Elida Peers | Contributed
We all know that Point No Point is a beautiful viewpoint and one of the most popular resorts in our area, but how did its get its name?
Point No Point Resort owner Stuart Soderberg once told us, “When the English (Royal Navy) first did the marine charts, from one direction it looked like a point, and from the other direction it didn’t look like a point, so they named it Point No Point.”
Another story about the name’s origin comes from Pat (Pedneault) Brooks, who waitressed at the resort when she was a teenager.
MORE HISTORY: A major employer in the region was Elder Logging
Pat recalls Miss Packham, the owner, telling her about her purchase of the magnificent location and her plans to build a tearoom. It was 1952, and the road felt fairly remote. She understood the name was Glacier Point and felt disturbed that the word “glacier” would sound cold and scare off potential Sunday afternoon tea-goers.
Her solution was to use the name “Point No Point,’ and whichever version you like best, the delightful name stuck.
During the Second World War, Canada’s defence forces situated a lookout tower on the farthest point. We understand that after the war, the site was acquired by a gentleman named West, brother to George West, who had briefly operated a fledgling pharmacy in Sooke.
Mr. West soon sold the waterfront property to Evelyn Packham, a nurse who had served overseas in the Second World War. Coming out to the coast, she envisioned seeing the place as a quiet beach frontage with trails to enjoy the view and a small tearoom to support it.
Miss Packham lived in the tower while the little tearoom was built close to West Coast Road, and once the establishment was ready, the first cook/baker she employed was Shirley resident Myrtle Pedneault. The two ladies shared the duties of supplying the tea tables with delightful desserts. And quite naturally, when Myrtle could supply a homegrown tea waitress, daughter Patsy had a job.
With the passage of time, the business expanded, Grace Soderberg of Jordan River became a partner, Miss Packham passed away, and all the while, rental vacation cottages were being built. Grace’s son Stuart Soderberg and his wife Sharon became restaurateurs, and Point No Point became a destination for lunches and dinners.
Whatever the name’s origins, its popularity remains.
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Elida Peers is the historian of the Sooke Region Museum. Email historian@sookeregionmuseum.com.
editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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