Channel Rock was originally the private home of writer and poet, Gilean Douglas, who owned and homesteaded the 140-acre for 40 years from 1953. In 1979 she published "The Protected Place" in which she wrote about the changing seasons at Channel Rock.[2][3] After her death in 1993, the new owners were instrumental in the formation of the registered non-profit The Friends of Channel Rock Society which now runs Channel Rock as a nature reserve and retreat.