Irvine's Landing was the first post-contact settlement in the Pender Harbour area, and quickly became a hub for supplies and provisions. The first settler in Pender Harbour was an English immigrant named Charles Irvine, who established a small trading post in 1865. Steve Dames, a displaced seaman from Riga, Latvia, and Joe Perry of Cape Verde became familiar with Irvine's Landing, and purchased it in 1898.