McGillivray, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
McGillivray, formerly McGillivray Falls, is an unincorporated recreational community on the west shore of Anderson Lake, just east of midway between the towns of Pemberton
and Lillooet, British Columbia
, Canada
, in that province's southwest Interior
.
, Gold Commissioner
for the Lillooet Mining District. A parallel account, possibly the same, says the name derives one of two placer-mining partners, McGililvray and McDonald, though the name James McGilvery, an early trail builder, also appears in records and mirrors the local pronunciation of the name (McGILL-var-ee).
In the wake of the Cayoosh Gold Rush
of the 1870s, prospectors fanned out over the Lillooet and Bridge River Countries
, which had been largely bypassed during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
of 1858-60 which first brought large numbers of non-indigenous people to the area. Among the successful mines which were started in the region during that period was the Brett Group Mine, which was located on a gold-bearing ledge higher on the mountainside.
Some houses today are remnants of a one-time railway-based resort and cabins which sprang up after the opening of the rail line in the early 1910s, which took the name of the waterfall a few hundred yards up McGillivray Creek from its mouth on the lake. McGillivray Falls Post Office opened 1 June 1929, closed 3 May 1961. During World War II, McGillivray Falls, as the community was then known, was one of four "self-supporting centres" in the Lillooet Country for the forced evacuation of Japanese Canadians
outside a 100-mile "quarantine zone" from the Coast
. McGillivray Falls was just outside the 100-mile limit, but due to the area's isolation (there was no road to the Coast before the 1960s) internees at McGillivray were hired by Frank Devine to work at his sawmill 2 miles downline from D'Arcy
, at the head of Anderson Lake and itself within the 100-mile limit; the location of that mill is today the unincorporated rural settlement of Devine
.
with Pemberton and Whistler
though federally it is in Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon
.
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 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...
, in that province's southwest Interior
British Columbia Interior
The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...
.
History
McGillivray's name is derived from the names of Mount McGillivray and McGillivray Creek and its falls, which were said to be named by a miner, according to a 1911 note by Caspar PhairCaspar Phair
Caspar Phair was one of Lillooet, British Columbia's first settlers. He came emigrated from Ireland with his wife, Cerise. Caspar Phair was Lillooet's first Gold Commissioner, a position which encompassed the powers and duties of Government Agent, coroner, magistrate, Indian Agent, teacher, and...
, Gold Commissioner
Gold Commissioner
Gold Commissioner was an important regional administrative post in the Colony of British Columbia.In the 1860s, Governor Douglas had three priorities to protect the two colonies he governed: to protect the boundaries, to uphold law and order and to provide access to the gold fields...
for the Lillooet Mining District. A parallel account, possibly the same, says the name derives one of two placer-mining partners, McGililvray and McDonald, though the name James McGilvery, an early trail builder, also appears in records and mirrors the local pronunciation of the name (McGILL-var-ee).
In the wake of the Cayoosh Gold Rush
Cayoosh Gold Rush
The Cayoosh Gold Rush was one of several in the history of the region surrounding Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada. If estimates of its yield are true, it would be one of the richest single finds in the gold mining history of that province....
of the 1870s, prospectors fanned out over the Lillooet and Bridge River Countries
Bridge River Country
The Bridge River Country is a historic geographic region and mining district in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada, lying between the Fraser Canyon and the valley of the Lillooet River, south of the Chilcotin Plateau and north of the Lillooet Ranges...
, which had been largely bypassed during 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...
of 1858-60 which first brought large numbers of non-indigenous people to the area. Among the successful mines which were started in the region during that period was the Brett Group Mine, which was located on a gold-bearing ledge higher on the mountainside.
Some houses today are remnants of a one-time railway-based resort and cabins which sprang up after the opening of the rail line in the early 1910s, which took the name of the waterfall a few hundred yards up McGillivray Creek from its mouth on the lake. McGillivray Falls Post Office opened 1 June 1929, closed 3 May 1961. During World War II, McGillivray Falls, as the community was then known, was one of four "self-supporting centres" in the Lillooet Country for the forced evacuation of Japanese Canadians
Japanese Canadian internment
Japanese Canadian internment refers to confinement of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia during World War II. The internment began in December 1941, following the attack by carrier-borne forces of Imperial Japan on American naval and army facilities at Pearl Harbor...
outside a 100-mile "quarantine zone" from the Coast
British Columbia Coast
The British Columbia Coast or BC Coast is Canada's western continental coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The usage is synonymous with the term West Coast of Canada....
. McGillivray Falls was just outside the 100-mile limit, but due to the area's isolation (there was no road to the Coast before the 1960s) internees at McGillivray were hired by Frank Devine to work at his sawmill 2 miles downline from D'Arcy
D'Arcy, British Columbia
D'Arcy is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of British Columbia, approximately 150 kilometres northeast of the city of Vancouver...
, at the head of Anderson Lake and itself within the 100-mile limit; the location of that mill is today the unincorporated rural settlement of Devine
Devine, British Columbia
Devine is a rural locality located in the Gates Valley of the Lillooet Country in the southwestern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, about 3 km from D'Arcy, at the head of Anderson Lake....
.
Electoral representation
McGillivray is in Electoral Area C of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, which handles matters such as zoning and septic and construction permits. Provincially McGillivray is in West Vancouver-Howe SoundWest Vancouver-Howe Sound
West Vancouver-Howe Sound was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1966 to 1986. The riding's predecessor was North Vancouver, which first appeared on the hustings from 1903....
with Pemberton and 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...
though federally it is in Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon
Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon
Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon is a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.-Geography:...
.