Stomping Ground Saturdays: And God Created Vancouver Island

In the beginning after creating the heavens and the earth and dealing with the Adam and Eve thing, God created Vancouver Island in the southwest corner of a country later known as Canada, tucked down and protected by a place later known as Washington State in the U.S. "We will make a long and narrow island where it doesn't get too hot or too cold, where fruits and vegetables of all kinds can grow, where there is snow on the mountain tops in the winter and both rocky and sandy beaches along miles of oceans, lakes and rivers. And we will create a large rain forest where the trees will grow higher and broader than any trees on earth. And we will plant monkey puzzles, palms, and magnolias and all manner of fruit, nut and evergreen trees. The seas will hold whales, otters, seals and all kinds of fish. And flowers of all kinds will add color through out the land. We will populate it with all kinds of wild life except for porcupines and chipmunks, and one day people will come and build small cities filled with people going too fast to enjoy the beauty of the island." And then God shattered a glass and shards of it spread throughout the straits of the sea becoming numerous little islands. And then God kicked back and swam in the ocean and drank heaven's wine on a mountain top while watching the sun rise and set over the ocean. And the people came and divided themselves into various indigenous tribes. And then the Spanish came and the English came and argued over who owned the island. So they decided to name it after both the leaders. "We'll call it George and Juan Island," said George. "I like Juan and George Island," said Juan. "I've got it! We'll call it Quadra and Vancouver Island," said George. "I like that" said Juan, pleased that his name came first. And that's what they did. Years later Juan's name would be dropped and it became known as Vancouver Island - or Vancouver for short to all the explorers because really who wants to continually call it Quadra and Vancouver Island. Well, that is until there was a city named Vancouver on the mainland. And another city named Vancouver in the state of Washington. And then because the name of Vancouver was already taken - several times, the capital city of BC, which is not Vancouver and is on the island, was named Victoria after the sitting Queen of England. But do not dispair. There is a Quadra street in Victoria. And a Quadra Island. Oh, and someone brought rats to the island and they should burn in hell for that. Years and years later, a writer named Anna Maria Junus created a series of books called The Orchards of Marina Colleen, which takes place in the fictional town of Marina Colleen on the very non-fictional Vancouver Island.