Osland was once an active fishing and boatbuilding community on the east coast of Smith Island at the mouth of the Skeena River, approximately 68 miles (109 km) southwest of Terrace and 14 miles (23 km) south-southeast of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The community is located at the north end of De Horsey Passage, a narrow tidal channel between Smith Island to the west and De Horsey Island to the east. This channel connects with Inverness Passage and the main stem of the Skeena River, placing the community near canneries and railway connections to Prince Rupert. The geology of southern Smith Island features Late Cretaceous igneous intrusions, specifically quartz diorite and granodiorite. In contrast, the island’s northern section along Inverness Passage comprises rocks from the Gravina Belt, including sandstone, conglomerate, and shale. These rocks originated from turbidite deposits in a deep ocean trench during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous periods.

Osland was founded by Icelandic-Canadians who migrated from communities in Manitoba, such as Winnipeg, Gimli, Selkirk, Lundar, and Steep Rock. The first settlers arrived around 1912 or 1913, with more joining during and after World War I. The community thrived in the 1920s, reaching a peak population of 90. The main occupation was fishing; initially, most people worked for the nearby Cassiar Cannery. In the mid-1920s, with the introduction of gas-powered boats, fishermen began working for other canneries. Some continued using cannery gas boats, while others fished with their own vessels. Osland had three docks: the Imperial Oil dock and float, used in summer to supply fish packers and the gillnet fleet; the community float, which went dry at low tide; and the government wharf, which could accommodate boats at any hour.

Osland was renowned for quality boatbuilding. The first recorded boat built there was the Iceland, constructed by Johannes (Joe) Laurusson in 1920. George Philippson built a troller at North Pacific Cannery in 1928 and the Julia at Osland in 1931. His brother, Oli Philippson, was closely associated with the North Pacific Cannery, where he worked as a fisherman and served as the winter watchman. The Great Depression of the 1930s caused many families to relocate, putting the one-room school at risk of closing. To address this, several Japanese families were encouraged to move to Osland from the canneries. Among them was the Sakamoto family, who relocated from North Pacific Cannery to Osland in 1931. They established a boatbuilding shop which they operated until their internment during World War II. Read more here and here. Explore more of Osland and Smith Island here: