Lillooet | |
|---|---|
| District of Lillooet | |
 Main Street in Downtown Lillooet | |
  Lillooet Location of Lillooet Show map of British Columbia Lillooet Lillooet (Canada) Show map of Canada | |
| Coordinates:50°41′37″N121°56′01″W / 50.69361°N 121.93361°W /50.69361; -121.93361 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Region | Lillooet-Fraser Canyon |
| Regional District | Squamish-Lillooet |
| Incorporated | 1946 (as village), 1996 (as district municipality) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Laurie Hopfl[1] |
| • Governing body | District of Lillooet |
| • MLA | Tony Luck (BC Conservative) |
| • MP | Brad Vis (Conservative) |
| Area | |
• Total | 27.63 km2 (10.67 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 250 m (820 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 2,302 |
| • Density | 83.3/km2 (216/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−07:00 (PDT) |
| Postal code span | V0K 1V0 |
| Area codes | 250,778, 236, & 672 |
| Highways |  Highway 99 Highway 12 |
| Waterways | Fraser River,Seton River,Cayoosh Creek, |
| Website | Official website |
Lillooet (English:/ˈlɪloʊ.ɛt/) is a district municipality in theSquamish-Lillooet region of southwesternBritish Columbia. The town is on the west shore of theFraser River immediately north of theSeton River mouth. OnBC Highway 99, the locality is by road about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast ofPemberton, 64 kilometres (40 mi) northwest ofLytton, and 172 kilometres (107 mi) west ofKamloops.
The town is a main population centre of theStʼatʼimc (Lillooet Nation), who comprise just over 50 per cent of the Lillooet area residents.First Nations communities assert the land is traditional territory, having been continuously inhabited for thousands of years. The confluence of several main streams with the Fraser attracted large seasonal and permanent indigenous populations. Situated in theLower Fountain, theBridge River Rapids (Sat' or Setl), which blocked migrating salmon, has remained a popular fishing and fish drying site for centuries.Keatley Creek Archaeological Site, one of the largest ancientpit-house communities in thePacific Northwest, is one of the many archaeological and heritage sites in the vicinity.[2] Severalpetroglyph sites have been documented along the Fraser in the vicinity of Lillooet.[3]
The First Nations name of Pap-shil-KWA-KA-meen translates as the "place where the three rivers meet". The former European name ofCayoosh Flat inferred a dead or dyingCayuse horse (namely a decrepit specimen) at the river. In 1859,Governor Douglas granted a petition to change the name to Lillooet. TheLil'wat people lived on theDouglas Road, a.k.a. the Lakes Route, which was the main trail from the south. This name, which means "wild onion",[4] appears on Anderson's 1849 map.[5]
For the fortune seekers of theFraser Canyon Gold Rush (upper canyon) and theCariboo Gold Rush, the portage-intensive Douglas Road from the south terminated at Lillooet.[6] Across the Fraser,Parsonville was "Mile 0" of theOld Cariboo Road,[7] which stretched about 339 kilometres (211 mi) northward toAlexandria. Built as a toll road byGustavus Blin Wright,[8] the first 20 to 30 kilometres of tortuous canyon-brink grade remained little changed until the 1970s.[citation needed] In 1864, the shorterCariboo Road, which connectedYale toBarkerville viaAshcroft, bypassed Lillooet.[9]
The Fraser was crossed byferry at Lillooet. Parsonville had faded into obscurity by 1889, when the firstbridge at Lillooet opened. Consequently, Lillooet became "Mile 0".[7] The numbered roadhouse names of theCariboo district became measured from the bend in Main Street commemorated by a cairn erected in 1939.[10] However, when the present bridge was constructed south of the town, these old travel measurements became understated by about two miles.
In 1994, fire destroyed the station bridge over the Seton River.[11] In 2020, a two-lane structure replaced the temporary single lane bridge installed in 1994.[12]
The section of Main Street north from the cairn was called "the Golden Mile" allegedly to reflect gold dust scattered on the ground[citation needed] but indisputably as a supply hub fueled by the goldrush traffic.[13]
West of Lillooet, the Golden Cache Mine onCayoosh Creek, was staked in 1895. However, promising expectations proved illusive, which ended further investment. The associated prospecting boom ceased by 1900, when mining activity relocated to theKlondike.[14][15]
Other gold prospecting in the area includedunderground hard-rock mining in theBridge River Country, which began in the 1880s and 1890s, but peaked from the 1930s to the 1950s.Gold Bridge andBralorne were mining centres. Prospecting for gold continues and to a lesser extent for copper, silver andnephrite jade. Until the discovery of larger jade deposits nearCassiar, the Lillooet area was the world's largest source of the nephrite form.[citation needed]
In the 1950s, local farmer and teacher Ron Purvis adapted the skil-saw concept to create a diamond rotary blade. The blade could safely cut the immovable jade boulders which line the banks and beds of theFraser andBridge rivers, whereas blasting would have shattered the rock. Although local stores sell polished jade souvenirs, major commercial jade operations no longer exist in the Lillooet area.[citation needed]
The northward advance of thePacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) rail head reached the head ofSeton Lake in January 1915[16] and the Lillooet locality the following month. PGE built a depot between the Seton River and Cayoosh Creek.[17] That month, the first passenger train arrived,[18] triggering a revival for the isolated town, since a railway could ship agricultural produce.[19] By year end, the track reachedClinton,[20][21] an additional 72 kilometres (45 mi).
To benefit the railway rather than land speculators, PGE had bypassed the downtown by crossing the Fraser south of the Seton River on theLillooet railway bridge. PGE erected a station and four-stall roundhouse at East Lillooet, which was adivisional point.[22] The initial depot, called Lillooet station, was 2.4-kilometre (1.5 mi) westward across the Fraser.[23]
In 1930, PGE built the 8.9-kilometre (5.5 mi) Lillooet Diversion from the head of Seton Lake, through the downtown, and north to the Polley bridge. In 1931, PGE completed the bridge, built a new two-storey station downtown, and dismantled and reassembled the roundhouse nearby. The latter was demolished during the early 1970s.[22] The Lillooet station building, which was replaced in 1986,[24] was 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) east of Craig (14.3 kilometres (8.9 mi) east of Retakit after Craig closed) and 4.3 kilometres (2.7 mi) south of Polley (12.4 kilometres (7.7 mi) south of Fountain after Polley closed).[25]
The withdrawal of theCariboo Prospector passenger train in October 2002 ended through service.[26]Canadian National Railway freight trains on break and theKaoham Shuttle still use the station.
| Current services at Lillooet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preceding station | Tsal'alh Seton Train | Following station | ||
| Ohin towardSeton Portage | Tsal'alh Seton Train | Terminus | ||
| Tsal'alh Seton Train viaroadway | Lillooet Secondary School School days only Terminus | |||
| BuyLow Foods PM trip only Terminus | ||||
| Former services | ||||
| Preceding station | Canadian National Railway | Following station | ||
| Shalalth towardSeton Portage | Kaoham Shuttle | Terminus | ||
The town began as a goldrush centre in the late 1850s, booming during the progression of discoveries on the Fraser and in the Cariboo in the early 1860s. The title of "the largest town west ofChicago and north ofSan Francisco" moved in rapid succession fromYale to Lillooet, and then toBarkerville.[27] Just after this gold rush, the town's layout was surveyed by theRoyal Engineers.[citation needed]
In 1860, the population was 4,000–5,000.[28] About that time, Richard Hoey was granted 16 hectares (40 acres) on the Texas Creek Road.[29] St. Mary the Virgin Anglican church was built in 1861[30] and a school established in 1863.[31] That year, the hotels and shops served a population of about 1,600. The Stage Hotel (1860) was considered first class.[32] The Pioneer Hotel (1862) became the Excelsior in the early 1900s. Further lodgings were the International Hotel (1866) and Victoria Hotel (1892).[33]
In 1864, Joseph Watkinson, Thomas Harris, F.W. Foster, and Richard Hoey built the firstflour mill.[34] In 1896, St. Andrews Presbyterian church was erected.[35] In 1904, the town was surveyed.[36]
The 1930 fire destroyed the Excelsior, Hurley's Grocery, a movie theatre and the government liquor store.[37] In 1946, the settlement incorporated as a village municipality.[4] In 1948, fire destroyed the Log Cabin Theatre, an 1860s livery barn that had been remodelled into theatre in 1934.[37]
Booms occurred during local gold mining activity, and in the 1940s and 50s during the construction of theBridge River Power Project.[citation needed] In 1996, the town re-incorporated as a district municipality.[4]
The economy was historically based upon logging, the railway, ranching, farming, and government services. The long growing season has favoured orchards, and in recent times, ginseng. Once, hop and tobacco crops supported the former local beer, cigar and chewing tobacco industries. The town has relied uponforestry since the mid-1970s.[38]
In the 1940s, an Italian named Savona planted vines in theFountain area. Established in 2009, theFort Berens Winery in East Lillooet was the first attempt at commercialviticulture.[39] Visitors can taste the award-winning wines. The Cliff & George Vineyards, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south on the west side of the Fraser, offers a similar opportunity as well as picnic areas on the historic Texas Creek Ranch nearTexas Creek.[40]
Fourinternment camps existed in the Lillooet area duringWorld War II, following the removal ofJapanese Canadians from the British Columbia Coast in 1942. Each were "self-support" sites, where family groups who had the financial means could remain together, but the locations were more isolated than the camps in the Kootenays. Since internees were not permitted to return to the coast until 1949, many families permanently settled in Lillooet. The largest camp was East Lillooet, housing 309 people.[41] The other nearby camps were atShalalth,[42]Minto Mine,[43] and McGillvray Falls.[44]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 469 | — |
| 1956 | 1,083 | +130.9% |
| 1961 | 1,304 | +20.4% |
| 1966 | 1,379 | +5.8% |
| 1971 | 1,514 | +9.8% |
| 1976 | 2,218 | +46.5% |
| 1981 | 1,725 | −22.2% |
| 1986 | 1,758 | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 1,782 | +1.4% |
| 1996* | 1,988 | +11.6% |
| 2001 | 2,741 | +37.9% |
| 2006 | 2,324 | −15.2% |
| 2011 | 2,322 | −0.1% |
| 2016 | 2,275 | −2.0% |
| 2021 | 2,302 | +1.2% |
| Source:Statistics Canada [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55] * Boundary change for 2001 would have adjusted 1996 to 2,886 | ||
The town includes infrastructure typical for its size.
In 2009, the district developed a community plan.[56] In 2013, the water treatment plant received a $5.6 million upgrade.[57][58] In 2019, Tourism Lillooet released a strategic plan.[59] In 2022, an electric vehicle fast charging station opened.[60]
Police, fire, and ambulance, respectively operate emergency service bases.[61] The Lillooet Hospital & Health Centre is a Level 1 Community Hospital which includes 24-hour emergency services.[62] The district owns and operates theLillooet Airport.[63]
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Lillooet had a population of 2,302 living in 1,111 of its 1,214 total private dwellings, a change of1.2% from its 2016 population of 2,275. With a land area of 27.63 km2 (10.67 sq mi), it had a population density of83.3/km2 (215.8/sq mi) in 2021.[64]
Lillooet's larger regional population includes that of the three large bands of theSt'at'imc or Lillooet Nation whose reserves abut the town on all sides, and another three large reserves within 20 miles (32 km); 430 of the District of Lillooet's population are aboriginal.[65] Historical populations have included large numbers of Americans and Chinese, although there are few of either today (although many longtime local families, First Nations and non-First Nations, have some bloodlines from both).[66] The town's non-native population has been historically multi-ethnic in extraction, with a relatively high-rate of intermarriage between all groups.
According to the2021 census, religious groups in Lillooet included:[67]
| Religious group | 2021[67] | 2011[68] | 2001[69] | 1991[70] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Christian | 735 | 32.31% | 770 | 33.92% | 1,340 | 49.26% | 1,035 | 59.14% |
| Indigenous spirituality | 0 | 0% | 30 | 1.32% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Sikh | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 65 | 2.39% | 105 | 6% |
| Muslim | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 45 | 1.65% | 25 | 1.43% |
| Buddhist | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 20 | 0.74% | 10 | 0.57% |
| Jewish | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.57% |
| Hindu | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Other religion | 25 | 1.1% | 0 | 0% | 15 | 0.55% | 20 | 1.14% |
| Irreligious | 1,490 | 65.49% | 1,440 | 63.44% | 1,235 | 45.4% | 540 | 30.86% |
| Total responses | 2,275 | 98.83% | 2,270 | 97.76% | 2,720 | 99.23% | 1,750 | 98.2% |
Lillooet has one high school, Lillooet Secondary, which also serves students from neighbouring rural localities such asShalalth,Seton Portage,Gold Bridge andBralorne, although those communities do offer students a secondary school program. Cayoosh Elementary School is in the Cayoosh Heights subdivision and George M. Murray Elementary serves North Lillooet. The Upper St'at'imc Culture, Language and Education Society (USCLES) operates education programs, but most St'at'imc children attend the public school system. Post-secondary programs are offered at aThompson Rivers University campus.[citation needed] TheFountainview Academy, about 24 kilometres (15 mi) south, is an international private school, which offers work-study experience that includes organic farming.[71]
Lillooet experiences a humid continental/oceanic climate, but it borders on a semi-arid climate (KöppenCfb/Dfb/BSk).[citation needed]
Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of theCoast Mountains, it has a dry climate with an average of 349.5 mm (13.76 in) of precipitation being recorded annually. The locality often vies withLytton andOsoyoos for the title of "Canada's Hot Spot" on a daily basis in summer.[citation needed]
Lillooet holds the record for the fourth-hottest temperature recorded in British Columbia and Canada (behindLytton,Ashcroft andKamloops). On 29 June 2021, during the2021 Western North America heat wave which brought unprecedented heat to thePacific Northwest, the temperature reached 46.8 °C (116.2 °F).[72] Lillooet also holds the record for the hottest temperature recorded in the province during the months of April (36.1 °C [97.0 °F]) and May (41.7 °C [107.1 °F]). The coldest temperature recorded was measured at the airport during a November cold snap in 1985.
With an average annual snowfall of 26.5 cm (10.4 in), Lillooet is the least snowy place in the BC Interior.[73]
| Climate data for Lillooet (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.5 (65.3) | 17.8 (64.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 36.1 (97.0) | 41.7 (107.1) | 46.8 (116.2) | 44.4 (111.9) | 40.5 (104.9) | 38.8 (101.8) | 30.0 (86.0) | 23.3 (73.9) | 22.2 (72.0) | 46.8 (116.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.6 (33.1) | 4.4 (39.9) | 10.9 (51.6) | 16.2 (61.2) | 21.2 (70.2) | 24.9 (76.8) | 28.3 (82.9) | 28.2 (82.8) | 22.3 (72.1) | 13.5 (56.3) | 5.0 (41.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | 14.6 (58.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.4 (27.7) | 0.4 (32.7) | 5.2 (41.4) | 9.9 (49.8) | 14.8 (58.6) | 18.6 (65.5) | 21.6 (70.9) | 21.3 (70.3) | 15.9 (60.6) | 8.8 (47.8) | 2.1 (35.8) | −2.4 (27.7) | 9.5 (49.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.2 (22.6) | −3.7 (25.3) | −0.4 (31.3) | 3.6 (38.5) | 8.3 (46.9) | 12.3 (54.1) | 14.6 (58.3) | 14.2 (57.6) | 9.4 (48.9) | 4.1 (39.4) | −0.9 (30.4) | −4.9 (23.2) | 4.3 (39.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −31.1 (−24.0) | −27.0 (−16.6) | −18.3 (−0.9) | −11.1 (12.0) | −3.9 (25.0) | 2.8 (37.0) | 4.4 (39.9) | 4.4 (39.9) | −2.8 (27.0) | −17.0 (1.4) | −32.0 (−25.6) | −31.1 (−24.0) | −32.0 (−25.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 38.3 (1.51) | 20.3 (0.80) | 16.8 (0.66) | 19.0 (0.75) | 26.1 (1.03) | 23.7 (0.93) | 35.5 (1.40) | 25.7 (1.01) | 23.7 (0.93) | 33.8 (1.33) | 44.6 (1.76) | 41.7 (1.64) | 349.0 (13.74) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 30.9 (1.22) | 17.1 (0.67) | 15.2 (0.60) | 19.0 (0.75) | 26.1 (1.03) | 23.7 (0.93) | 35.5 (1.40) | 25.7 (1.01) | 23.7 (0.93) | 33.2 (1.31) | 40.6 (1.60) | 31.9 (1.26) | 322.5 (12.70) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 7.5 (3.0) | 3.3 (1.3) | 1.6 (0.6) | 0.05 (0.02) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.7 (0.3) | 3.8 (1.5) | 9.7 (3.8) | 26.5 (10.4) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 9.7 | 7.7 | 9.1 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 6.7 | 6.5 | 10.7 | 13.0 | 10.2 | 105.1 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 7.4 | 6.5 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 6.7 | 6.5 | 10.6 | 12.0 | 7.2 | 97.3 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 3.4 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.05 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 10.9 |
| Source:Environment Canada[73][74][75] | |||||||||||||
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