Masset
| Village of Masset | |
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| — Village — | |
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_location_map.svg)
 Village of Masset
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| Coordinates: 54°00′36″N 132°08′17″W / 54.01000°N 132.13806°WCoordinates: 54°00′36″N 132°08′17″W / 54.01000°N 132.13806°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  British Columbia |
| Region | Haida Gwaii |
| Regional district | Skeena-Queen Charlotte |
| Incorporated | 1961 |
| Government | |
| • Governing body | Masset Village Council |
| • Mayor | Barry Pages |
| Area | |
| • Total | 19.45 km2 (7.51 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 884 |
| • Density | 45/km2 (120/sq mi) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| Highways | 16 |
| Waterways | Dixon Entrance |
Masset /ˈmæsɨt/, formerly Massett,[1] is a village in Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) 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. During the Maritime Fur Trade of the early 19th century Masset was a key trading site. It was incorporated as a village municipality on May 11, 1961.[2]
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Name[edit]
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 Massett, the original recipient of the name and a village under the Constitution of the Haida Nation.
According to Walbran[3]: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.
Masset's name in the local dialect of the Haida language is Uttewas, "white slope", probably referring to a small hill south of the village.[4]
Military base[edit]
Naval Radio Station (NRS) Masset (callsign CZT) became active on 23 February 1943 as a HFDF intercept station and a relay station for ship-to-shore communications. At war's end, Masset was placed into caretaker status until reactivated in 1949 under call sign CFS. In August 1949, an earthquake damaged the station and operations were suspended until 1951. Then Masset became part of the SUPRAD (SUPplementary RADio)system. In 1971, a Wullenweber|AN/FRD-10]] antenna was built and completed in support of Project Clarinet Bullseye. The project was shut down in the early to mid 1990's and as a result, FRD-10 sites started closing down internationally. The FRD10's at two Canadian sites - namely Gander and Massset, still survive.
Notable people from Masset[edit]
- 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)
Climate[edit]
The climate, moderated by a warm Pacific current from Japan, is generally mild with no extremes in temperature. Annual temperature varies only 20 degrees Celsius but is variable and unpredictable - even within a 24-hour period. Average rainfall is 1,440.3 mm (56.70 in) with snowfall of 68.1 cm (26.81 in)[5] and there is generally a breeze, most often out of the southeast.
Summer temperatures are in the 15 to 20 °C (59 to 68 °F) and the days are long - May, June, July boasting 18 to 20 hours of daylight. August and May general have the most sun but there is a fair degree of rain throughout the summer months. Winter months are mild with temperatures in the 0–8 °C (32–46 °F) range and while precipitation is usually in the form of rain there can be some snowfall. Conditions can become severe without warning and Masset has registered wind gusts to 160 km/h (99 mph).
| Climate data for Masset | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.7 (53.1) |
14.0 (57.2) |
15.6 (60.1) |
23.5 (74.3) |
26.5 (79.7) |
28.5 (83.3) |
30.0 (86) |
32.2 (90) |
27.5 (81.5) |
18.0 (64.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
11.5 (52.7) |
32.2 (90) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 5.4 (41.7) |
6.2 (43.2) |
7.9 (46.2) |
10.4 (50.7) |
13.0 (55.4) |
16.2 (61.2) |
18.2 (64.8) |
19.0 (66.2) |
16.5 (61.7) |
12.0 (53.6) |
7.8 (46) |
5.4 (41.7) |
11.5 (52.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) |
3.5 (38.3) |
4.6 (40.3) |
6.5 (43.7) |
9.1 (48.4) |
12.2 (54) |
14.5 (58.1) |
15.0 (59) |
12.7 (54.9) |
8.9 (48) |
5.0 (41) |
3.2 (37.8) |
8.2 (46.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 0.8 (33.4) |
0.7 (33.3) |
1.3 (34.3) |
2.6 (36.7) |
5.1 (41.2) |
8.2 (46.8) |
10.6 (51.1) |
10.9 (51.6) |
8.8 (47.8) |
5.7 (42.3) |
2.1 (35.8) |
0.9 (33.6) |
4.8 (40.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −12.2 (10) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−1.1 (30) |
1.0 (33.8) |
4.5 (40.1) |
4.5 (40.1) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−17.0 (1.4) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−17.0 (1.4) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 157.3 (6.193) |
127.3 (5.012) |
110.8 (4.362) |
98.9 (3.894) |
83.8 (3.299) |
69.6 (2.74) |
61.4 (2.417) |
79.2 (3.118) |
119.1 (4.689) |
224.5 (8.839) |
203.8 (8.024) |
172.9 (6.807) |
1,508.4 (59.386) |
| Source: Environment Canada[5] | |||||||||||||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Masset". BC Geographical Names. http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/35755.html.
- ^ BC Names entry "Masset (Village)"
- ^ 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://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/35755.html BC Names entry "Masset (Village)"
- ^ a b Environment Canada—Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 13 April 2012
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