Englishman River is located in the eastern side of 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...

. It starts on the eastern slopes of the Beaufort Range

Beaufort Range

The Beaufort Range is a mountain range on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, located north of Port Alberni and to the west of Qualicum Beach. It has an area of 448 km2 and is a subrange of the Vancouver Island Ranges which in turn form part of the Insular Mountains.The highest...

, originating from tiny Jewel Lake and flowing in an easterly direction for 40 km, entering 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 Parksville, British Columbia

Parksville, British Columbia

-Demographics:Parksville had a population of 10,993 people in 2006, which was an increase of 6.5% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2006 for Parksville was $55,524, which is below the British Columbia provincial average of $62,346....

. It is an important watershed providing habitat for various species of 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...

 and community water to the residents of Parksville and surrounding area. The following lakes are part of the Englishman River watershed Arrowsmith Lake, Hidden Lake

Hidden Lake

Hidden Lake may refer to:* Hidden Lake * Hidden Lake , a lake near the Kenai River in Alaska, United States.* Hidden Lake , a lake in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada* Hidden Lake in Beaverhead County, Montana...

, Fishtail Lake, Rowbotham Lake

Rowbotham Lake

Rowbotham Lake is a lake located on Vancouver Island north of Englishman River and east of Mount Arrowsmith....

, Healy Lake, Shelton Lake

Shelton Lake

Shelton Lake is a lake located on Vancouver Island at the head of South Englishman River north west of Nanaimo Lakes....

, and Rhododendron Lake

Rhododendron Lake

Rhododendron Lake is a lake located on Vancouver Island east of South Englishman River north west of Nanaimo Lakes. Adjacent to the lake is a small grove of Pacific Rhododendron which is a rare plant on Vancouver Island....

.
Englishman River Falls Provincial Park

Englishman River Falls Provincial Park

Englishman River Falls Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada.-External links:**...

 is a popular tourist destination located approximately 10 km upstream from the mouth of the 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...

. It is famed for its two picturesque waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

s and treed campsites. The park was created on December 20, 1940 in an effort to protect the old-growth forest and its associated ecosystem

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....

 located along the river in the vicinity of the waterfalls.

South Englishman River

The Englishman's south fork begins at Shelton (Echo) Lake and shortly after exiting the north end of that lake enters Healy (Panther) Lake. The river then exits the far end of the lake and flows northeast to where it merges with the main fork of the Englishman.

History

According to a local legend, indigenous people

Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast

The Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those historical peoples. They are now situated within the Canadian Province of British Columbia and the U.S...

 in the area found the skeleton

Skeleton

The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...

 of a Caucasian man near the waterfalls, thus giving the river its current name; according to a Victoria Colonist article in December 1949 (Islander section, p.10), the river was given its name because "an Englishman was drowned while attempting to cross." Spanish mapmakers originally named it the "Rio de Grullas," presumably because of the large number of Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...

s living at its estuary (grulla being Spanish for "crane").