| Village of Masset | |
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| — Village — | |
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| Coordinates: 54°01′22″N 132°05′56″W / 54.02278°N 132.09889°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  British Columbia |
| Region | Queen Charlotte Islands |
| Regional district | Skeena-Queen Charlotte |
| Incorporated | 1961 |
| Government | |
| - Governing body | Masset Village Council |
| - Mayor | Barry Pages |
| Area | |
| - Total | 19.45 km2 (7.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 940 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| Highways | 16 |
| Waterways | Dixon Entrance |
Masset (pronounced /ˈmæsɨt/, formerly Massett[1]) is a village in the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately 50 km (31 mi) west of mainland British Columbia. It is the western terminus of the Yellowhead Highway.
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Name
The name Masset was a gift from the Captain of a Spanish vessel that was repaired with the assistance of the Haida citizens of Atewaas, Kayung and Jaaguhl. These three villages accepted the gift and adopted the name Masset to commemorate what might be the first ever contact between Europeans and the Haida.
During the early years of Canadian colonization the name Masset and the post office were adopted by the former Reverend Charles Harrison as part of his scheme to sell land.
The name Masset is currently in use by the Village of Masset, a municipality under Canada legislation and the Village of Old Masset, the original recipient of the name and a village under the Constitution of the Haida Nation.
According to Walbran[2]:323 Masset came from the Haida word, Masst or large island. Captain Douglas, on his second visit from Nootka Sound aboard the Iphigenia on June 19, 1789 named the bay leading to the inlet McIntyre's Bay. This name was used on the charts of Dixon and Meares. The American traders called the inlet, Hancock's River as shown in Ingraham's chart of 1792 after the American brig Hancock. In 1853 H.N. Knox of the Royal Navy, mate on HMS Virago, did a sketch survey of the harbour when the name Masset was adopted by the British. A survey was made in 1907 by Captain Learmouth on HMS Egeria.
Military base
A FRD-10 based military intelligence gathering station, CFB Masset, that was key in monitoring communications in the northern portions of the former Soviet Union during the Cold War is located just outside Masset, near the northern tip of Graham island.
Notable people from Masset
- Guujaaw (wood carver, musician, traditional medicine practitioner and political activist)
- Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Haida manga artist)
- Robert Davidson (artist)
- Florence Davidson (artist)
- Reg Davidson (carver)
See also
References
- ^ Masset in the BC Geographical Names Information System
- ^ Walbran, Captain John T. (1971), British Columbia Place Names, Their Origin and History (Facsimile reprint of 1909 ed.), Vancouver/Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, ISBN 0-88894-143-9, http://www.nosracines.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=3545
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