Birkenhead River
Encyclopedia
The Birkenhead River, formerly known as the Portage River, the Pole River and the Mosquito River, is a major tributary of the Lillooet River
, which via Harrison Lake
and the Harrison River
is one of the major tributaries of the lower Fraser River
. It is just over 50 km long from its upper reaches in the unnamed ranges south of Bralorne, British Columbia
(these ranges are sometimes called the Noel Ranges or the Birkenhead Ranges; their western area towards the named Bendor Range
east of Bralorne
is sometimes called the Cadwallader Ranges.
, also known as the Pemberton Portage. The height of land on this route has been variously called Pemberton Pass
(officially), Birken Pass, Gates Pass, and (in gold rush
times) Mosquito Pass. The river is a major salmon
resource for the Lil'wat subgroup of the St'at'imc
people, whose reserve community Mount Currie
which spans the lowland between the very lowest reaches of the Lillooet
and Birkenhead Rivers.
missionary organization, to which Lil'wat people from up and down the Pemberton Valley (Lillooet River
valley above Lillooet Lake
) moved, ultimately to become the Mount Currie
community. Owl Creek is now a large non-native subdivision on the west side of the local highway from Mount Currie to N'quatqua
(D'Arcy).
branches east off the north-aligned Birkenhead River's valley via Poole Creek, which drains the westward side of the Pemberton Pass; Birken Lake at its summit is part of the Gates River
system which drains towards Anderson Lake and Lillooet
. In this area there is a large stone with a foot-shaped impression on it - still there to this day and witnessed by Alexander Caulfield Anderson
on his journey through the area in 1846 - where it is said one of the transformers stamped his foot in the rock to make a boundary between the people of the Canyon and those of the Lillooet River
valley, who had converged on the spot bearing salmon (from the canyon) and spatsum (weaving reed-grass, from the Lillooet River
). Its location is unmarked and as it is on private land it is not available for viewing.
on the west, and by the mountains of upper Noel Creek south of Bralorne
.
and in time it is likely the Birkenhead will be directly a tributary of the Lillooet River
, instead of emptying as it does now into Lillooet Lake
independently, a few hundred yards northeast of the mouth of the Lillooet River (originally this also would have been the case with the Green River
, which is nearer Pemberton
, a few miles west and upstream.
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
, which via Harrison Lake
Harrison Lake
Harrison Lake is the largest lake in the southern Coast Mountains of Canada, being about 250 square kilometres in area. It is about 60 km in length and at its widest almost 9 km across. Its southern end, at the resort community of Harrison Hot Springs, is c. 95 km east of...
and the Harrison River
Harrison River
The Harrison River is a short but large tributary of the Fraser River, entering it near the community of Chehalis, British Columbia. The Harrison drains Harrison Lake and is the de facto continuation of the Lillooet River, which feeds the lake....
is one of the major tributaries of the lower Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
. It is just over 50 km long from its upper reaches in the unnamed ranges south of Bralorne, British Columbia
Bralorne, British Columbia
Bralorne is an historic underground gold mining community in the Bridge River District, some sixty dirt road miles west of the town of Lillooet.-Background:...
(these ranges are sometimes called the Noel Ranges or the Birkenhead Ranges; their western area towards the named Bendor Range
Bendor Range
The Bendor Range is a small but once-famous subrange of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains, about It is approximately 7,000 square kilometres in area and about 40 km long and about 18 km at its widest...
east of Bralorne
Bralorne, British Columbia
Bralorne is an historic underground gold mining community in the Bridge River District, some sixty dirt road miles west of the town of Lillooet.-Background:...
is sometimes called the Cadwallader Ranges.
The river, its resources and its people
Originally known as the Pole River, the lower Birkenhead's valley is part of the Long Portage of the Douglas RoadDouglas Road
The Douglas Road, aka the Lillooet Trail, Harrison Trail or Lakes Route, was a goldrush-era transportation route from the British Columbia Coast to the Interior...
, also known as the Pemberton Portage. The height of land on this route has been variously called Pemberton Pass
Pemberton Pass
Pemberton Pass, , also formerly known as Mosquito Pass, is the lowest point on the divide between the Lillooet and Fraser River drainages, located at Birken, British Columbia, Canada, in the principal valley connecting and between Pemberton and Lillooet...
(officially), Birken Pass, Gates Pass, and (in gold rush
Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River. This was a few miles upstream from the Thompson's confluence with the Fraser River at present-day Lytton...
times) Mosquito Pass. The river is a major salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
resource for the Lil'wat subgroup of the St'at'imc
St'at'imc
The St'át'imc are an Interior Salish people located in the southern Coast Mountains and Fraser Canyon region of the Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia.St'át'imc culture displayed many features typical of Northwest Coast peoples: the...
people, whose reserve community Mount Currie
Mount Currie, British Columbia
Mount Currie is a small community in British Columbia, 164 kilometres north-west of Vancouver and 40 kilometres north-west of Whistler along Highway 99....
which spans the lowland between the very lowest reaches of the Lillooet
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
and Birkenhead Rivers.
Owl Creek
At Owl Creek, a few miles up the Birkenhead, there was one of the major missions of the OblateOblate (religion)
An oblate in Christian monasticism is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Currently, oblate has two meanings:...
missionary organization, to which Lil'wat people from up and down the Pemberton Valley (Lillooet River
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
valley above Lillooet Lake
Lillooet Lake
Lillooet Lake is a lake in British Columbia, Canada about 25 km in length and about 33.5 square kilometres in area. It is about 95 km downstream from the source of the Lillooet River, which resumes its course after leaving Little Lillooet Lake, aka Tenas Lake...
) moved, ultimately to become the Mount Currie
Mount Currie, British Columbia
Mount Currie is a small community in British Columbia, 164 kilometres north-west of Vancouver and 40 kilometres north-west of Whistler along Highway 99....
community. Owl Creek is now a large non-native subdivision on the west side of the local highway from Mount Currie to N'quatqua
N'quatqua
N'Quatqua, variously spelled Nequatque, N'quat'qua, is the proper historic name in the St'at'imcets language for the First Nations village of the Stl'atl'imx people of the community of D'Arcy, which is at the upper end of Anderson Lake about 35 miles southeast of Lillooet and about the same...
(D'Arcy).
Gates River
Just under 25 km up from its mouth, the main Gates ValleyGates River
The Gates River is a short river in the Lillooet Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Approximately 14.5 km in length, it flows generally northeast from the outlet of Birken Lake to its mouth at the head of Anderson Lake...
branches east off the north-aligned Birkenhead River's valley via Poole Creek, which drains the westward side of the Pemberton Pass; Birken Lake at its summit is part of the Gates River
Gates River
The Gates River is a short river in the Lillooet Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Approximately 14.5 km in length, it flows generally northeast from the outlet of Birken Lake to its mouth at the head of Anderson Lake...
system which drains towards Anderson Lake and Lillooet
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
. In this area there is a large stone with a foot-shaped impression on it - still there to this day and witnessed by Alexander Caulfield Anderson
Alexander Caulfield Anderson
Alexander Caulfield Anderson was a Hudson's Bay Company fur-trader, explorer of British Columbia and civil servant....
on his journey through the area in 1846 - where it is said one of the transformers stamped his foot in the rock to make a boundary between the people of the Canyon and those of the Lillooet River
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
valley, who had converged on the spot bearing salmon (from the canyon) and spatsum (weaving reed-grass, from the Lillooet River
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
). Its location is unmarked and as it is on private land it is not available for viewing.
Birkenhead Lake
Birkenhead Lake feeds the Birkenhead River from its south end and connects with a side-valley on its north end. This side valley pass back to the Gates Valley via Blackwater Creek (in historical records sometimes called the Blackwater River). Birkenhead Lake is protected by a small provincial park, although none of the peaks overlooking the lake are protected. Above that the Birkenhead's upper valley is framed by the range which overlooks the Pemberton ValleyLillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
on the west, and by the mountains of upper Noel Creek south of Bralorne
Bralorne, British Columbia
Bralorne is an historic underground gold mining community in the Bridge River District, some sixty dirt road miles west of the town of Lillooet.-Background:...
.
Future of river course
Due to siltation much of the land in the eastern part of the reserve, which lies between the two rivers, is new-made since the period of the gold rushFraser Canyon Gold Rush
The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River. This was a few miles upstream from the Thompson's confluence with the Fraser River at present-day Lytton...
and in time it is likely the Birkenhead will be directly a tributary of the Lillooet River
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
, instead of emptying as it does now into Lillooet Lake
Lillooet Lake
Lillooet Lake is a lake in British Columbia, Canada about 25 km in length and about 33.5 square kilometres in area. It is about 95 km downstream from the source of the Lillooet River, which resumes its course after leaving Little Lillooet Lake, aka Tenas Lake...
independently, a few hundred yards northeast of the mouth of the Lillooet River (originally this also would have been the case with the Green River
Green River (British Columbia)
The Green River is a tributary of the Lillooet River in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Approximately 25 kilometres in length, it begins at the outflow of Green Lake in Whistler and joins the Lillooet River a couple of kilometres above where the river flows into Lillooet Lake...
, which is nearer Pemberton
Pemberton, British Columbia
Pemberton is a village north of Whistler in the Pemberton Valley of British Columbia in Canada, with a population of 2,192. Until the 1960s the village could be accessed only by train but that changed when Highway 99 was built through Whistler and Pemberton.-Climate:The climate of Pemberton is...
, a few miles west and upstream.