04/17/2026
Did you know?
In 1931, the Canadian Pacific Railway opened a resort on Saysutshun, welcoming passengers travelling from the mainland on its British Columbia Coast Steamship Service.
The island featured a bathhouse and a pavilion complete with a soda fountain and spring-loaded dance floor. Nearby, a retired steamship, later a car ferry, called the Charmer, was converted into a floating hotel and moored in Mark Bay.
Operations ceased in 1941, when steamships were called into wartime service.
By 1955, the financially struggling resort was sold to the City of Nanaimo. Unable to maintain the facilities and picnic grounds, the city later sold the island to the provincial government in 1960.
In 1961, Saysutshun was established as a park, ensuring its protection for generations to come.
In 2021, the name Newcastle Island was set aside, and the name Saysutshun was restored. This magnificent place has always been Saysutshun, the name given and carried by the Snuneymuxw People since the first families.
