Commissioner of Lands, the Honourable Price Ellison, reached the summit of Crown Mountain in central Vancouver Island. Their objective was to explore the surrounding region for the purposes of establishing a park. On the advice of Ellison, legislation was enacted in March, 1911, to create British Columbia’s first Provincial Park, Strathcona.

This summer the Strathcona Centennial Expedition is following in the footsteps of the original party and re-enacting Ellison’s journey to kick off celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the creation of Strathcona and all of B.C.’s Provincial Parks.

The Centennial Expedition will follow the route of the original 1910 party as closely as possible.  Beginning in Campbell River they will hike to McIvor Lake where they will take canoes up the Campbell Lake chain to the old Elk River Timber Co. trestle bridge on Upper Campbell Lake.  An overland party will travel through rugged, mountainous country to Crown Mountain for an ascent on July 29, 2010, one hundred years exactly from Ellison’s own climb. The expedition continues by canoe and on foot, arriving the first week of August in Port Alberni for a community event at the Alberni Valley museum.  They then travel by road and railway back to Victoria.

PHOTO: 1910 Expedition, courtesy of the Museum at Campbell River

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