Masset
title: "Masset" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["villages-in-british-columbia", "populated-places-in-haida-gwaii", "haida-villages", "graham-island", "hudson's-bay-company-trading-posts"] topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masset" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Masset |
| official_name | Village of Masset |
| settlement_type | Village |
| image_skyline | Masset, BC.jpg |
| pushpin_map | Canada British Columbia#Canada |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location of Masset in British Columbia |
| pushpin_mapsize | |
| coordinates | |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | Canada |
| subdivision_type1 | Province |
| subdivision_name1 | British Columbia |
| subdivision_type2 | Region |
| subdivision_name2 | Haida Gwaii |
| subdivision_type3 | Regional district |
| subdivision_name3 | North Coast |
| leader_title | Governing body |
| leader_name | Masset Village Council |
| leader_title1 | Mayor |
| leader_name1 | Sheri Disney |
| established_title | Registered |
| established_date | 1907 |
| established_title2 | Incorporated |
| established_date2 | 11 May 1961 |
| area_total_km2 | 19.45 |
| area_land_km2 | |
| area_water_km2 | |
| population_as_of | 2021 |
| population_footnotes | |
| population_total | 838 |
| population_density_km2 | auto |
| timezone | PST |
| utc_offset | −8 |
| timezone_DST | PDT |
| utc_offset_DST | -7 |
| elevation_footnotes | |
| elevation_m | 10 |
| blank_name | Highways |
| blank_info | |
| blank1_name | Waterways |
| blank1_info | Dixon Entrance |
| website | |
| :: |
| name = Masset | official_name = Village of Masset | other_name = | native_name = | nickname = | settlement_type = Village | motto = | image_skyline = Masset, BC.jpg | image_caption = | image_flag = | image_seal = | image_shield = | image_map = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Canada British Columbia#Canada | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_caption = Location of Masset in British Columbia | pushpin_mapsize = | coordinates = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Canada | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = British Columbia | subdivision_type2 = Region | subdivision_name2 = Haida Gwaii | subdivision_type3 = Regional district | subdivision_name3 = North Coast | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 = | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = Governing body | leader_name = Masset Village Council | leader_title1 = Mayor | leader_name1 = Sheri Disney | established_title = Registered | established_date = 1907 | established_title2 = Incorporated | established_date2 = 11 May 1961 | area_magnitude = | unit_pref = | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 19.45 | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | population_as_of = 2021 | population_footnotes = | population_note = | population_total = 838 | population_density_km2 = auto | timezone = PST | utc_offset = −8 | timezone_DST = PDT | utc_offset_DST = -7 | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 10 | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code = | blank_name = Highways | blank_info = | blank1_name = Waterways | blank1_info = Dixon Entrance | website = | footnotes = Masset (; formerly Massett) is a village in the Haida Gwaii archipelago in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Masset Sound on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately 50 km west of mainland British Columbia. It is the primary western terminus of Trans-Canada Highway 16 (the Yellowhead Highway) and is served by Masset Airport, with flights to Vancouver and Prince Rupert. During the maritime fur trade of the early 19th century, Masset was a key trading site. It was incorporated as a village municipality on May 11, 1961.
Name
The name Masset was a gift from the captain of a Spanish vessel that was repaired with the assistance of the Haida citizens of Atewaas, Kayung, and Jaaguhl. 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. Masset came from the Haida word masst, or "large island".
During the early years of Canadian colonization the name Masset and the post office were adopted by the (former) Reverend Charles Harrison as tactic for his land-selling scheme.
Currently, the name Masset is in use by two places: The Village of Masset – a municipality under Canadian legislation – and by the village of Old Massett, the original recipient of the name and a village under the Constitution of the Haida Nation. Masset's name in the local dialect of the Haida language is Uttewas, "white slope", probably referring to a small hill south of the village.
According to , |last=Walbran |first=John T., Captain |year=1971 |orig-year=1909 |title=British Columbia Place Names, their Origin and History |place=Vancouver, BC / Toronto, ON |publisher=Douglas & McIntyre |edition=facsimile reprint |page=323 |isbn=0-88894-143-9 |url=http://www.nosracines.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=3545 |url-status=dead |access-date=2008-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220337/http://www.nosracines.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=3545 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |df=dmy-all Captain Douglas, on his second visit from Nootka Sound aboard the Iphigenia on 19 June 1789, named the bay leading to the inlet McIntyre's Bay. This name was used on the charts of Dixon and Meares. The American traders called the inlet, Hancock's River as shown in Ingraham's chart of 1792 after the American brig Hancock. In 1853 H.N. Knox of the Royal Navy, mate on , made a survey sketch of the harbour when the name Masset was adopted by the British. A survey was made in 1907 by Captain Learmouth on HMS Egeria.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Masset had a population of 838 living in 399 of its 518 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 793. With a land area of 20.69 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.
Oceanographic research
From 1942 to 1942, the British Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program was collecting coastal water temperature and salinity measurements for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans from Masset everyday during this period.
Military base
Main article: CFS Masset
Canadian Forces Station Leitrim Detachment Masset, established as Naval Radio Station Masset in 1943, is a Canadian Forces facility used to gather signals intelligence for the Communications Security Establishment Canada and the Canadian Forces Intelligence Branch. The equipment at CFS Masset is operated remotely from CFS Leitrim near Ottawa, Ontario.
Climate
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 1337.4 mm with snowfall of 75.3 cm 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 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 - 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.
Although it is located at over 54 degrees north, rainfall follows a Mediterranean pattern. It is one of the northernmost places with this characteristic. | location = Masset | metric first = yes | single line = yes | Jan record high C = 15.6 | Feb record high C = 14.4 | Mar record high C = 17.8 | Apr record high C = 22.2 | May record high C = 25.0 | Jun record high C = 27.2 | Jul record high C = 28.3 | Aug record high C = 28.9 | Sep record high C = 23.9 | Oct record high C = 21.7 | Nov record high C = 18.9 | Dec record high C = 15.6 | year record high C = 28.9 | Jan high C = 5.1 | Feb high C = 6.0 | Mar high C = 7.2 | Apr high C = 9.6 | May high C = 12.7 | Jun high C = 15.3 | Jul high C = 17.3 | Aug high C = 18.2 | Sep high C = 16.1 | Oct high C = 12.2 | Nov high C = 8.2 | Dec high C = 5.9 | year high C = 11.1 | Jan mean C = 2.4 | Feb mean C = 3.0 | Mar mean C = 3.8 | Apr mean C = 5.8 | May mean C = 8.7 | Jun mean C = 11.5 | Jul mean C = 13.7 | Aug mean C = 14.3 | Sep mean C = 12.1 | Oct mean C = 8.5 | Nov mean C = 5.1 | Dec mean C = 3.5 | year mean C = 7.8 | Jan low C = -2.2 | Feb low C = -0.4 | Mar low C = 0.6 | Apr low C = 2.1 | May low C = 4.6 | Jun low C = 7.6 | Jul low C = 9.9 | Aug low C = 10.5 | Sep low C = 8.0 | Oct low C = 4.8 | Nov low C = 2.0 | Dec low C = 0.6 | year low C = 4.8 | Jan record low C = -18.9 | Feb record low C = -14.4 | Mar record low C = -12.8 | Apr record low C = -7.8 | May record low C = -2.8 | Jun record low C = 0.0 | Jul record low C = 1.7 | Aug record low C = 1.7 | Sep record low C = -2.8 | Oct record low C = -8.3 | Nov record low C = -11.1 | Dec record low C = -13.3 | year record low C = -18.9 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm = 143.3 | Feb precipitation mm = 111.9 | Mar precipitation mm = 110.9 | Apr precipitation mm = 100.9 | May precipitation mm = 80.7 | Jun precipitation mm = 65.8 | Jul precipitation mm = 69.7 | Aug precipitation mm = 72.0 | Sep precipitation mm = 112.1 | Oct precipitation mm = 186.4 | Nov precipitation mm = 181.4 | Dec precipitation mm = 176.9 | year precipitation mm = 1412.0 | unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm | Jan precipitation days = | Feb precipitation days = | Mar precipitation days = | Apr precipitation days = | May precipitation days = | Jun precipitation days = | Jul precipitation days = | Aug precipitation days = | Sep precipitation days = | Oct precipitation days = | Nov precipitation days = | Dec precipitation days = | year precipitation days = | source 1 = Environment Canada | date = Sept 2015}}
References
References
- (2022-02-09). "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Masset, Village (VL) [Census subdivision], British Columbia".
- {{BCGNIS. 35755. Masset
- (February 9, 2022). "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". [[Statistics Canada]].
- "British Columbia Lightstation Sea-Surface Temperature and Salinity Data (Pacific), 1914-present - Open Government Portal". [[Treasury Board of Canada]].
- Robinson, Bill. (March 1989). "Canada and Signals Intelligence: The Electronic Polar Watch". Ploughshares Monitor.
- (January 19, 2011). "Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000 Station Data - Climate - Environment and Climate Change Canada". Environment and Climate Change Canada.
- (October 30, 2011). "Hourly Data Report for August 07, 2014 - Climate - Environment and Climate Change Canada". Environment and Climate Change Canada.
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