| Feature Type: | Point - Land area jutting into a water feature; also used for a convex change in direction of a shoreline. |
| Status: | Official |
| Other Names: | Coffin Island |
| Name Authority: | BC Geographical Names Office |
| Relative Location: | West Bay, W side of Victoria Harbour, Esquimalt Land District |
| Latitude-Longitude: | 48°25'38"N, 123°23'22"W at the approximate centre of this feature. |
| Datum: | WGS84 |
| NTS Map: | 92B/6 |
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Origin Notes and History:
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Coffin Island adopted 1 May 1934 as labelled on Captain Kellett's chart of 1847, and on British Admiralty Chart #1897, 1860 et seq. Form of name changed to Coffin Island Point 29 March 1976 on C.3413 and generic changed from island to point, as recommended by Hydrographic Service (file V.1.38). Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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Landfill has altered the shoreline; this is no longer a discrete island. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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"Coffin Island, the Indians' Burial Ground, Swept by Grass Fire: ....for many years has been used by the Indians living on the reserves in the neighbourhood of the city as a place of deposit for their dead. The last burial was several months ago..." (Victoria Colonist 11 August 1889, p.4) Source: Provincial Archives of BC "Place Names File" compiled 1945-1950 by A.G. Harvey from various sources, with subsequent additions |