Fountain Valley (British Columbia)
Encyclopedia
The Fountain Valley, officially named the Three Lake Valley and also known as the Fountain Lakes Valley, is a valley
and rural community located on the east flank of Fountain Ridge, just east of the town of Lillooet, British Columbia
, Canada
and immediately south of the First Nations
reserve
community of Fountain
. The valley is historically significant as part of the River Trail
, which ran up the length of the Fraser River
from Yale
to Big Bar and beyond, diverging at various points to connect to trails farther east and with the Old Cariboo Road
at Fountain, then known as the Upper Fountains and an important junction and staging-ground for freight wagons and travellers bound northwards to the Cariboo goldfields
. The trail through the valley, which developed into a wagon road whose roadgrade is largely used by today's road through the valley, climbs a steep grade from its southern end, near Fountainview Farms on the Fraser, and descends relatively gently towards Fountain. The three lakes in the valley, which give it its official name, are Cinquefoil Lake, Kwotlenemo Lake (aka Fountain Lake), and Chilhil Lake, the three of them collectively being known as the Fountain Lakes. All three are noted for their fly-fishing and are regularly stocked by the provincial wildlife service. There are many recreational dwellings and small ranches forming a community in the valley, which is something of a rural "suburb" of Lillooet.
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
and rural community located on the east flank of Fountain Ridge, just east of the town of Lillooet, British Columbia
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,...
, 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...
and immediately south of the First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
community of Fountain
Fountain, British Columbia
Fountain is an unincorporated rural area and Indian Reserve community in the Fraser Canyon region of British Columbia, Canada, located at the ten-mile mark from the town of Lillooet on BC Highway 99, which in that area is also on the route of the Old Cariboo Road and is located at the junction of...
. The valley is historically significant as part of the River Trail
River Trail (British Columbia)
The River Trail was a main route for travel in the colonial era of what is now the Canadian province of British Columbia, running northwards along the Fraser River from to present day Lillooet to Big Bar, British Columbia and points beyond in the Cariboo District...
, which ran up the length of the 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...
from Yale
Yale, British Columbia
Yale is an unincorporated town in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was founded in 1848 by the Hudson's Bay Company as Fort Yale by Ovid Allard, the appointed manager of the new post, who named it after his superior, James Murray Yale, then Chief Factor of the Columbia District...
to Big Bar and beyond, diverging at various points to connect to trails farther east and with the Old Cariboo Road
Old Cariboo Road
The Old Cariboo Road is a reference to the original wagon road to the Cariboo gold fields in what is now the Canadian province of British Columbia...
at Fountain, then known as the Upper Fountains and an important junction and staging-ground for freight wagons and travellers bound northwards to the Cariboo goldfields
Cariboo Gold Rush
The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Although the first gold discovery was made in 1859 at Horsefly Creek, followed by more strikes at Keithley Creek and Antler Horns lake in 1860, the actual rush did not begin until 1861, when these discoveries were...
. The trail through the valley, which developed into a wagon road whose roadgrade is largely used by today's road through the valley, climbs a steep grade from its southern end, near Fountainview Farms on the Fraser, and descends relatively gently towards Fountain. The three lakes in the valley, which give it its official name, are Cinquefoil Lake, Kwotlenemo Lake (aka Fountain Lake), and Chilhil Lake, the three of them collectively being known as the Fountain Lakes. All three are noted for their fly-fishing and are regularly stocked by the provincial wildlife service. There are many recreational dwellings and small ranches forming a community in the valley, which is something of a rural "suburb" of Lillooet.