Honeymoon Bay, British Columbia

Honeymoon Bay is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located on Cowichan Lake in the southeastern part of Vancouver Island — approximately 75 kilometres (47 mi) northwest of Victoria — at 48°49′N 124°10′W.[1] In 2011, its population was listed at 580.[2]

Historically, its main industry has been forestry.

Many years ago a lonely young bachelor in this area announced he would return to England to find a bride. The community took the name Honeymoon Bay as a result but he never returned.[3]: 114 

Honeymoon Bay is one of several towns in the Cowichan Valley with significant South Asian Canadian (primarily Sikh-Canadian) community history for over 130 years, gaining notoriety in the forestry industry at local sawmills from the early 20th century until the 1980s.[4]

References

1. Natural Resources Canada
2. Census Profile
3. Akrigg, G.P.V.; Akrigg, Helen B. (1986), British Columbia Place Names (3rd, 1997 ed.), Vancouver: UBC Press, ISBN 0-7748-0636-2
4. "A glimpse into the rich Sikh history in Cowichan". For more than 130 years, the Cowichan Valley has attracted Sikh immigrants, mostly from the Punjab region of Northern India. The Sikh history in Cowichan is rich, and goes well beyond the story of the former village of Paldi and its temple, which this year celebrated its centenarian. And the community remains strong today, though much has changed over the years... In the '70s and '80s, the Sikh community strongholds were at the mill towns around Cowichan Lake — Honeymoon Bay, Mesachie Lake and Youbou.

External links

• Honeymoon Bay's own website