The T’Sou-ke First Nation traditionally
used the Muir Creek area as a ceremonial
site for winter dancing and for fish
smoking. The creek mouth provided
a safe harbor for their canoes. Gord
Planes, of T’Sou-ke (Sooke) First Nation,
has documented early use of this area.
Artifacts that have been found include
pottery, arrowheads and a canoe anchor.
In 1955, a 67 metre cedar tree growing
at Muir Creek was selected for a
totem pole. It was towed by tugboat to
Victoria, then hauled along Douglas
Street to Beacon Hill Park where it was
carved by Mungo Martin (1881–1962),
a Kwakwa’ka’wakw chief and artist
from Alert Bay. The 39 metre high totem
pole was erected in Beacon Hill Park
and stands there today to be admired by
residents and tourists alike. The project
was partly financed through an issue of
shares with share certificates identifying
the pole as “THE WORLD’S TALLEST TOTEM.”
Shareholders’ names were placed on a
scroll at the base of the totem pole.
The southwestern corner of the vast
E&N Land Grant is located at the mouth
of Muir Creek. Since the days of the
Muirs, the Muir Creek property has been
logged by several companies: Anderson,
Elder logging, British Columbia Forest
Products, Butler Brothers, Malloch and
Mosley, and Timber West. Even though
giant trees were commercially logged
at Muir Creek into the 1970’s, no company
took trees from the lower reaches
of ancient trees. Technology now makes
logging these trees possible and a decision
has to be made to protect them.
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