Pavilion is a ranching and Indian 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 in the Fraser Canyon

Fraser Canyon

The Fraser Canyon is an 84 km landform of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser Valley...

 area 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...

, 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...

. Most of the community is the population of the Pavilion 1 Indian Reserve of the Pavilion Indian Band

Pavilion Indian Band

The Pavilion Indian Band or Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation or Tsk'waylacw First Nation or Tsk'weylecw First Nation, and also known in the plural e.g. Ts'kw'alaxw First Nations, is a First Nations government, located in the Fraser Canyon region of the Central Interior of the Canadian province of British...

, aka the Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation (or Tsk'waylacw First Nation or Tsk'weylecw First Nation) but there are also a number of ranches in the surrounding area, and a lakeshore recreational neighbourhood at nearby Pavilion Lake

Pavilion Lake

Pavilion Lake is a lake in Marble Canyon, British Columbia, Canada. It is located between the towns of Lillooet and Cache Creek and lies along BC Highway 99, five and a half highway miles from Pavilion, British Columbia...

.

History

Pavilion gets its name from its 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...

-era appearance, when the chief of the Tskwaylaxw flew a large banner of white cloth which was visible to travelers up and down the canyon on 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...

 and 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...

 (the white banner was a mark of a "friendly Indian" in the context of the then-recent Fraser Canyon War

Fraser Canyon War

The Fraser Canyon War, also known as the Canyon War or the Fraser River War, was an incident between the Nlaka'pamux people and white miners in the newly declared Colony of British Columbia, which later became part of Canada, in 1858. It occurred during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, which brought a...

 farther south along the Fraser, and also maybe a mark of wealth, cloth being an expensive trade good at the time).

During the gold rush, a small boomtown emerged at Pavilion, as it was an important junction between the Old Cariboo Road, which from Pavilion climbs up over Pavilion Mountain

Pavilion Mountain

Pavilion Mountain is a mountain in the Marble Range in the South Cariboo region of the South-Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located northeast of the ranching and First Nations community of Pavilion and to the north of Marble Canyon and immediately south of Kelly Lake, which is the...

 to Cut-off Valley to Clinton, British Columbia

Clinton, British Columbia

Clinton is a village in British Columbia, Canada, located approximately 40 km northwest of Cache Creek and 30 km south of 70 Mile House.It is considered by some to straddle the southern edge of the Cariboo country of British Columbia, although others consider Ashcroft-Cache Creek, Lillooet, Savona,...

, and the trail (soon after road) through Marble Canyon to the Bonaparte River

Bonaparte River

The Bonaparte River is a tributary of the Thompson River, joining it at the community of Ashcroft, British Columbia. The river is about long, including the length of Bonaparte Lake...

 and what would become the route of the Cariboo Road

Cariboo Road

The Cariboo Road was a project initiated in 1860 by the colonial Governor of British Columbia, James Douglas...

. In addition to miners' huts and packtrain encampments, by the time of the Cariboo Gold Rush

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...

 lands had been alienated by settlers and the ranchhouses served as hostelries to Cariboo-bound travellers.

The ranches at Pavilion are some of the oldest land-grants in the province. The most prominent of them was staked by a Colonel Martley as part of a military-officer settlement program. It has since become part of the Diamond S Ranch.

First Nation

The Pavilion Indian Band, aka the Tskwaylaxw First Nation or Tscweylecw First Nation, are joint members of the Lillooet Tribal Council

Lillooet Tribal Council

The Lillooet Tribal Council is the official English name of the largest tribal council of what is also known as the St'at'imc Nation, though not including all governments of St'at'imc peoples - the term St'at'imc Nation has another context of all St'at'imc peoples, not just those within this tribal...

 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...

 and also the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council

Shuswap Nation Tribal Council

The Shuswap Nation Tribal Council is a First Nations Tribal Council in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Based in the Thompson and Shuswap Districts of the Central Interior, although including one band on the upper Columbia River in the East Kootenay region...

 of the Secwepemc

Secwepemc

The Secwepemc , known in English as the Shuswap people, are a First Nations people residing in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Their traditional territory ranges from the eastern Chilcotin Plateau and the Cariboo Plateau southeast through the Thompson Country to Kamloops and the Shuswap...

. The Pavilion dialect is a mix of St'at'imcets and Secwepemc'tsn and many of the placenames in the surrounding country are Secwepemc'tsn.