History t

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The house was built in the early 1900s.

By Vancouver Island standards, Sayward is a relatively old community. It was first established in the 1890s at the mouth of the Salmon River and was called Port H'Kusum. Settlers began arriving and pushing inland, spreading into the valley. 

One of the early settlers, Otto Sacht, established a trading post up the river in 1904. He opened a post office in his store, calling it Salmon River.

In 1911, the settlement was officially named Sayward after William Parsons Sayward, a pioneer lumberman who came to Vancouver Island in 1858. Although he never visited the Sayward area, the government of the day decided he deserved honour and so named the community after him.

At the time the settlers arrived, there was a small native village on the Salmon River. By 1917, the village was empty and today the reserve is unoccupied with most descendants living in nearby communities.

Railroad logging started about 1904 and continued through 1914. The rail line became a wagon road which people used to take up to their homesteads. In 1937 a railroad line was built on the opposite side of the valley. Over time, this line was also closed and became the basis of the current truck road.

As with all communities on the North Island, Sayward was only easily accessible by water. It was not until after World War II that a gravel road connected Sayward with Campbell River and not until 1979 that a paved road connected the North Island.

Logging is still the primary industry, but tourism continues to grow and gain in importance.

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We Hope You Enjoy Our Website and Will Visit Sayward Soon!

Sayward Business and Tourism Association

Please Write or Email for More Information!
P.O. Box 222, Sayward, B.C. V0P 1R0  Canada
Email: Sayward Tourism

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