Arrowhead is a former steamboat port and town at the head of Upper Arrow Lake in 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...

. Though the initial site has been submerged beneath the waters of the lake, which is now part of the reservoir formed by Hugh Keenleyside Dam at Castlegar

Castlegar, British Columbia

Castlegar is the second largest city in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located within the Selkirk Mountains at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers. It is a regional trade and transportation centre, with a local economy fueled by forestry, mining and tourism...

, the name continues in use as a reference for the locality, and is sometimes used to refer to the local region.

Name origin

Although the most obvious origin of the name is that Arrowhead is at the head of the Arrow Lakes

Arrow Lakes

The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Beachland is fairly rare, and is interspersed with rocky...

, another version claims that it relates to the finding of arrowhead

Arrowhead

An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...

s in the ground during construction of buildings in the area, left from an ancient battle between First Nations

First Nations

First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

 peoples. Another version says that it is because of the arrowhead-shaped appearance of the lake from high ground in the vicinity. The name of the Arrow Lakes is credit to "Arrow Rock", a large cliffside pictograph shot through with clusters of arrows, again relating to an ancient battle (in this case known to be between the Sinixt

Sinixt

The Sinixt are a First Nations People...

 and the Ktunaxa, which stood above "the Narrows", a stretch of fast-flowing channel connecting Upper Arrow to Lower Arrow Lake.

See also

• List of ghost towns in British Columbia
• Steamboats of the Arrow Lakes
  Steamboats of the Arrow Lakes
  The era of steamboats on the Arrow Lakes and adjoining reaches of the Columbia River is long-gone but was an important part of the history of the West Kootenay and Columbia Country regions of British Columbia. The Arrow Lakes are formed by the Columbia River in southeastern British Columbia...
  
  
• Comaplix, British Columbia
  Comaplix, British Columbia
  Comaplix is the name of former mining town on the Incomappleux River in the northern Arrow Lakes region of British Columbia's Kootenay Country in Canada. The name of the town and an adjacent mountain and creek are derived form that of the river, which is an Okanagan word meaning "point at the head...
  
  
• Beaton, British Columbia
  Beaton, British Columbia
  Beaton, formerly Thomson's Landing and also formerly known as Evansport, is a locality and former townsite and steamboat landing at head head of Beaton Arm at the head of Upper Arrow Lake in the Kootenay Country of British Columbia, Canada...