Masset | |
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| Village of Masset[1] | |
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  Masset Masset (Canada) Show map of Canada | |
| Coordinates:54°00′36″N132°08′17″W / 54.01000°N 132.13806°W /54.01000; -132.13806 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Region | Haida Gwaii |
| Regional district | North Coast |
| Registered | 1907 |
| Incorporated | 11 May 1961 |
| Government | |
| • Governing body | Masset Village Council |
| • Mayor | Sheri Disney |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.45 km2 (7.51 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Total | 838 |
| • Density | 43/km2 (110/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| Highways |  Highway 16 (TCH) |
| Waterways | Dixon Entrance |
| Website | massetbc |
Masset (/ˈmæsɪt/; formerlyMassett)[1] is a village in theHaida Gwaiiarchipelago inBritish Columbia, Canada. It is located onMasset Sound on the northern coast ofGraham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately 50 km (31 mi) west of mainland British Columbia. It is the primary western terminus ofTrans-Canada Highway 16 (theYellowhead Highway) and is served byMasset Airport, with flights toVancouver andPrince Rupert. During themaritime fur trade of the early 19th century, Masset was a key trading site. It was incorporated as a village municipality on May 11, 1961.[1]
The name Masset was a gift from the captain of a Spanish vessel that was repaired with the assistance of theHaida citizens ofAtewaas,Kayung andJaaguhl. These three villages accepted the gift and adopted the name Masset to commemorate what might be the first ever contact between Europeans and the Haida.
During the early years of Canadian colonization the name Masset and the post office were adopted by the former ReverendCharles Harrison as part of his scheme to sell land.
The name Masset is currently in use by two places: theVillage of Masset, a municipality under Canadian legislation; and by the Village ofOld Massett, the original recipient of the name and a village under the Constitution of the Haida Nation.
According to John T. Walbran,[3]: 323 Masset came from the Haida wordMasst, or large island. Captain Douglas, on his second visit fromNootka Sound aboard theIphigenia on June 19, 1789, named the bay leading to the inletMcIntyre's Bay. This name was used on the charts ofDixon andMeares. The American traders called the inlet,Hancock's River as shown in Ingraham's chart of 1792 after the American brigHancock. In 1853 H.N. Knox of the Royal Navy, mate onHMS Virago, did a sketch survey of the harbour when the name Masset was adopted by the British. A survey was made in 1907 by Captain Learmouth onHMS Egeria.
Masset's name in the local dialect of the Haida language isUttewas, "white slope", probably referring to a small hill south of the village.[1]
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Masset had a population of 838 living in 399 of its 518 total private dwellings, a change of5.7% from its 2016 population of 793. With a land area of 20.69 km2 (7.99 sq mi), it had a population density of40.5/km2 (104.9/sq mi) in 2021.[4]
From 1942 to 1942, theBritish Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program was collecting coastal water temperature and salinity measurements for theDepartment of Fisheries and Oceans from Masset everyday during this period.[5]
Canadian Forces Station Leitrim Detachment Masset, established as Naval Radio Station Masset in 1943, is aCanadian Forces facility used to gathersignals intelligence for theCommunications Security Establishment Canada and theCanadian Forces Intelligence Branch.[6] The equipment at CFS Masset is operated remotely fromCFS Leitrim nearOttawa,Ontario.
The climate, moderated by a warm Pacific current from Japan, is generally mild with no extremes in temperature,oceanic (Cfb). Annual temperature varies only 20 degrees Celsius but is variable and unpredictable - even within a 24-hour period. Average rainfall is 1,337.4 mm (52.65 in) with snowfall of 75.3 cm (29.65 in)[7] and there is generally a breeze, most often out of the southeast when it is raining, and the northwest when it is sunny.
Summer temperatures are in the 15 to 20 °C (59 to 68 °F) range and the days are long - May, June, July boasting 18 hours of daylight. August and May general have the most sun but there is a fair degree of rain throughout the summer months. Winter months are mild with temperatures in the 0–8 °C (32–46 °F) range and while precipitation is usually in the form of rain there can be some snowfall. Conditions can become severe without warning and Masset has registered wind gusts to 160 km/h (99 mph).
Although it is located at over54 degrees north, rainfall follows aMediterranean pattern. It is one of the northernmost places with this characteristic.
| Climate data for Masset | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.6 (60.1) | 14.4 (57.9) | 17.8 (64.0) | 22.2 (72.0) | 25.0 (77.0) | 27.2 (81.0) | 28.3 (82.9) | 28.9 (84.0) | 23.9 (75.0) | 21.7 (71.1) | 18.9 (66.0) | 15.6 (60.1) | 28.9 (84.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.1 (41.2) | 6.0 (42.8) | 7.2 (45.0) | 9.6 (49.3) | 12.7 (54.9) | 15.3 (59.5) | 17.3 (63.1) | 18.2 (64.8) | 16.1 (61.0) | 12.2 (54.0) | 8.2 (46.8) | 5.9 (42.6) | 11.1 (52.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.4 (36.3) | 3.0 (37.4) | 3.8 (38.8) | 5.8 (42.4) | 8.7 (47.7) | 11.5 (52.7) | 13.7 (56.7) | 14.3 (57.7) | 12.1 (53.8) | 8.5 (47.3) | 5.1 (41.2) | 3.5 (38.3) | 7.8 (46.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.2 (28.0) | −0.4 (31.3) | 0.6 (33.1) | 2.1 (35.8) | 4.6 (40.3) | 7.6 (45.7) | 9.9 (49.8) | 10.5 (50.9) | 8.0 (46.4) | 4.8 (40.6) | 2.0 (35.6) | 0.6 (33.1) | 4.8 (40.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −18.9 (−2.0) | −14.4 (6.1) | −12.8 (9.0) | −7.8 (18.0) | −2.8 (27.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | 1.7 (35.1) | 1.7 (35.1) | −2.8 (27.0) | −8.3 (17.1) | −11.1 (12.0) | −13.3 (8.1) | −18.9 (−2.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 143.3 (5.64) | 111.9 (4.41) | 110.9 (4.37) | 100.9 (3.97) | 80.7 (3.18) | 65.8 (2.59) | 69.7 (2.74) | 72.0 (2.83) | 112.1 (4.41) | 186.4 (7.34) | 181.4 (7.14) | 176.9 (6.96) | 1,412 (55.59) |
| Source:Environment Canada[7][8] | |||||||||||||
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