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TO LOG THIS VIRTUAL:
1) Send answers to cache owner The name of the person who "loved sunny days" and the full date they became an angel.
2) Post a photo of you, someone in your group, or a personal item on the bench with Tod Inlet in the background. Please note that faces are not required.
DO NOT POST answers in your log
Access and off-road parking are available on Wallace Drive. The main trail is located behind the yellow gate at N 48° 33.596. W 123° 27.300. It can take about 20 minutes to walk down to the inlet, slightly longer to walk back up the gradual slope. The tree-covered slopes surrounding Tod Inlet are part of Gowland Tod Provincial Park. This park encompasses nearly the entire east side of Saanich Inlet, stretching from Goldstream all the way to Brentwood Bay. The trees along the shore to the north hide Buchart Gardens.
History
Tod Inlet was a traditional place used by the W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) First Nation. It was called SṈIDȻEȽ, (pronounced ‘sneed-kwith’) which means, “place of the Blue Grouse”, a symbol meaning the land was plentiful. This area was used for gathering edible and medicinal plants and building materials.
Limestone was discovered here in the late 1800s and started the industrial use of this area. The Butchart family purchased the land in the early 1900s and established the Vancouver Portland Cement Company. The cement company was in full operation from 1904 to 1913, and the mined limestone was transported out by water.
Vancouver Portland Cement Company plant in operation circa 1904
Quarrying here continued until the limestone was exhausted and the plant was moved to Bamberton, across the Saanich Inlet. Butchart Gardens was created in the remnants of the quarry.
The industry brought settlers to the area and with them, the construction of shantytowns. Evidence of these people’s lives scattered throughout the area. Cement foundations of homes, fruit trees, garden plants, herbs, and debris midden sites throughout the forest show how and where they lived. Discarded bricks along the banks of the inlet are very prominent features. An old garbage dump is hidden in the forest.
An old dam on Tod Creek on the south side of the trail was built between 1904 & 1905
Clay Mill remains N 48° 33.559 W 123° 27.544
Tod Inlet Ruins N 48° 33.657 W 123° 28.054
Gowland Tod Provincial Park was established in 1994 as part of the Commonwealth Heritage Legacy program and SṈIDȻEȽ became a protected place.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.