Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Dauer Museum of Classic Cars
Peasish (Hrachovina).
‘Hrachovina’
The Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial
The glass mural of old Zacatlán
Vitromurales de Zacatlán
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Rats didn’t take over the city by being foolhardy.
Do New York City Rats Deserve Their Bad Rap?
about 15 hours ago
The Secret Gardens Saving the World’s Rarest Plants
about 18 hours ago
Solo travel can be challenging and sometimes lonely, but it also often leads to the greatest adventures.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Unplug on a Solo Trip?
1 day ago
Museum of Friends
The Art in This Museum Was Donated for Free
1 day ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Canada British Columbia D'arcy Island

D'arcy Island

This small island has a dark past as a colony for Chinese lepers and a dropoff point for bootleggers.

British Columbia

Added By
Sam
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
D’arcy Island as seen from the water.   E Klassen
D’arcy Island as seen from the water.   E Klassen
  sophiestjacques / Atlas Obscura User
  sophiestjacques / Atlas Obscura User
Ruins   sophiestjacques / Atlas Obscura User
Ruins   sophiestjacques / Atlas Obscura User
Chinese lepers on the island from the 1890s.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%27Arcy_Isl...
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

Leprosy, a long-term bacterial infection, was once a scourge around the world until the medical advances of the mid-20th century. The disease has a robust history, and those who suffered from the disease were often shunned or oppressed in various ways throughout the ages.

A common practice, especially in Europe and in their colonies, was to isolate those infected. Canada initially had two leper colonies during the 19th-century. One was located on the east coast for caucasian Canadians at Tracadie, and D'arcy Island on the Pacific coast for Chinese immigrants. 

Health officials in Victoria discovered five Chinese lepers living together in early 1891 and decided to create this isolated colony. From 1891 to 1924, Chinese sufferers of leprosy in Canada were sent to D'arcy Island, no matter where they may have previously resided. The leper colony was not manned by nurses or priests, forcing residents to care of themselves and each other. Food would be dropped off every few months, along with new lepers who would join them on their tiny island prison. The occasional health official would also stop by the island.  

The island, surrounded by the cold, swift waters of the Haro Strait, was difficult to escape, although some tried,  many failed. The only person who did escape was reportedly a man who was newly married, rescued by his bride using a small boat. 

The conditions on the island were awful. No one who was sent there was ever allowed to leave. Doctors would mention on their visits that those healthy enough would be allowed to return to China, but this was a lie told to entice cooperation during inspections.

In the early 20th-century, the government took control of the island. Nearby cities like Vancouver contributed funds to its upkeep so they could continue to send lepers to D'arcy Island. Caretakers were brought in, improving the quality somewhat, but in 1924, the colony was finally shut down, and the few remaining patients were moved to other facilities on nearby Bentick Island. 

In the latter half of the 20th-century, famous American bootlegger, Roy Olmstead used D'arcy Island as a dropoff point. Another boat would come by later to pick up the shipment of liquor.

Today, the island is part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve and includes off-grid camping facilities. The island is only accessible by private boat and is mostly used by sea kayakers. 

Related Tags

Islands

Community Contributors

Added By

SamM

Edited By

cyccommute, sophiestjacques

  • cyccommute
  • sophiestjacques

Published

September 13, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%27Arcy_Island
  • https://www.timescolonist.com/life/victoria-banished-chinese-lepers-to-island-colony-1.7584
  • https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/steffani-cameron/bc-leper-colony-darcy-island-bentinck-victoria-chinese-leprosy_b_2834197.html
  • https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/9kgyaz/island-of-death-bcs-forgotten-racist-leper-colony
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprosy
D'arcy Island
British Columbia, V8L
Canada
48.567262, -123.279996

Nearby Places

Afterglow Vista

Friday Harbor, Washington

miles away

Centre of the Universe

Victoria, British Columbia

miles away

Fan Tan Alley

Victoria, British Columbia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of British Columbia

British Columbia

Canada

Places 135
Stories 22

Nearby Places

Afterglow Vista

Friday Harbor, Washington

miles away

Centre of the Universe

Victoria, British Columbia

miles away

Fan Tan Alley

Victoria, British Columbia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of British Columbia

British Columbia

Canada

Places 135
Stories 22

Related Places

  • Blue Zebra chalet

    Salima, Malawi

    Nankoma Island

    The ideal location for an immersive ecological experience.

  • Tal Barahi Temple

    Pokhara, Nepal

    Tal Barahi Temple

    Lake Phewa is home to the only island temple in Nepal.

  • Remains of an old fort on Dalkey Island.

    Dublin, Ireland

    Dalkey Island

    A tiny island off the coast of Dublin was once a pilgrimage site for the sick and the suffering.

  • August 2021.

    El Trapiche, Panama

    Coiba Island Penal Colony

    An infamous former prison is now a biodiverse national park.

  • The island seen from the opposite shore.

    Tokyo, Japan

    Shoden Island

    Overlooked by many, this tiny sacred island in Ueno Park only opens to the public every 12 days.

  • Exterior of the Tasso Heritage Center

    Pepel, Sierra Leone

    Tasso Heritage Center

    A community heritage center on an overlooked island in the Sierra Leone River estuary.

  • A beach on the island with distinctive rock formations.

    Malpe, India

    Thonsepar

    These four small islands contain unique hexagonal rock formations.

  • Three Island Crossing as seen from the embankment above the river to the south.  This is also a unit of the state park.

    Glenns Ferry, Idaho

    Three Island Crossing State Park

    At the site of the most dangerous crossings on the Oregon Trail, a museum explores the complex history of westward migration in America.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.