D'Arcy, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
D'Arcy is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of British Columbia
, approximately 150 kilometres northeast of the city of Vancouver
. Located at the head of Anderson Lake, D'Arcy, also known as Nequatque or N'Quatqua in the St'at'imcets (Lillooet) language, is partly a recreational and resource community and also the territory and residential area of the N'Quatqua First Nation
.
of 1858-1859, when it became one of the major ports of the Douglas Road
, a.k.a. the "Lakes Route", which connected to the upper Fraser Canyon from the lower Fraser via a series of portages and lake transport. Steamers and other watercraft ran Anderson Lake from D'Arcy to the foot of the lake at Seton Portage
(then known as Short Portage) a short 3 kilometre portage to Seton Lake
, and from the foot of that lake another 5 kilometres to the trail's destination, the boomtown of Cayoosh Flat, which is today's town of Lillooet
. The name D'Arcy was conferred on the settlement, which after the gold rush reverted to near-entirely First Nations population only, at the time of the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, when non-native settlers once again took up land in the area, including a general store and a set of cabins by the lakeshore. The longtime proprietress of the store at D'Arcy, Irene Edwards, wrote a history of the entire region surrounding D'Arcy, as well as the town and its native people, in her self-published Short Portage to Lillooet.
or Birken Valley) and the Pemberton Valley in those times had no road access to the Coast, its physical isolation made regulations placed on the Japanese somewhat lax in comparison to the internment camps in the Kootenays. Because of this situation, D'Arcy local Frank Devine was able to hire the relocated Japanese men, and brought them to work at a logging camp and mill two miles (3 km) up the Gates River from D'Arcy, which has ever since been known as Devine.
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...
, approximately 150 kilometres northeast of the city of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. Located at the head of Anderson Lake, D'Arcy, also known as Nequatque or N'Quatqua in the St'at'imcets (Lillooet) language, is partly a recreational and resource community and also the territory and residential area of the N'Quatqua First Nation
N'quatqua First Nation
The N'Quatqua First Nation, also known as the N'quatqua Nation, the N'Quatqua Nation, the Nequatque First Nation, the Anderson Lake Indian Band, the Anderson Lake First Nation and the Anderson Lake Band , is a First Nations government of the St'at'imc people, located in the southern Coast...
.
The Lakes Route
D'Arcy was founded as a non-native community named Port Anderson during the Fraser Canyon 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...
of 1858-1859, when it became one of the major ports of the Douglas Road
Douglas 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...
, a.k.a. the "Lakes Route", which connected to the upper Fraser Canyon from the lower Fraser via a series of portages and lake transport. Steamers and other watercraft ran Anderson Lake from D'Arcy to the foot of the lake at Seton Portage
Seton Portage, British Columbia
Seton Portage is a historic rural community in British Columbia, Canada, that is about 25 km west of Lillooet, located between Seton Lake and Anderson Lake. "The Portage" was formed about 10,000 years ago when the flank of the Cayoosh Range, which is the south flank of the valley, let go and...
(then known as Short Portage) a short 3 kilometre portage to Seton Lake
Seton Lake
Seton Lake is a freshwater fjord draining east via the Seton River into the Fraser River at the town of Lillooet, British Columbia, about 22 km long and 243 m in elevation and 26.2 square kilometres in area...
, and from the foot of that lake another 5 kilometres to the trail's destination, the boomtown of Cayoosh Flat, which is today's town of 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,...
. The name D'Arcy was conferred on the settlement, which after the gold rush reverted to near-entirely First Nations population only, at the time of the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, when non-native settlers once again took up land in the area, including a general store and a set of cabins by the lakeshore. The longtime proprietress of the store at D'Arcy, Irene Edwards, wrote a history of the entire region surrounding D'Arcy, as well as the town and its native people, in her self-published Short Portage to Lillooet.
Japanese relocatees and Devine
Nearby McGillivray Falls, a small resort a few miles down Anderson Lake via the railway, became one of the handful of relocation centres for Japanese expelled from the Coast during the Second World War. D'Arcy at that time was just inside the 100 miles (160.9 km) "quarantine" zone from the Coast beyond which all Japanese had to be evacuated, but because the D'Arcy-Birken valley (known as the Gates ValleyGates Valley
The Gates Valley is a valley and group of communities in the Lillooet Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located between the summit of Pemberton Pass and the head of Anderson Lake at the community of D'Arcy...
or Birken Valley) and the Pemberton Valley in those times had no road access to the Coast, its physical isolation made regulations placed on the Japanese somewhat lax in comparison to the internment camps in the Kootenays. Because of this situation, D'Arcy local Frank Devine was able to hire the relocated Japanese men, and brought them to work at a logging camp and mill two miles (3 km) up the Gates River from D'Arcy, which has ever since been known as Devine.
Facilities
There is a public beach with boatramp. The N'Quatqua First Nation government offices also feature a gas station, store and post office boxes, community hall, school and other community services.See also
- N'QuatquaN'quatquaN'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...
- N'Quatqua First NationN'quatqua First NationThe N'Quatqua First Nation, also known as the N'quatqua Nation, the N'Quatqua Nation, the Nequatque First Nation, the Anderson Lake Indian Band, the Anderson Lake First Nation and the Anderson Lake Band , is a First Nations government of the St'at'imc people, located in the southern Coast...