Village Green / Tonquin Anchor / Weeping Cedar Woman
To explore more heritage sites proceed to Eik Street.
The Village Green
At the entrance to the Village Green, you’ll find the “Welcome to Tofino” sign carved collaboratively by Roy Henry Vickers and Henry Nolla as their “gift to Tofino”.
Tofino’s Village Green was originally cleared by the school district for the location of a new school. With the inclusion of First Nations children at the local school, a larger site was required so the municipality swapped land with the school district and the new elementary school was built two blocks away, near the back of town. This left a large cleared area in the centre of town which is now called “The Village Green”.
The green is the hub of many activities from community barbecues, Tla-o-qui-aht days celebrations, a Saturday market in the warmer months and skateboard competitions. It is always a favourite gathering spot for families and youth.
The Tonquin Anchor
Just a few steps up Third Street, you’ll find the wooden gazebo. Please stop and look closely at the side facing the street.
Framed by its supporting walls is the Tonquin Anchor, which was once aboard the historic Tonquin, an American fur trading vessel sometimes known as “the ghost ship of Clayoquot Sound”. Encrusted with blue beads associated with trading, it was salvaged from Templar Channel, off the site of the Tla-o-qui-aht village of Echachist. Identified as a type not manufactured after 1790, its condition suggested it was onboard but not in active use. The blue beads were manufactured prior to 1830.
Interviews:
Joe Martin, a Tla-o-qui-aht elder, shares the story of the Tonquin in Clayoquot Sound in 1811. This interview was recorded at Tofino Clayoquot Heritage Museum on April 4, 2019, in the presence of Tla-o-qui-aht elder Moses Martin.
At the Tofino Clayoquot Heritage Museum, you can learn more about the recovery of this anchor and the ship’s history in David W. Griffiths’ book, Tonquin: The Ghost Ship of Clayoquot Sound. The shipwreck site has never been discovered.
You can spot more historic anchors around Tofino, including from: the Hera, near the First Street Dock, the Lord Western at Anchor Park, an unidentified anchor in the garden below the Shore Building, accessed via Wingen Lane, and an anchor from a typical mid-19th century schooner in Centennial Park at First Street and Arnet Road. Raised by local marine archaeologist Rod Palm, these anchors were installed and cared for by the Tonquin Foundation, the precursor to Tofino Clayoquot Heritage Museum. The museum also carries a book on the Hera: The Fire Ship of Clayoquot Sound by David W. Griffiths.
Both the shipwreck sites for the Lord Western and the Hera are designated heritage sites. To learn more, please visit Canada’s Historic Places’ database at www.historicplaces.ca.
Weeping Cedar Woman by Artist Godfrey Stephens
Over by the playground you will discover Weeping Cedar Woman by artist Godfrey Stephens. Weeping Cedar Woman is what artist Godfrey Stephens calls a “protest sculpture”. An icon of the blockades against old-growth logging on Meares Island, it stood for 17 years on Strawberry Island facing Tofino.
Stephens worked furiously with a chainsaw to carve it within two short weeks in 1984, shaping this red cedar windfall salvaged with permission.
This 16-foot tall cedar-and-copper figure underwent two restorations before being relocated to the Village Green where she stands today.
“Leave the ancient trees alone,” Stephens reminds us. “They seed the forest, they’re venerable, they’re older than any of us.”
More about the artworks can be found in the Downtown Art Walk
