Archaeologists have dated the first Indigenous residents of this area back to at least 12,000 years ago. Today, the area around Telegraph Cove is home to the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations and encompasses the Namgis and the Mamalilikulla, as well as the Gwa’sala Nakwaxda’xw Nation. Telegraph Cove’s small, historic village was established in 1912 as an old sawmill town, and today, you’ll find an 800-foot-long boardwalk and dock surrounding the old village. Gordie and Marilyn Graham eventually restored the original houses and buildings used today for tourist accommodation.
Johnstone Strait is home to the famed “Robson Bight rubbing beach.” A population of killer whales, known as the “Northern Residents,” frequently visits this area in the summer to rub themselves on the beach’s smooth pebbles. In 1982, Robson Bight became a protected ecological reserve. Today, this area is known as the “Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve.” It is closed to public access, by land and water, to preserve this sensitive habitat for generations to come.
In 1970, Dr. Paul Spong founded OrcaLab, a small land-based whale research station on Hanson Island just off of Telegraph Cove. A network of hydrophones positioned around the orcas’ “core habitat” helps monitor their movements. Since 1994, OrcaLab has operated a video monitoring station on Cracroft Point in Johnstone Strait that allows the collection of both surface and underwater images of orcas and other nearby ocean life.
In 2002, the Whale Interpretive Center (WIC) was also established. Gordie and Leo Tureczek tore down an old warehouse situated on the docks and built a sizable yellow cedar structure to display preserved skeletons of the many marine mammals of this area. Their centrepiece item is a 20-metre-long fin whale skeleton, donated graciously by Jim Borrowman.
Alert Bay, directly across the water, is home to the largest totem pole in the world and the capital of the Namgis Nation. The U’mista cultural centre in Alert Bay discusses in detail the history of the Indigenous people of Northern Vancouver Island.
On the morning of January 1st 2025, Telegraph Cove suffered a terrible fire that unfortunately destroyed the left side of the boardwalk, including the Killer Whale Cafe, the Pub, Prince of Whales, our offices, Tide Rip offices, and the Whale Interpretive Centre. Thanks to the community coming together, the boardwalk construction began immediately, and now, as of August 2026, Telegraph Cove is almost completely rebuilt, just like it was!
We are so grateful that this year marks a new chapter for this iconic community!
