Real Estate Homes, Land, Condos,and Properties in the Rural area of Sooke Victoria BC

When the fur trading fort of the Hudson’s Bay Company was established at Camosun (now known as Victoria) in 1843, it led to European immigration and the acquisition of land. The first immigrant to independently purchase land in the newly formed colony of Vancouver Island, situated at Sooke harbor in 1849, happened to be Captain Walter Colqohoun Grant of the Royal Scots Greys. A monument commemorating his memory was erected in 1958 during B.C.’s Centennial.

Upon Grant's return to Britain in 1853, he bequeathed his properties to the John and Anne Muir family, who had similarly journeyed from Scotland to Vancouver’s Island in 1849. Tasked by the Hudson’s Bay Company to search for coal, the Muirs initially headed to Fort Rupert, but by 1851, they had settled on land in Sooke.

This family, consisting of four sons, a daughter, and the couple themselves, would go on to significantly shape the region's development. While Grant constructed a water-powered sawmill, his most enduring legacy remains the vibrant yellow blooms that emerged from the Scottish broom seeds he planted, which have since proliferated from Alaska to California. The Muirs, however, are credited with establishing lumber markets spanning from nearby San Francisco to regions as far-reaching as South America, the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), and Australia. By 1855, the Muirs had set up a steam-powered sawmill, created a thriving farm, and constructed multiple seafaring vessels. In 1884, the sons erected three impressive and elegant homes, two of which, named Woodside and Burnside, remain standing today.

Members of the T’Sou-ke community were employed at various tasks, including the sawmill, barrel stave production, and the collection of bark for the tanning industry. Among the other families that gained prominence in Sooke’s early immigrant history were the Brule and Poirer groups, originally hailing from Quebec. They arrived in Sooke by tracing the fur trade route. The growth of the forest industry had been a driving force for both Grant and Muir, and the Muir forestry enterprise held sway until 1890.

In the early 1900s, a sequence of commercial fish traps emerged as the cornerstone of Sooke's economy, featuring driven piles in the ocean floor and netting strategically placed to intercept salmon. This industry prevailed until the middle of the century when fleets of independent fishing boats brought about the demise of the "fishtrap" trade. In those initial years of the 1900s, the immense rainforests within the region's watersheds drew the attention of distant entrepreneurs, prompting the vigorous logging of imposing Douglas-fir, red cedar, Sitka spruce, and hemlock trees. Well before the advent of contemporary technology, a photo from the 1920s showcases a ten-horse team laboring to haul an enormous log. Up until a decade ago, the district's economy was predominantly shaped by rainforest logging, which not only sustained the local area but also enriched the provincial treasury.

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