Stave Lake
Encyclopedia
Stave Lake is a hydroelectric reservoir
in the Stave River
system, located on the northern edge of the District of Mission
, about 65 km east of Vancouver, British Columbia. The main arm of the lake
is just over 20 km long, and there is a southwest arm ending at Stave Falls Dam about 9.5 km long. The original lake occupied about a third of the space of the main arm. The combined area of the lake is nominally about 55 square kilometres.
The Stave River, the traditional territory of the Skayuks, a vanished Halqemeylem-speaking Coast Salish
people related to today's Sto:lo
, was a productive salmon river. Huge red cedar
trees grew in the valley and these drew sawmilling and cedar shingle interests, notably Stave Lake Cedar Ltd., whose mill was a mile above the damsite. The lower portion of the Stave is called Hayward Lake
, formed by Ruskin Dam
and formerly a canyon similar to Capilano and Lynn Canyons, and at its head in the grounds of the one-time community of worker's housing, there is a recreation area there and the beginning of a lakeside trail using the right-of-way of a railway line. The Stave Falls Power Company, later a subsidiary of the BCER
, dammed the river in the 1920-22 period. Two large cement dams, the powerhouse, bunkhouses, a community hall, a large workers' community and railway, known as the Stave Falls Branch, were part of these projects. As a result the Upper Stave was raised and flooded the forests, as was also the case later with Hayward Lake, which was formed by the completion of Ruskin Dam in 1930. The cedar stood in the river for years, though during the 1980s and 1990s the timber been reclaimed by work crews from a prison camp near Sayres Lake (Cedar Lake), adjacent to the opening from the main arm, by prolonged lowerings of the reservoir level to allow for timber extraction.
After the dam was built logging lines used the right of way and logged further north into the Stave Valley. The film We're No Angels
was partly filmed at the Stave Dam complex, with a large fake town and impressive (and real) timber cathedral built on pilins into Stave Lake. The whole set was dismantled, although a gazebo
-type bandstand
was moved to the Hayward Lake
Recreation Site just below Stave dam.
On the upper Stave River, beyond the north end of Stave Lake there is a small hydro power project owned by Cloudworks Energy Inc. a private company based around the BC government's Independent Power Projects (IPP's) legislation, which guarantees such producers sales to BC Hydro for re-sale. The north end of the lake can not be reached by road so the only option is by boat or air charter to a small bush strip.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in the Stave River
Stave River
The Stave River is a tributary of the Fraser, joining it at the boundary between the municipalities of Maple Ridge and Mission, about 35 km east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in the Central Fraser Valley region....
system, located on the northern edge of the District of Mission
Mission, British Columbia
Mission, the core of which was formerly known as Mission City, is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is situated on the north bank of the Fraser River overlooking the City of Abbotsford and with that city is part of the Central Fraser Valley. Mission is the...
, about 65 km east of Vancouver, British Columbia. The main arm of the lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
is just over 20 km long, and there is a southwest arm ending at Stave Falls Dam about 9.5 km long. The original lake occupied about a third of the space of the main arm. The combined area of the lake is nominally about 55 square kilometres.
The Stave River, the traditional territory of the Skayuks, a vanished Halqemeylem-speaking Coast Salish
Coast Salish
Coast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...
people related to today's Sto:lo
Stó:lo
The Sto:lo , alternately written as Stó:lō, Stó:lô or Stó:lõ and historically as Staulo or Stahlo, and historically known and commonly referred to in ethnographic literature as the Fraser River Indians or Lower Fraser Salish, are a group of First Nations peoples inhabiting the Fraser Valley of...
, was a productive salmon river. Huge red cedar
Thuja plicata
Thuja plicata, commonly called Western or pacific red cedar, giant or western arborvitae, giant cedar, or shinglewood, is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae native to western North America...
trees grew in the valley and these drew sawmilling and cedar shingle interests, notably Stave Lake Cedar Ltd., whose mill was a mile above the damsite. The lower portion of the Stave is called Hayward Lake
Hayward Lake
Hayward Lake is a lake and reservoir on the Stave River in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the District of Mission about 60 km east of Vancouver, Hayward Lake is formed by Ruskin Dam, which lies about 3 km upstream from the Stave River's confluence with the...
, formed by Ruskin Dam
Ruskin Dam
Ruskin Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Stave River in Ruskin, British Columbia, Canada. The dam was completed in 1930 for the primary purpose of hydroelectric power generation...
and formerly a canyon similar to Capilano and Lynn Canyons, and at its head in the grounds of the one-time community of worker's housing, there is a recreation area there and the beginning of a lakeside trail using the right-of-way of a railway line. The Stave Falls Power Company, later a subsidiary of the BCER
British Columbia Electric Railway
The British Columbia Electric Railway was a historic Canadian railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia.Originally the parent company, and later a division, of BC Electric, the BCER operated public transportation in southwestern British Columbia from its establishment in the...
, dammed the river in the 1920-22 period. Two large cement dams, the powerhouse, bunkhouses, a community hall, a large workers' community and railway, known as the Stave Falls Branch, were part of these projects. As a result the Upper Stave was raised and flooded the forests, as was also the case later with Hayward Lake, which was formed by the completion of Ruskin Dam in 1930. The cedar stood in the river for years, though during the 1980s and 1990s the timber been reclaimed by work crews from a prison camp near Sayres Lake (Cedar Lake), adjacent to the opening from the main arm, by prolonged lowerings of the reservoir level to allow for timber extraction.
After the dam was built logging lines used the right of way and logged further north into the Stave Valley. The film We're No Angels
We're No Angels (1989 film)
We're No Angels is a 1989 comedy film directed by Neil Jordan. It stars Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, and Demi Moore.-Plot:A couple of 1930s Great Depression-era convicts, Ned and Jim, jailed on never-specified charges and abused by a ruthless warden, are dragged along when a vicious killer named...
was partly filmed at the Stave Dam complex, with a large fake town and impressive (and real) timber cathedral built on pilins into Stave Lake. The whole set was dismantled, although a gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
-type bandstand
Bandstand
A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts...
was moved to the Hayward Lake
Hayward Lake
Hayward Lake is a lake and reservoir on the Stave River in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the District of Mission about 60 km east of Vancouver, Hayward Lake is formed by Ruskin Dam, which lies about 3 km upstream from the Stave River's confluence with the...
Recreation Site just below Stave dam.
On the upper Stave River, beyond the north end of Stave Lake there is a small hydro power project owned by Cloudworks Energy Inc. a private company based around the BC government's Independent Power Projects (IPP's) legislation, which guarantees such producers sales to BC Hydro for re-sale. The north end of the lake can not be reached by road so the only option is by boat or air charter to a small bush strip.