Lillooet River
Encyclopedia
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 upper valley is about 95 kilometres in length, entering Lillooet Lake about 15 km downstream from Pemberton
on the eastern outskirts of the Mount Currie
reserve of the Lil'wat branch of the St'at'imc
people. From Pemberton Meadows, about 40 km upstream from Pemberton, to Lillooet Lake, the flat bottomlands of the river form the Pemberton Valley
farming region.
Below the 30 km length of Lillooet Lake
, it resumes again just north of the native community and ghost town of Skookumchuck Hot Springs
, which is known in the St'at'imcets language as Skatin
. The lower stretch of the Lillooet River, from Lillooet Lake
to Harrison Lake
, is approximately 55 km (c. 34 mi) in length. Its main tributaries are Meager Creek
, the Ryan River
, the Green River
, and the Birkenhead River
. Below Harrison Lake
, the stream is renamed as the Harrison River
, which enters the Fraser
near the First Nations community of Chehalis
.
The lower Lillooet River and Lillooet Lake
were part of a short-lived main route between the Coast and the Interior in the days of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
. See the Douglas Road
.
med with breccia
from a Plinian
style eruption that was erupted from Mount Meager
2350 years ago. The breccia damming the Lillooet River was not very strong, then the water soon eroded the breccia that was damming the river, forming Keyhole Falls
. There was a massive flood
when the water first broke through the breccia. The flood was big enough that small house
sized blocks of breccia were carried away during the flood.
in Maple Ridge
; the neighbourhood that grew up on its south branch became known as South Lillooet, but to avoid confusion the new postmaster was requested to come up with a name, choosing Yennadon after his family manor on the Devon
shire Moors. The river name was changed formally on March 31, 1915 with "Alouette" chosen because of its resemblance to the sound of "Lillooet".
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often...
of 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...
. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap
Lillooet Icecap
The Lillooet Icecap, also called the Lillooet Icefield or the Lillooet Crown, is a large icefield in the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is about northwest of the towns of Pemberton and Whistler, and about north of Vancouver, British Columbia...
about 80 kilometres northwest of 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...
and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
. Its upper valley is about 95 kilometres in length, entering Lillooet Lake about 15 km downstream from 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...
on the eastern outskirts of 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....
reserve of the Lil'wat branch 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. From Pemberton Meadows, about 40 km upstream from Pemberton, to Lillooet Lake, the flat bottomlands of the river form the Pemberton Valley
Pemberton Valley
The Pemberton Valley is a valley flanking the Lillooet River upstream from Lillooet Lake, including the communities of Mount Currie, Pemberton, British Columbia and the agricultural district surrounding them and flanking the river as far upstream as the Pemberton Meadows area...
farming region.
Below the 30 km length of 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...
, it resumes again just north of the native community and ghost town of Skookumchuck Hot Springs
Skookumchuck Hot Springs, British Columbia
T'sek Hot Springs, near the First Nation community of Skookumchuck and more recently as Skatin is on the historic Harrison Lillooet Gold Rush trail in the Lillooet River valley, south of Lillooet Lake, in British Columbia, Canada...
, which is known in the St'at'imcets language as Skatin
Skatin First Nation
The Skatin First Nations, aka the Skatin Nations, are a band government of the In-SHUCK-ch Nation, a small group of the larger St'at'imc people who are also referred to as Lower Stl'atl'imx. Skatin, the St'at'imcets version of the Chinook Jargon Skookumchuck, is located 4 km south of historic St...
. The lower stretch of the Lillooet River, from 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...
to 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...
, is approximately 55 km (c. 34 mi) in length. Its main tributaries are Meager Creek
Meager Creek
Meager Creek is a creek in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. It flows northeast into the Lillooet River....
, the Ryan River
Ryan River
The Ryan River is a short but major tributary of the Lillooet River, running largely eastward approximately 42 km from its source on the eastern flank of the Pemberton Icefield before joining the Lillooet River in the area of Pemberton Meadows.-References:*...
, 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...
, and the Birkenhead River
Birkenhead River
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...
. Below 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...
, the stream is renamed as 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....
, which enters the Fraser
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...
near the First Nations community of Chehalis
Chehalis, British Columbia
Chehalis, British Columbia is a small forestry, agricultural and First Nations community in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia located on Highway 7 on the west bank of the Harrison River between the town of Mission and the resort community of Harrison Hot Springs.Chehalis is the site of...
.
The lower Lillooet River and 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...
were part of a short-lived main route between the Coast and the Interior in the days of the Fraser Canyon 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...
. See 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...
.
2350 BP eruption of Mount Meager
The Lillooet River was damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
med with breccia
Breccia
Breccia is a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix, that can be either similar to or different from the composition of the fragments....
from a Plinian
Plinian eruption
Plinian eruptions, also known as 'Vesuvian eruptions', are volcanic eruptions marked by their similarity to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 ....
style eruption that was erupted from Mount Meager
Mount Meager
Mount Meager, originally known as Meager Mountain, is a complex volcano in the Sea-to-Sky Corridor of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located north of Vancouver at the northern end of the Pemberton Valley. Part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc of western North America, its summit is above...
2350 years ago. The breccia damming the Lillooet River was not very strong, then the water soon eroded the breccia that was damming the river, forming Keyhole Falls
Keyhole Falls
Keyhole Falls is the unofficial name for the largest waterfall along the Lillooet River in British Columbia, Canada. The falls are high and are a punchbowl type of waterfall.It is called Keyhole Falls because it resembles a giant old-fashioned keyhole....
. There was a massive flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
when the water first broke through the breccia. The flood was big enough that small house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
sized blocks of breccia were carried away during the flood.
The "other" Lillooet River
Until the 1910s, the name Lillooet River also applied to what is now the Alouette RiverAlouette River
The Alouette River is a river in the Canadian province of British Columbia.The Alouette River was known as the Lillooet River until 1914, at which time its name was changed to avoid confusion with the much larger Lillooet River...
in Maple Ridge
Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Maple Ridge is a District Municipality in British Columbia, located in the northeastern section of Metro Vancouver. Maple Ridge has a population of approximately 68,949.-History:...
; the neighbourhood that grew up on its south branch became known as South Lillooet, but to avoid confusion the new postmaster was requested to come up with a name, choosing Yennadon after his family manor on the Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire Moors. The river name was changed formally on March 31, 1915 with "Alouette" chosen because of its resemblance to the sound of "Lillooet".