The Campbell River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 on Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, draining into Discovery Passage

Discovery Passage

Discovery Passage is a channel that forms part of the Inside Passage between Vancouver Island and the Discovery Islands which lie off the British Columbia coast north of the Georgia Strait. It was named by Captain Vancouver for his ship, the HMS Discovery...

 at the northwest end of the Strait of Georgia

Strait of Georgia

The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...

, at the City of Campbell River

Campbell River, British Columbia

Campbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route...

, which is named for the river. The Kwak'wala

Kwak'wala

Kwak'wala is the Indigenous language spoken by the Kwakwaka'wakw. It belongs to the Wakashan language family. There are about 250 Kwak'wala speakers today, which amounts to 5% of the Kwakwaka'wakw population...

 name for the river, or for the village near its mouth (see Campbell River Indian Reserve No. 11, is Tla'mataxw. The source of the river is Buttle Lake

Buttle Lake

Buttle Lake is a lake on Vancouver Island in Strathcona Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is about long and side, has an area of , is up to deep, and lies at an elevation of . The lake is located between Campbell River and Gold River in Strathcona Provincial Park; there is a...

.

Name origin

The river was named for Dr. Samuel Campbell

Samuel Campbell (doctor)

Samuel Campbell was ship's surgeon of HMS Plumper from 1857 to 1861. He is the namesake of Campbell Island, the location of the community of Balla Bella, and of the Campbell River on Vancouver Island, which is itself the namesake of the City of Campbell River.-References:...

, ship's surgeon aboard the HMS Plumper from 1857 to 1861. Campbell Bay on Mayne Island

Mayne Island

Mayne Island is a rustic 21-km² island in the southern Gulf Islands chain of British Columbia. It is situated midway between the Lower Mainland of BC and Vancouver Island, and has a population of around eleven hundred.-History:...

 and Samuel Island were also named for him, as may also have been Campbell Point on Loughborough Inlet

Loughborough Inlet

Loughborough Inlet is one of the lesser principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast. It penetrates the Coast Mountains on the north side of the Discovery Islands archipelago, running about from its head at the mouth of the Stafford River to Chancellor Channel and Cordero Channel, which are on...

 and Campbell Island

Campbell Island (British Columbia)

Campbell Island is an island in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located west of Denny Island and north of Hunter Island, near Milbanke Sound. The Inside Passage waterways of Lama Pass and Seaforth Channel meet at the northern end of Campbell Island....

, the location of the community of Bella Bella

Bella Bella, British Columbia

Bella Bella, also known as Waglisla, is an unincorporated community and Indian Reserve community located within Bella Bella Indian Reserve No. 1 on the east coast of Campbell Island in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. Bella Bella is located north of Port Hardy, on Vancouver...

.