History

    Our Land

    37 Acres With a Long Memory

    The land Camp Denman sits on has been inhabited, cultivated, and cared for far longer than any building has stood here. Understanding that history is part of understanding this place.

    Before Settlement

    Denman Island — known as PUNCHLATT to the Pentlatch people and Taystay'ich in the broader Indigenous naming tradition — was a seasonal home for Coast Salish and Kwakwaka'wakw communities for at least 5,000 years. The Pentlatch, Qualicum, K'omoks, and Tla'amin (Sliammon) peoples established summer camps across the island for deer hunting, salmon fishing, and harvesting the rich shellfish beds of Baynes Sound — the same waters visible from our shoreline.

    Shell midden beaches and ancient petroglyphs on the cliffs of Chrome Island, just off the southern tip, are among the archaeological evidence of this deep presence. In 1862, a devastating smallpox epidemic decimated the Pentlatch population, and survivors joined the K'omoks community in nearby Comox. The effects of that loss echo through the island's history to this day.

    The Pioneer Era

    European settlers began arriving on Denman Island in 1874. The first Crown Grants of land were issued in 1877 at a dollar an acre. Large families — the Piercys, the McFarlanes, the Grahams — migrated from Eastern Canada and established farms, orchards, and logging operations. The northwest portion of the island, where our property sits along Northwest Road, was part of this early agricultural landscape. The Piercy family, one of Denman's founding settler families, held land in this area.

    The orchards planted during this era made apples Denman's most famous export. Roughly 100 heritage apple varieties still grow on the island today and are celebrated each autumn at Denman Island events. Our own property retains a seven-acre orchard from this period — a living connection to the island's agricultural roots.

    To learn more about Denman Island's rich pioneer and community history, visit the Denman Island Museum & Archives, located just down Northwest Road from our campus. The museum is administered by the Denman Island Seniors and Museum Society and houses an extensive photographic collection, oral histories, and records spanning the island's full history.

    Camp Elkhaven

    In the late 1970s, the Elks of Canada — through the BC Elks Recreation Children's Camp Society — acquired the property and established Camp Elkhaven. For decades, this 35-acre seaside property served as a free, year-round camp for children's groups, youth organizations, and kids with special needs who might never have had a camping experience otherwise.

    Elkhaven was special within the Elks camp network. It was the only one of their three BC camps where the organization owned the land outright. Thousands of children came through these grounds — cadets, church groups, minor sports teams, and families. BC Ferries provided free passage for kids traveling to the camp. The property featured a large dormitory, a communal kitchen, outdoor toilets scattered through the forest, and that seven-acre orchard where groups camped under the trees.

    The Denman Island community embraced Elkhaven. The island's Community Church held annual picnics on the grounds through the 1980s. The property was designated as one of Denman Island's official emergency gathering points by the Comox Valley Regional District. Elkhaven wasn't just a camp — it was part of the fabric of island life.

    To learn more about the Elks and their ongoing work with children across BC, visit our dedicated Elks Legacy page.

    Camp Denman

    When we acquired the property, the main lodge building had seen better days. Islanders had taken to calling it "Rat Haven" — and not without reason. The bones were solid, but decades of hard use and deferred maintenance had taken their toll.

    We're gutting the entire building — it's down to the shell now. The old bunks, the damaged insulation, the crumbling walls are all out. The old deck is coming down and a new one is going up, stretching the full width of the building, heated and lit. Running Cat 8 ethernet through the entire structure. Building a professional recording studio where dormitory rooms used to be. Installing a dance studio with a sprung floor and cyclorama wall. Building out a commercial kitchen. Creating art studios, classrooms, the Code & AI Lab, a live performance room.

    Outside, 20 steel-frame glamping tent frames are going up where children once pitched canvas. Electrical is being run to every site. All 20 will be fully furnished with HVAC by May 31, 2026. The seven-acre orchard still stands.

    The mission has evolved, but the spirit of this place hasn't changed as much as you might think. Camp Elkhaven gave children a chance to experience something they couldn't access at home. Camp Denman gives creators the same thing — a place with professional tools, dedicated time, and the irreplaceable experience of making things together in a place this beautiful.

    We are honored to carry this land's story forward.

    Getting Here

    Camp Denman is located at 2325 Northwest Road, Denman Island, BC. Access is by BC Ferries from Buckley Bay, approximately 20 minutes south of Courtenay and 60 minutes north of Nanaimo. The ferry crossing takes about 10 minutes. Denman Island is part of the Islands Trust and the Comox Valley Regional District.

    For more about the island, visit Visit Denman Island. For information about the island's protected natural areas, see the Denman Conservancy Association.