02/14/2026
Tucked into the wild heart of the Discovery Islands, Owen Bay on Sonora Island was once home to one of the most remote and rugged coastal school communities on the B.C. coast.
The first Owen Bay school wasn’t even a schoolhouse — it began in a settler’s home before moving into a floating fish-buyer’s building that served as the second classroom. In 1928, teacher Edith Proctor described the school as “very isolated with few settlers,” perched almost on the beach with no cleared playground and surrounded on all sides by powerful tidal rapids that made access difficult and unpredictable.
At one point, they advertised for a teacher with children just to boost attendance. Mrs. Van Der Est answered the call, arriving with her six children who rowed across the bay to school each day. Inside the classroom, wind pushed through cracks in the walls and high spring tides sometimes flooded the floor.
Life in Owen Bay demanded resilience, creativity, and a deep connection to the ocean — qualities that still define Sonora Island today. Though the school and early settlement days have passed, the spirit of this remote coastal community lives on in the quiet coves, tidal waters, and enduring stories of those who once called Owen Bay home.