British Columbia's history started with one word: "Nutka." On James Cook's earliest maps, it was the sole port of entry to a whole new world. Nootka was the home base of avarice and slaughter as the sea otter was rendered extinct in local waters by American and English traders. It gained further infamy with the enslavement of John Jewitt in 1803. Always it has been the "Land of Maquinna," after the legendary chief of the Mowachahts (historically called the Nootkas).

Fifteen years ago it became the discovery of Heather Harbord. The waters of Nootka Sound and the surrounding inlets lured her to their endless coves and hideaways—First Nations villages, abandoned logging camps, Spanish outposts and an ever-changing mosaic of pioneers.