travelers imagine what a bit of paint. Wood. And manpower would do for this place. Tourist attraction for explorers. Not all tourist are beach goers. Many are explorers. This place would be heaven.
I grew up in Kelsey Bay in the 70s and 80s and my dad had a boat. We explored this Island many times. I loved visiting so much that I asked my dad to take us there for my birthday. We got to the Island ok but we got stuck in an infamous south easter and had to anchor for the night. We had to make the trip home the next day because we never brought any food. It was a really rough ride home in 15 foot swells but we did it! A trip I will never forget. I haven't been there for many years and I am amazed at how things are holding up. The building near the beach has really deteriorated though. It still had a roof when I was there last. Thanks for the memories.
My Dad was stationed on York Island in the early 1940's and my Mom, Brother Gordy and I took his ashes there in July 2002 for his last resting place. Interesting enough, Mr. Bendickson took us over as he was a friend of my Brothers. It was an absolutely perfect day, weather wise. I was back in 2010 as a guest of a research group and found it to be as magical as the first time. I will be going back again, sometime in the future to reunite my Mom and Dad... This is a great video...
Hey Dustin, this video is absolutely amazing. I’m glad I was able to bring you out to york, and also explore it with you. It was one thing to see it in person, but after all the background information you collected, it ties it all together into I would say the best and most in depth video you’ve made so far. I truly had a blast. Thank you!
I really appreciate this video. I first visited Yorke Island as a preschooler in the early '50s with my Dad and have been back a dozen or so times since; the last time was 1995 with my family. The Island has always had a magical/mysterious/enchanted element to it. My dad (the wedding photo at 6:01 is him & my mom) was in the Army's marine transport service during the War, and Yorke was one of his regular stops. For him, it was also close to home on Hardwicke Island.
I really liked the comment about your country being so much younger than the rest of the world. I mean, the US is the same way and look at what we do to OUR history! Seems like historic preservation only counts until the profit potential gets high enough, then plow it over. I love seeing these mossy, ferny, dilapidated locations that haven't been completely tagged up! Thanks for the great content!
@Angie -- Where is the profit potential in lying to school children that Columbus ''discovered'' America . The FIRST Europeans in America were the Vikings , 500 + years before Columbus was born .
@@001desertrat3 The profit lies in keeping people ignorant. It isn't so much that Vikings and other explorers are discredited, it's that they didn't leave a huge impact on the country as it stands now. It's irrelevant to big corps and thus, what they don't care about will be forgotten. It's not actively buried because there aren't Viking descendants using their voices and political power to prevent fracking or taking ownership of the land that someone else can turn a profit from. But it also isn't exalted because the Vikings didn't thrive where they landed. Either they died, married into the locals or simply left without making a huge profit for themselves, so Europeans can't even use it as a point in their "badass" counter to prove superiority of their genes or whatever nonsense it might be scrambled into. Maybe that shows that white folk were not "pre destined" to rule in the Americas. As a very white person, I just think it's neat, it's factual and we should all know it simply because it happened. Profit= people not actually caring about the truth, even if some parts of that truth might be cool to know and have no value otherwise. They can keep on taking stuff from whoever they want and have the comfortable majority & middle class signing off on whatever screws the vast majority of citizen in favor of the 1%
@@001desertrat3 Well, one way is that they get to keep rewriting and selling textbooks every time someone gets upset about what's been left out. Unfortunately, I have firsthand experience with the racket that is public school textbook sales. More specifically, my comment was referring to how developers would rather raze a historical building that needs work in order to put in a strip mall.
Wow. As a carpenter, I am once again gob smacked at the high level of craftsmanship it took to form all those concrete structures in that remote location. All done with shiplap, not today’s large format form ply and snap/cone ties. Then, you have to make all that concrete, on an island, place and finish, and I saw no signs of poorly vibrated mix. Wow. Great filming ! Such an adventure ! 👏
Yorke Island is in the middle of the Desolation Sound islands, just off the coast from Sayward. Hardwicke Island is just north of The Thurlow Islands. It goes Quadra, Sonora, East Thurlow, west Thurlow, Hardwicke, Yorke is a tiny island off the north tip of Hardwicke. in the 80's as a teenager I worked for an offshore Crab boat, although Desolation Sound, Johnson Straight, Phillips Arm, Loughborough Inlet , Knight Inlet. We were in a coastal freezer boat. so 3 to 4 months out at a time.
So good to be able to watch these older episodes. Great history you have captured. Love your new episodes but I have to check out the old ones again and again. Thanks
I have never been to Canada but would love to see your beautiful country. Thank you for portraying so many things and recording the history that many have never had the pleasure to view in person. This old American hillbilly wishes you safe travels and more adventures.
So...it’s raining a lot, but there’s no source of fresh water. A couple of nice big cisterns would have solved that problem just with some rain gutters or catchments. One of those search light buildings would make a magnificent cabin...what a view!
What did they have 200 men stationed there? I'm not sure they'd collect enough rain water for that. They might stretch it out by mixing it with seawater boiled sea water, but I doubt they could get more than 10 percent extra that way before the salinity started getting unhealthy.
@@HughWoo Boiling water doesn't reduce salinity, it concentrates it. Unless the steam produced is condensed. Then you have demineralized, distilled water. It's better than salt water, but drinking too much pure, distilled water can deplete the body of electrolytes (I have no idea what the time scale on that is).
Thanks Dustin I love your channel. I just retired and am starting out this year to explore some of the places you have introduced me to.....starting with Farwell Canyon
I've just discovered this channel and I just wanna say, pat yourself on the back just for the production value of your videos alone. Great stuff man, I feel like I'm watching it right off network television.
Stan Lyons wow this brings back so many memories my first time 1970 two friends and I. We came from Kelsey Bay in a 12ft boat with a three horse motor. We stayed too long exploring. The wind came up To rough to get back . So we went down alongside Hardwick. Very scared as we did not tell anyone we had gone. We were able to beach the boat and walk to Bendickson's that were kind enough to give us a boat ride home. Thanks for the awesome video.
Iv been watching your videos for a while now. I was born on Vancouver Island, and I had no idea the amount of stuff we had around us. Thankfully I'm 30, and so I can spend time finding some of these places my self/and with my family. Awesome work man. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You have really stepped it up a notch with this video. The background information and historical interview add a whole new dimension to your work. I imagine this was a much more exhausting process and it's very impressive that you are doing it solo.
Great Job preserving History! This was a great in depth look into WWII Prep and even training! Thank you for your time and effort on such a great Historical Place!
Over the last year I have watched most of your videos and am disappointed when there's a long hiatus between them. This was worth the wait - absolutely fantastic job putting this together. What a fascinating site.
Thank you for your continued support. I wish I could do it consistently, but it really costs me a lot of money so I just do what I can. Hopefully one day I can do it full time.
My father was the Artillery Officer in charge of Coastal Defence at the end of the war. He toured all those locations while my Mum and i lived in what had been the officers mess in Esquimalt. I wish I had asked more questions of his experiences.
Wow man I think this place is even cooler than the millionaire's mansion with the hydro dam. I haven't seen or smelled a Cedar for 9 months since my last trip to Radium. I could almost smell this video! Thanks for sharing this beauty with us.
Thank you so much for posting this video of Yorke Island. I first learned of this place as a small girl, as my Dad was in the Navy stationed there during the war. Watching your video was just amazing. To look out over the ocean, and see what Dad would have looked at all those years ago. As you walked through, it was incredible to also see where he had once walked. Before he passed away, he and I googled Yorke Island, and there really wasn't any information at that time about it. I wish he could have seen your video, he would have been enthralled. It is my dream to one day go there, and walk in his footsteps. Thank you Dustin!
This totally feels like something you would see The Proper People explore and document as well. Planning on doing something similar myself with documenting forgotten history here in Alberta
Sorry, in from Australia and don't know about "the proper people"that you are referring to! Could you please explain for me, thanks, from down Under! 🙂 🇦🇺🌏
@@margaretkeay97 Proper People is a TH-cam channel dedicated to exploring old historic structures that have gone into disuse/abandonment. Really great quality videos, give em a search
That was a really interesting explore backed up with historical facts. What a pretty island with great views too. Better tell those neices of yours that there ARE still places to explore out there!!! Look forward to the next video. Gill 🇬🇧
I've lived in and around all of my 60 years, and I hadn't known about York Island I'll pass it along. Wow, just wow watching gave me shivers. And yes, the way history is being decimated now by younger generations is horrible. During confederation in 1867 British Columbia told Ottawa that we wanted a railway system so that if we were to be invaded by the US so we could defend ourselves, that station you were standing on proves that was always true. British Columbians weren't just scared, we were defending Canada.
Cool man, been living on VI for 30 years and this is the 1st place I've seen the Govt didn't burn down or bulldoze. An uncle lived on a remote island as an air radio operator in the 70's which was later ground into match sticks with bulldozers. Kudos for the show and exploring our history.
It is not an easy place to get to, so the riffraff can't just jump on a water taxi, or a personal craft and head there.. Which means that Canadian history gets to stay alive, without being tagged or destroyed by human hands
Very interesting! Thank you for sharing. I believe that what you thought was a tiny fireplace was actually a clean-out for the chimney. They most likely had a free-standing iron stove with a stove pipe attached to the round hole much higher up on the chimney.
Wonderful beautiful place. Looks like a military installation that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Very interesting video. Who owns York Island now? Just subscribed.
I’ve lived in BC my whole life and traveled all over it. Never heard of Yorke Is before and only stumbled on this from another of your videos. Fascinating! The lack of water is evidently why no one else has really used the site and it survives because of it.
So glad you’re back. Really interesting historical site. I’m reading “111 Places in Vancouver That You Must Not Miss” and they talk about the artillery search lights at Tower Beach.
I love seeing n hearing about these forgotten abandoned places, so interesting n intriguing. Thank u for sharing n documenting the places that have been left behind.
What I find most amazing, being in construction all my life, is thinking of all the work they went to to form all that concrete and mix the concrete and pour and finish it all and where did all the materials come from. It boggles the mind.
The inner channel between the Mainland and Vancouver Island. holds most of the most dangerous currents in the world. It is a very unique geographical area. North of Malcolm Island & South of Campbell River are subjected to fierce winds in the winter every other day (like today). I love the eastside of Vancouver Island. Growing up on Vancouver Island, and travelling all around Desolation Sound by boat. I have been to Yorke Island, although not in a lot of years; and Artillery Island, that barren chunk of rock, was supposedly to have been for Target practise by the Canadian Navy in the late 1940's to late 1950's (or at least that is what I have been told). I grew up near the Nanoose Bay Submarine base, and always saw subs leaving the base, and heading up Georgia Straight towards Desolation Sound and ???? A lot of the time they were on the surface, a couple of klicks past Nanoose point, between Southey and Maude Islands before they would dive.
Regretfully, Arillery Islets may have been used for target practice but not by the guns up at the fort. They did not traverse enough in that direction. Possibly for the machineguns tasked to the island.... that would make sense.
@@treetraveler they are called Artillery Islets (Islands) for a reason.. I have family history in the military; and the stories are, the two Islets were used as target practice by the 2 6 inch guns stationed at Yorke Island. Hence the name.
I have photos of and copies of the travers degrees of the guns up at the fort and all anti-aircraft emplacements, Observation posts, and machine gun nests on Yorke Island. I was hoping to have a dialog..... But if it about me being wrong and you being right.... Well thats a whole different chat isn't it? :)
@@treetraveler You have your stories, which may or may not be true, and I have my stories, which may or may not be true.. I'm only posting what my uncle & great uncle told me before they died..
@Krazy Mitchell Once again: publicly available records show that neither the Number 2 position 4.7" gun or the 6 inch gun were able to travers to that bearing. The six inch gun in the Number Two pit also has a block still there that shows this to layman visiting the island. It simply could trun enough to the left to target, it couldn't point down at the islands. Aka, they were not able to point down at that elevation and were 200ft above. This would also include the 40mm Bofor, positioned on the BOP, AND the 6lb Hotchkiss, positioned between the Number 1 and 2 gun positions. Records, not stories. Guns were fired at Vancouver Island, known as mowing the lawn. These anecdotes are proven by entries from the War Diary as well as pieces of lead found by a shake blocker who now works on a vessel that regularly visits the island. Gun crews practiced also in partnership with a target barge towed by a target tug that serviced all batteries from Vancouver to Victoria and Prince Rupert and all batteries in between. Anecdotes there as told by the skipper and also verified by numerous records, War Diaries, and Vessel records. If you would like to connect so we can better research your anecdotes, happy to be of assistance to work on including them in the overall history of the island. One of the authors is working on a second edition of their book.... There is also a larger responsibility to determine the types of ordinance fired at Yorke Island by passing Navy vessels after the War and during the decommissioning which continued until 1957 due to concerns of unexploded ordinance with it now being a BCPark visited by kayaker, boaters, etc. Thanks for the heads up, more research pending.
Hey Dustin This video is amazing about what was built on the coast of BC for the war!! It is sad that the government doesn't restore this place, I think This place DEFANITLY needs to be restored like Cole Island. The Island gave you a heart for documenting it, the rusted out old jug gave you a heart @24:55. Another GREAT peace of war history!!!!
This place was absolutely amazing. I was totally mesmerize every step of the way. I love the way you narate , you make our history come alive , as if we were that fly on the wall looking in. Wonderful , absolutely wonderful !!
A truly exceptional video! Once again you capture not only the historical significance of a place, but also the human factor of what life must have been like; and that is a real talent. I found the photo overlays of past and present buildings (especially the one with the young men 'hanging out') especially impressive, almost haunting, because it really (Really) drove home the reality of how this quiet, abandoned pace was once alive with young men who called it home (for four months at a time), and it would have rung with the sound of their voices and footsteps and laughter and grumbling - thanks for making it real. You do excellent work and can't wait for the next one - stay safe till then!
I hate that alot of our historic locations in Canada are left to disintegrate and disappear. It's a shame. This was awesome thanks and keep up the good work.
We are a volunteer group called the 85VICS. We are working with Parks and the 15th Field Regiment Association to restore and work on various projects on Yorke Island. I saw a comment about how clean it is: We are out there multiple times per years to recover the old roads, trails, and sweep and scrape the Fort itself.
The most Canadian explanation for the Japanese in WW2 "because the Japanese were being aggressive..." haha Great video, amazing actually. Probably your best yet.
As always EXCELLANT work Dustin . We can't appreciate places like this enough which are quite unknown to the public . ZERO graffiti or vandalism . Places like this that are virtually untouched are extremely rare . Sure be nice if they stayed that way . Be safe out there bud ... H&M chilliwack
22:12 that is called Slate. Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism.
Congrats on a well presented video. Your style of presentation is second to none. Your interview with a local historian paints a picture before your self guided tour is just superb. You were so right when you said there is a lot on offer on your channel....thanks for allowing us to see this place inbCanadian history.
Such a fantastic video man. I really appreciate how you integrated some interviews in there to really give us a sense of the history. As a Canadian, it's meaningful for sure. Really awesome. Keep it up. Easy subscription.
I really enjoy watching your documentaries. After studying in the US, I returned to my home country of Turkey. I am an architect, and nature lover, so really like your travels and finds. I hope you keep safe during your endeavours. I wish I could find a partner to go on such endeavours as well.
That was so cool, the build quality excellent even the graffiti from 50 years ago was legible, obviously someone turns up with a chainsaw from time to time to keep the paths open. It is amazing how nature will happily take it all back. I,m surprised no one offered to buy the island.
Hi Ya, Thanks so much for posting this video, i really enjoyed it !!! i like in South England GB, we have many old bunkers and deep shelters which are great to explore but they are all abandoned and rusting and falling down/apart never in such good condition as this one in your video, thank you for preserving this history in such a good manner for people to see all this Stay well and keep up all your good work its much appreciated.
@@TractorWrangler01 trees don't grow at normal rates in locations like that. i know of a tree that's less than 3 feet tall and is at least 30 years old. if they can't get the water or nutrients they need they put all their energy into just surviving, not adding growth.
If you ever want real information on Yorke Island, contact my father. The man who's single-handedly worked for years keeping the island upkept. He's also the "experienced person" that Catherine is speaking about.
Also, you kept trying doors in the number one and number two guns but didn't try to open or close the one with the "dead person" inside. Myself and others spent many hours getting those doors to open and close again.
Just think, that most of the people involved with this during WW2 are now deceased, there may be a handful left, but not many. Thanks for the tour and history of this location.
I recently discovered your channel and instantly addicted! Great content and so well done! This explore is a gem and the first thing I noticed is no graffiti! Well almost none, but no tagging with huge "murals" defacing the history that most of us prefer to see. Hopefully it stays that way being such a remote spot. Carry on with your adventures, hope to recognize some future ones in this area of BC, the Kootenays :)
I just moved to the Canadian Rocky mountains by Banff and your channel has given me the hopes I have years of adventures to come in BC 🙏 love your channel man, I appreciate all the work you put into it.
Your videos are amazing. So very professional. One thing I love most is that unlike many explorers you delve into the history. I’ve learned so very much. Thank you! I’m really surprised they didn’t have sisters set up to catch rain water. Am I the only one looking at these ruins and picturing how some areas could be fixed up amd lived in…like during an apocalypse? Seafood…water cisterns…sturdy shelters…
Absolutely fantastic job on your exploration of York Island. Thank you for taking us, your TH-cam Channel fans, along with you on this amazingly beautiful journey. It was thoroughly enjoyable. Respectfully, Steven Snyder
Wow! I didn't know that this place existed! Great watch! It must have been cool to visit this place! The fact that these are "pristine" ruins, with no vandalism, graffiti, etc. is so rare these days.
It's so refreshing to see old abandoned places without graffiti and vandalism.
Rk M makes a welcome change.
@@AR-xd8mr we should connect so that we can get you over to help with volunteer work.
travelers
imagine what a bit of paint. Wood. And manpower would do for this place. Tourist attraction for explorers. Not all tourist are beach goers. Many are explorers. This place would be heaven.
@@RUESPEED1 Are you free in April or May?
We are headed over there to do some work?
Slave lab..... I mean.... Volunteers always welcome. Lol
@@treetraveler I wish I had the time and the means. But thanks for the invite. Would be life changing.👍
I grew up in Kelsey Bay in the 70s and 80s and my dad had a boat. We explored this Island many times. I loved visiting so much that I asked my dad to take us there for my birthday. We got to the Island ok but we got stuck in an infamous south easter and had to anchor for the night. We had to make the trip home the next day because we never brought any food. It was a really rough ride home in 15 foot swells but we did it! A trip I will never forget. I haven't been there for many years and I am amazed at how things are holding up. The building near the beach has really deteriorated though. It still had a roof when I was there last. Thanks for the memories.
great story, are there other areas with big swells like that
Thanks for sharing your story!
Thank you for sharing this interesting story
That is so cool. What great memories. So glad you got to go there.
My Dad was stationed on York Island in the early 1940's and my Mom, Brother Gordy and I took his ashes there in July 2002 for his last resting place. Interesting enough, Mr. Bendickson took us over as he was a friend of my Brothers. It was an absolutely perfect day, weather wise. I was back in 2010 as a guest of a research group and found it to be as magical as the first time. I will be going back again, sometime in the future to reunite my Mom and Dad... This is a great video...
Hey Dustin, this video is absolutely amazing. I’m glad I was able to bring you out to york, and also explore it with you. It was one thing to see it in person, but after all the background information you collected, it ties it all together into I would say the best and most in depth video you’ve made so far. I truly had a blast. Thank you!
I can tell you worked real hard on this one, it feels like a mini documentary on the history channel and I love it! :)
I really appreciate this video. I first visited Yorke Island as a preschooler in the early '50s with my Dad and have been back a dozen or so times since; the last time was 1995 with my family. The Island has always had a magical/mysterious/enchanted element to it.
My dad (the wedding photo at 6:01 is him & my mom) was in the Army's marine transport service during the War, and Yorke was one of his regular stops. For him, it was also close to home on Hardwicke Island.
I love this! Thanks for sharing your story.
Hi D Bdendickson could have been you that you gave us a boat trip back to Kelsey bay .Thanks
I to have many trips back to York island.
Thank you !
thank you for the excellent sideline to this place! I'm sure u have some awesome memories of this cool little patch of ground!
I really liked the comment about your country being so much younger than the rest of the world. I mean, the US is the same way and look at what we do to OUR history! Seems like historic preservation only counts until the profit potential gets high enough, then plow it over. I love seeing these mossy, ferny, dilapidated locations that haven't been completely tagged up! Thanks for the great content!
@Angie -- Where is the profit potential in lying to school children that Columbus ''discovered'' America . The FIRST Europeans in America were the Vikings , 500 + years before Columbus was born .
@@001desertrat3 The profit lies in keeping people ignorant. It isn't so much that Vikings and other explorers are discredited, it's that they didn't leave a huge impact on the country as it stands now. It's irrelevant to big corps and thus, what they don't care about will be forgotten. It's not actively buried because there aren't Viking descendants using their voices and political power to prevent fracking or taking ownership of the land that someone else can turn a profit from. But it also isn't exalted because the Vikings didn't thrive where they landed. Either they died, married into the locals or simply left without making a huge profit for themselves, so Europeans can't even use it as a point in their "badass" counter to prove superiority of their genes or whatever nonsense it might be scrambled into. Maybe that shows that white folk were not "pre destined" to rule in the Americas.
As a very white person, I just think it's neat, it's factual and we should all know it simply because it happened.
Profit= people not actually caring about the truth, even if some parts of that truth might be cool to know and have no value otherwise. They can keep on taking stuff from whoever they want and have the comfortable majority & middle class signing off on whatever screws the vast majority of citizen in favor of the 1%
@@001desertrat3 Well, one way is that they get to keep rewriting and selling textbooks every time someone gets upset about what's been left out. Unfortunately, I have firsthand experience with the racket that is public school textbook sales. More specifically, my comment was referring to how developers would rather raze a historical building that needs work in order to put in a strip mall.
@@AngieDoesStuff strip mall > strip mine
@@001desertrat3 Native Indians have left the chat!
Wow. As a carpenter, I am once again gob smacked at the high level of craftsmanship it took to form all those concrete structures in that remote location. All done with shiplap, not today’s large format form ply and snap/cone ties. Then, you have to make all that concrete, on an island, place and finish, and I saw no signs of poorly vibrated mix. Wow. Great filming ! Such an adventure ! 👏
As a cement mason Im always amazed also when ever I see places like this. I think of the workers and what was going through there minds..
thanks for your insights.
I was thinking about all the materials that were brought to that island. It must have been a beehive of activity going on during construction.
I've lived on Vancouver Island for 60 years, never heard about this Island before. Thanks!
Yorke Island is in the middle of the Desolation Sound islands, just off the coast from Sayward. Hardwicke Island is just north of The Thurlow Islands. It goes Quadra, Sonora, East Thurlow, west Thurlow, Hardwicke, Yorke is a tiny island off the north tip of Hardwicke. in the 80's as a teenager I worked for an offshore Crab boat, although Desolation Sound, Johnson Straight, Phillips Arm, Loughborough Inlet , Knight Inlet. We were in a coastal freezer boat. so 3 to 4 months out at a time.
Wow, this is something pretty special then?
So good to be able to watch these older episodes. Great history you have captured. Love your new episodes but I have to check out the old ones again and again. Thanks
I have never been to Canada but would love to see your beautiful country. Thank you for portraying so many things and recording the history that many have never had the pleasure to view in person. This old American hillbilly wishes you safe travels and more adventures.
So...it’s raining a lot, but there’s no source of fresh water. A couple of nice big cisterns would have solved that problem just with some rain gutters or catchments. One of those search light buildings would make a magnificent cabin...what a view!
What did they have 200 men stationed there? I'm not sure they'd collect enough rain water for that. They might stretch it out by mixing it with seawater boiled sea water, but I doubt they could get more than 10 percent extra that way before the salinity started getting unhealthy.
Great Minds..hahaha! Because this is exactly what I was thinking.
@@psion01 there wouldn’t be any salinity to worry about if boiled and collected properly.
@@HughWoo Boiling water doesn't reduce salinity, it concentrates it. Unless the steam produced is condensed. Then you have demineralized, distilled water.
It's better than salt water, but drinking too much pure, distilled water can deplete the body of electrolytes (I have no idea what the time scale on that is).
Psion o
Your amazing at creating documentaries of lost and forgotten places. 1000% better then the history Channel.
This is such an amazing compliment, thank you very much.
100% correct.
Thw history Channel 😂 realityTV garbage now.
Kamloops loves your content Dustin!
Fewer aliens ... but equal amounts of Bigfoot.
Someone get this man a Flashlight Sponsor !!!!!
that was clean out for the chimney, the round hole above it was where the stove would have vented out.
Millennials...
(Don’t know about bricks, either, I guess)
Thanks Dustin I love your channel. I just retired and am starting out this year to explore some of the places you have introduced me to.....starting with Farwell Canyon
You’ll love it. Beautiful location
I've just discovered this channel and I just wanna say, pat yourself on the back just for the production value of your videos alone. Great stuff man, I feel like I'm watching it right off network television.
Another beautiful. You not only provide fantastic videos but so much information as well. Nothing is boring about your work.
Stan Lyons wow this brings back so many memories my first time 1970 two friends and I. We came from Kelsey Bay in a 12ft boat with a three horse motor. We stayed too long exploring. The wind came up To rough to get back . So we went down alongside Hardwick. Very scared as we did not tell anyone we had gone. We were able to beach the boat and walk to Bendickson's that were kind enough to give us a boat ride home. Thanks for the awesome video.
I very much appreciate your videography, editing, and content.
Awesome as always Dustin!
Love it when you have people who are able to speak to the history of the area!
Iv been watching your videos for a while now.
I was born on Vancouver Island, and I had no idea the amount of stuff we had around us.
Thankfully I'm 30, and so I can spend time finding some of these places my self/and with my family.
Awesome work man.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You have really stepped it up a notch with this video. The background information and historical interview add a whole new dimension to your work. I imagine this was a much more exhausting process and it's very impressive that you are doing it solo.
I LOVE THE WAY NATURE RECLAIMS IT'S TURF.
Great Job preserving History! This was a great in depth look into WWII Prep and even training! Thank you for your time and effort on such a great Historical Place!
Over the last year I have watched most of your videos and am disappointed when there's a long hiatus between them. This was worth the wait - absolutely fantastic job putting this together. What a fascinating site.
Thank you for your continued support. I wish I could do it consistently, but it really costs me a lot of money so I just do what I can. Hopefully one day I can do it full time.
By far this is the best video I've viewed from you. It is top quality, and professional
It's not top quality when you can't see much of the interior shots. Better lights would be needed.
My father was the Artillery Officer in charge of Coastal Defence at the end of the war. He toured all those locations while my Mum and i lived in what had been the officers mess in Esquimalt. I wish I had asked more questions of his experiences.
Wow man I think this place is even cooler than the millionaire's mansion with the hydro dam. I haven't seen or smelled a Cedar for 9 months since my last trip to Radium. I could almost smell this video! Thanks for sharing this beauty with us.
Holy cow! This is the best video I’ve seen on your channel. Well edited, chock FULL of info. I live this!!!!!
You are living the dream, dude! That was fantastic - never even heard about it and that area is very special to me. Thank you!
This is one of your best videos yet. Love the history
Can totally imagine a soldier tossing away his apple core for it to become an apple tree 80 years later..
We have some wild pear trees at Kanaka Creek in Maple Ridge that probably go back 300 years. The pears taste like wood ! lol
There are three apple trees and one pear tree most likely thrown away by men who served ;)
Most apples thrown away become crab apples. Its a 1 in 1000 chance it was a thrown away apple core
Thank you so much for posting this video of Yorke Island. I first learned of this place as a small girl, as my Dad was in the Navy stationed there during the war. Watching your video was just amazing. To look out over the ocean, and see what Dad would have looked at all those years ago. As you walked through, it was incredible to also see where he had once walked. Before he passed away, he and I googled Yorke Island, and there really wasn't any information at that time about it. I wish he could have seen your video, he would have been enthralled. It is my dream to one day go there, and walk in his footsteps. Thank you Dustin!
Amazing compliment, thank you. So happy to have done this for you.
Holy smokes Destination Adventure is going upscale in terms of video production and interviews! Cool to see the progression Dustin!
Thank you for keeping places that could be forgotten forever, fresh in people's memories.
This totally feels like something you would see The Proper People explore and document as well. Planning on doing something similar myself with documenting forgotten history here in Alberta
Yes! I enjoy The Proper People!
@@brendakrieger7000 me too
Sorry, in from Australia and don't know about "the proper people"that you are referring to! Could you please explain for me, thanks, from down Under! 🙂 🇦🇺🌏
@@margaretkeay97 Proper People is a TH-cam channel dedicated to exploring old historic structures that have gone into disuse/abandonment. Really great quality videos, give em a search
What an amazing historical place.
That was a really interesting explore backed up with historical facts. What a pretty island with great views too. Better tell those neices of yours that there ARE still places to explore out there!!! Look forward to the next video. Gill 🇬🇧
Great video! I’m really amazed at the pioneer spirit of the greatest generation! They did so much with so little!
I've lived in and around all of my 60 years, and I hadn't known about York Island I'll pass it along. Wow, just wow watching gave me shivers. And yes, the way history is being decimated now by younger generations is horrible. During confederation in 1867 British Columbia told Ottawa that we wanted a railway system so that if we were to be invaded by the US so we could defend ourselves, that station you were standing on proves that was always true. British Columbians weren't just scared, we were defending Canada.
Check the BC Parks website, they have limited information as it is under their jurisdiction
Always videos of the highest qualities, well narrated, stories and locations, well researched.
interesting documentary on york island. I have learned about something new today. Thank you.
Cool man, been living on VI for 30 years and this is the 1st place I've seen the Govt didn't burn down or bulldoze. An uncle lived on a remote island as an air radio operator in the 70's which was later ground into match sticks with bulldozers. Kudos for the show and exploring our history.
It’s so cool to see a place like this that hasn’t been filled with graffiti and wrecked by people.
It is not an easy place to get to, so the riffraff can't just jump on a water taxi, or a personal craft and head there.. Which means that Canadian history gets to stay alive, without being tagged or destroyed by human hands
Love this video with all the history behind! Great great 26 minutes!
Very interesting! Thank you for sharing. I believe that what you thought was a tiny fireplace was actually a clean-out for the chimney. They most likely had a free-standing iron stove with a stove pipe attached to the round hole much higher up on the chimney.
I was raised in Campbell River and still spend time there... and I've never heard of this place! What a treasure!
Wonderful beautiful place. Looks like a military installation that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Very interesting video. Who owns York Island now? Just subscribed.
When you put us in 1st person it's like a perfect set up for a video game!!! Just say'n
Happy New Year Dustin. Another beautiful and informative video of our not so well known history. Thanks again, glad you back.
Dustin Porter, you've done it again! Another historical video that's informative, interesting, and well made. 👏
I’ve lived in BC my whole life and traveled all over it. Never heard of Yorke Is before and only stumbled on this from another of your videos. Fascinating! The lack of water is evidently why no one else has really used the site and it survives because of it.
Great island history!
Born and raised on the island, thanks for the great watch!
Keep up the great vids buddy!
So glad you’re back. Really interesting historical site. I’m reading “111 Places in Vancouver That You Must Not Miss” and they talk about the artillery search lights at Tower Beach.
I love seeing n hearing about these forgotten abandoned places, so interesting n intriguing.
Thank u for sharing n documenting the places that have been left behind.
What I find most amazing, being in construction all my life, is thinking of all the work they went to to form all that concrete and mix the concrete and pour and finish it all and where did all the materials come from. It boggles the mind.
Had similar thoughts. Wondering if they brought over a portable batch plant and then ferried over the raw materials.
All materials were sourced either from Yorke Island, the beaches of Hardwicke Island, or brought in by Union Steamships.
What a treasure your channel is. I'm a new subscriber and am so happy to be here. Thank you so much for your care and time in making these videos!
The inner channel between the Mainland and Vancouver Island. holds most of the most dangerous currents in the world. It is a very unique geographical area. North of Malcolm Island & South of Campbell River are subjected to fierce winds in the winter every other day (like today). I love the eastside of Vancouver Island. Growing up on Vancouver Island, and travelling all around Desolation Sound by boat. I have been to Yorke Island, although not in a lot of years; and Artillery Island, that barren chunk of rock, was supposedly to have been for Target practise by the Canadian Navy in the late 1940's to late 1950's (or at least that is what I have been told). I grew up near the Nanoose Bay Submarine base, and always saw subs leaving the base, and heading up Georgia Straight towards Desolation Sound and ???? A lot of the time they were on the surface, a couple of klicks past Nanoose point, between Southey and Maude Islands before they would dive.
Regretfully, Arillery Islets may have been used for target practice but not by the guns up at the fort. They did not traverse enough in that direction. Possibly for the machineguns tasked to the island.... that would make sense.
@@treetraveler they are called Artillery Islets (Islands) for a reason.. I have family history in the military; and the stories are, the two Islets were used as target practice by the 2 6 inch guns stationed at Yorke Island. Hence the name.
I have photos of and copies of the travers degrees of the guns up at the fort and all anti-aircraft emplacements, Observation posts, and machine gun nests on Yorke Island. I was hoping to have a dialog.....
But if it about me being wrong and you being right....
Well thats a whole different chat isn't it?
:)
@@treetraveler You have your stories, which may or may not be true, and I have my stories, which may or may not be true..
I'm only posting what my uncle & great uncle told me before they died..
@Krazy Mitchell
Once again: publicly available records show that neither the Number 2 position 4.7" gun or the 6 inch gun were able to travers to that bearing.
The six inch gun in the Number Two pit also has a block still there that shows this to layman visiting the island. It simply could trun enough to the left to target, it couldn't point down at the islands.
Aka, they were not able to point down at that elevation and were 200ft above.
This would also include the 40mm Bofor, positioned on the BOP, AND the 6lb Hotchkiss, positioned between the Number 1 and 2 gun positions.
Records, not stories.
Guns were fired at Vancouver Island, known as mowing the lawn.
These anecdotes are proven by entries from the War Diary as well as pieces of lead found by a shake blocker who now works on a vessel that regularly visits the island.
Gun crews practiced also in partnership with a target barge towed by a target tug that serviced all batteries from Vancouver to Victoria and Prince Rupert and all batteries in between.
Anecdotes there as told by the skipper and also verified by numerous records, War Diaries, and Vessel records.
If you would like to connect so we can better research your anecdotes, happy to be of assistance to work on including them in the overall history of the island.
One of the authors is working on a second edition of their book....
There is also a larger responsibility to determine the types of ordinance fired at Yorke Island by passing Navy vessels after the War and during the decommissioning which continued until 1957 due to concerns of unexploded ordinance with it now being a BCPark visited by kayaker, boaters, etc.
Thanks for the heads up, more research pending.
Great stories! Thanks so much! 😁 And thanks for taking us with you!
Hey Dustin This video is amazing about what was built on the coast of BC for the war!! It is sad that the government doesn't restore this place, I think This place DEFANITLY needs to be restored like Cole Island. The Island gave you a heart for documenting it, the rusted out old jug gave you a heart @24:55. Another GREAT peace of war history!!!!
looks like an amazing place with beautiful views, quite the history too.
This place was absolutely amazing. I was totally mesmerize every step of the way. I love the way you narate , you make our history come alive , as if we were that fly on the wall looking in. Wonderful , absolutely wonderful !!
This would make a fantastic Air BNB. Just the views and the lines of those old structures are perfect.
Your production level or the way you portray a place is on par with a good Tv show
Love this format of video with a focus on the history. Keep up the awesome work man, we all appreciate it
A truly exceptional video! Once again you capture not only the historical significance of a place, but also the human factor of what life must have been like; and that is a real talent. I found the photo overlays of past and present buildings (especially the one with the young men 'hanging out') especially impressive, almost haunting, because it really (Really) drove home the reality of how this quiet, abandoned pace was once alive with young men who called it home (for four months at a time), and it would have rung with the sound of their voices and footsteps and laughter and grumbling - thanks for making it real. You do excellent work and can't wait for the next one - stay safe till then!
Amazing!
I hate that alot of our historic locations in Canada are left to disintegrate and disappear. It's a shame. This was awesome thanks and keep up the good work.
We are working to restore the island! Work projects always happening.
@tree traveller: That’s really cool! Are you with a restoration project or organization that we can learn more about?
We are a volunteer group called the 85VICS.
We are working with Parks and the 15th Field Regiment Association to restore and work on various projects on Yorke Island.
I saw a comment about how clean it is:
We are out there multiple times per years to recover the old roads, trails, and sweep and scrape the Fort itself.
I live not too far from there. I've been there and I'm glad nature is reclaiming this beautiful place. I think we have enough monuments to war.
Thank you, beautifully filmed. Informative and presented with respect.
The most Canadian explanation for the Japanese in WW2 "because the Japanese were being aggressive..." haha Great video, amazing actually. Probably your best yet.
As always EXCELLANT work Dustin . We can't appreciate places like this enough which are quite unknown to the public . ZERO graffiti or vandalism . Places like this that are virtually untouched are extremely rare . Sure be nice if they stayed that way . Be safe out there bud ... H&M chilliwack
22:12 that is called Slate. Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism.
Congrats on a well presented video. Your style of presentation is second to none. Your interview with a local historian paints a picture before your self guided tour is just superb. You were so right when you said there is a lot on offer on your channel....thanks for allowing us to see this place inbCanadian history.
Such a fantastic video man. I really appreciate how you integrated some interviews in there to really give us a sense of the history. As a Canadian, it's meaningful for sure. Really awesome. Keep it up. Easy subscription.
I really enjoy watching your documentaries. After studying in the US, I returned to my home country of Turkey. I am an architect, and nature lover, so really like your travels and finds. I hope you keep safe during your endeavours. I wish I could find a partner to go on such endeavours as well.
This is a welcome change of pace from a pretty disappointing 24 hours from our leadership in Alberta...
Just started watching your videos today. There great! Its nice seeing places I'm unable to see for myself.
Thanks so much for sharing.
That was so cool, the build quality excellent even the graffiti from 50 years ago was legible, obviously someone turns up with a chainsaw from time to time to keep the paths open. It is amazing how nature will happily take it all back. I,m surprised no one offered to buy the island.
Hi Ya, Thanks so much for posting this video, i really enjoyed it !!! i like in South England GB, we have many old bunkers and deep shelters which are great to explore but they are all abandoned and rusting and falling down/apart never in such good condition as this one in your video, thank you for preserving this history in such a good manner for people to see all this Stay well and keep up all your good work its much appreciated.
That apple tree probably grew from an apple-core discarded by a serviceman back in the day...
Three apples trees and one pear tree(now at end of life) as of last bio-survey.
Is fun to think that but that apple tree was only about 10 years old at best.
@@TractorWrangler01 Ive been going there for over 16 yrs . . . we have photos from 30 years ago. Its been there for over 30 years.
@@TractorWrangler01 trees don't grow at normal rates in locations like that. i know of a tree that's less than 3 feet tall and is at least 30 years old. if they can't get the water or nutrients they need they put all their energy into just surviving, not adding growth.
Wow this is really history at its best I would love to explore it & it’s great to see no graffiti... Thank you for sharing!
The less well known a place is, the less chance there is of vandals coming to ruin it.
Absolutely FASCINATING.
7:43 guy on the right looks like he could be a Ryan Reynolds relative lol
Holy crap!! I think Ryan Reynolds is a time traveler!!
That would be cool to make some of those places into homes. I would love it.
If you ever want real information on Yorke Island, contact my father. The man who's single-handedly worked for years keeping the island upkept. He's also the "experienced person" that Catherine is speaking about.
If you're wondering why it looks so clean in all the buildings it's because we go multiple times a year to sweep and clean up
Also, you kept trying doors in the number one and number two guns but didn't try to open or close the one with the "dead person" inside. Myself and others spent many hours getting those doors to open and close again.
Sad to see that you missed so much on the island because you weren't able to speak to the right person
Just think, that most of the people involved with this during WW2 are now deceased, there may be a handful left, but not many. Thanks for the tour and history of this location.
I recently discovered your channel and instantly addicted! Great content and so well done! This explore is a gem and the first thing I noticed is no graffiti! Well almost none, but no tagging with huge "murals" defacing the history that most of us prefer to see. Hopefully it stays that way being such a remote spot. Carry on with your adventures, hope to recognize some future ones in this area of BC, the Kootenays :)
I just moved to the Canadian Rocky mountains by Banff and your channel has given me the hopes I have years of adventures to come in BC 🙏 love your
channel man, I appreciate all the work you put into it.
Your videos are amazing. So very professional. One thing I love most is that unlike many explorers you delve into the history. I’ve learned so very much. Thank you!
I’m really surprised they didn’t have sisters set up to catch rain water.
Am I the only one looking at these ruins and picturing how some areas could be fixed up amd lived in…like during an apocalypse? Seafood…water cisterns…sturdy shelters…
One of your best videos yet Dustin. So much history that I am sure many Canadians don't know. Thanks for sharing this. Happy New Year
Amazing Canadian Coastal War History, Thank You !!!!
I love learning history from you. So Thank You! what an Amazing place and history.
Thanks for sharing this history with us! Most of us will not be able to go visit so this is the next best thing!
Absolutely fantastic job on your exploration of York Island.
Thank you for taking us, your TH-cam Channel fans, along with you on this amazingly beautiful journey. It was thoroughly enjoyable.
Respectfully,
Steven Snyder
Historical significance...Thank You for sharing!
The inside passage is so magical!❤ I just love living along it.❤
Wow! I didn't know that this place existed! Great watch! It must have been cool to visit this place! The fact that these are "pristine" ruins, with no vandalism, graffiti, etc. is so rare these days.
Hello from Australia.....I just found you and must say I think you are one amazing man, I cant wait to watch another. Thank you from Zell Down Under.