Big Bend Country
Encyclopedia
Big Bend Country is a term used in the Canadian province
of British Columbia
to refer to the region around the northernmost bend of the Columbia River
, where the river leaves its initial northwestward course along the Rocky Mountain Trench
to curve around the northern end of the Selkirk Mountains
to head southeast between that range and the Monashee Mountains
, which lie to the west. The term is the namesake of the gold rush
and associated gold mining district that flourished there in the 19th century. Long known to the indigenous peoples of the region, and in fact raided and at times occupied by the Blackfoot
, the Big Bend is traditional territory of the Secwepemc
(Shuswap) people, but also claimed by the Ktunaxa. Boat Encampment
, near the Big Bend of the Columbia's most northerly point, is the historic site of a long-established fur trading cache and campsite on the annual York Factory Express
.
News of gold strikes in the Big Bend Country attracted miners in the fall of 1865, prompting a migration from the Cariboo and other mining districts to the west, via steamboats on Kamloops
and Shuswap Lake
s, and up the Columbia, also via steamboat, from Washington Territory
; a few others came around the Selkirks, down the Columbia from Wild Horse Creek, where there had been another small rush. The mining district was not at the river's bend itself, but nearby on the southward course to the north of today's Revelstoke
, along several streams such as Downie Creek, the Goldstream River
, French Creek, McCulloch Creek, Carnes Creek, and Gold Creek. The excitement proved to be relatively short-lived and the rush had largely ended by the fall of 1866, with an ongoing exodus through the later 1860s of the few remaining miners began after the easy finds were mined out and the remaining gold was found difficult to extract. By the end of the decade the boom was essentially over.
Long after the gold rush the region remained important as one of the only land routes possible for any wagon road to connect the Pacific Colony with the rest of British North America, and although proposed as the route of an intercolonial wagon road by Governor Douglas such a route was not built until the construction era of the Canadian Pacific Railway
in the 1880s. As Canada's transportation infrastructure increased the route around the Big Bend became the route of the main interprovincial highway, the section of said route from Revelstoke to Golden becoming known as the Big Bend Highway. With the routing of the Trans-Canada Highway
through the Rogers Pass
in 1962, and the construction of Mica
and Revelstoke Dam
s, most of the former settled area of the Big Bend Country - a few small hamlets and farms, as the area was never heavily populated despite its important early role in the province - is under water, though the name Big Bend Highway remains as a reference to British Columbia Provincial Highway 23. Mica Creek
is the only settlement of any size in the region, other than in areas close to Revelstoke and Golden.
The Big Bend Country is part of the larger Columbia Country
, which includes the Columbia Valley
and upper Arrow Lakes
.
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
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...
to refer to the region around the northernmost bend of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
, where the river leaves its initial northwestward course along the Rocky Mountain Trench
Rocky Mountain Trench
The Rocky Mountain Trench, or the Trench or The Valley of a Thousand Peaks, is a large valley in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains. It is both visually and cartographically a striking physiographic feature extending approximately from Flathead Lake, Montana, to the Liard River, just south...
to curve around the northern end of the Selkirk Mountains
Selkirk Mountains
The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia. They begin at Mica Peak near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and extend approximately 320 km north from the border. The range is bounded on its west,...
to head southeast between that range and the Monashee Mountains
Monashee Mountains
The Monashee Mountains are a mountain range mostly in British Columbia, Canada, extending into the U.S. state of Washington. They stretch from north to south and from east to west. They are a subrange of the Columbia Mountains...
, which lie to the west. The term is the namesake of the gold rush
Big Bend Gold Rush
The Big Bend Gold Rush was a gold rush on the upper Columbia River in the Colony of British Columbia in the mid-1860s....
and associated gold mining district that flourished there in the 19th century. Long known to the indigenous peoples of the region, and in fact raided and at times occupied by the Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
, the Big Bend is traditional territory 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...
(Shuswap) people, but also claimed by the Ktunaxa. Boat Encampment
Boat Encampment
Boat Encampment was a rendezvous and staging-point for the Hudson's Bay Company in the early 19th century and later a locality by that name in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was located at the "top" of the Big Bend of the Columbia north of the city of Revelstoke, British Columbia...
, near the Big Bend of the Columbia's most northerly point, is the historic site of a long-established fur trading cache and campsite on the annual York Factory Express
York Factory Express
The York Factory Express, usually called "the Express" and also called the Columbia Express and the Communication, was a brigade operated by Hudson's Bay Company in the early 19th century connecting York Factory and Fort Vancouver. It was named "express" because it was not used only to transport...
.
News of gold strikes in the Big Bend Country attracted miners in the fall of 1865, prompting a migration from the Cariboo and other mining districts to the west, via steamboats on Kamloops
Kamloops Lake
Kamloops Lake in British Columbia, Canada is situated on the Thompson River just west of Kamloops. The lake is 1.6 km wide, 29 km long, and up to 152 m deep...
and Shuswap Lake
Shuswap Lake
Shuswap Lake is a lake located in south-central British Columbia, Canada that drains via the Little River into Little Shuswap Lake. Little Shuswap Lake is the source of the South Thompson River, a branch of the Thompson River, a tributary of the Fraser River...
s, and up the Columbia, also via steamboat, from Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
; a few others came around the Selkirks, down the Columbia from Wild Horse Creek, where there had been another small rush. The mining district was not at the river's bend itself, but nearby on the southward course to the north of today's Revelstoke
Revelstoke, British Columbia
Revelstoke is a city in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It is located east of Vancouver, and west of Calgary, Alberta. The city is situated on the banks of the Columbia River just south of the Revelstoke Dam and near its confluence with the Illecillewaet River...
, along several streams such as Downie Creek, the Goldstream River
Goldstream River
The Goldstream River is a tributary of the Columbia River, joining that stream via the Lake Revelstoke reservoir after running largely west from the heart of the northern Selkirk Mountains. The river's name derives from the Big Bend Gold Rush of 1865, during which it was the scene of busy...
, French Creek, McCulloch Creek, Carnes Creek, and Gold Creek. The excitement proved to be relatively short-lived and the rush had largely ended by the fall of 1866, with an ongoing exodus through the later 1860s of the few remaining miners began after the easy finds were mined out and the remaining gold was found difficult to extract. By the end of the decade the boom was essentially over.
Long after the gold rush the region remained important as one of the only land routes possible for any wagon road to connect the Pacific Colony with the rest of British North America, and although proposed as the route of an intercolonial wagon road by Governor Douglas such a route was not built until the construction era of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
in the 1880s. As Canada's transportation infrastructure increased the route around the Big Bend became the route of the main interprovincial highway, the section of said route from Revelstoke to Golden becoming known as the Big Bend Highway. With the routing of the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
through the Rogers Pass
Rogers Pass
Rogers Pass is a high mountain pass through the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia used by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Trans-Canada Highway. The pass is a shortcut across the "Big Bend" of the Columbia River from Revelstoke on the west to Donald, near Golden, on the east...
in 1962, and the construction of Mica
Mica Dam
The Mica Dam is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River 135 kilometres north of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. Completed in 1973 under the terms of the 1964 Columbia River Treaty, the Mica powerhouse has a generating capacity of . The dam is operated by BC Hydro...
and Revelstoke Dam
Revelstoke Dam
The Revelstoke Dam, also known as Revelstoke Canyon Dam, is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River, 5 km north of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. The powerhouse was completed in 1984 and has a generating capacity of 2480 MW. Four generating units were installed initially, with one...
s, most of the former settled area of the Big Bend Country - a few small hamlets and farms, as the area was never heavily populated despite its important early role in the province - is under water, though the name Big Bend Highway remains as a reference to British Columbia Provincial Highway 23. Mica Creek
Mica Creek, British Columbia
Mica Creek is a small village in British Columbia, Canada that was used as a base of operations for the construction of the Mica Dam hydroelectric project by BC Hydro in the 1960s and 1970s. It is located 148 km north of Revelstoke, British Columbia on Highway 23 and situated at the...
is the only settlement of any size in the region, other than in areas close to Revelstoke and Golden.
The Big Bend Country is part of the larger Columbia Country
Columbia Country
The Columbia Country is a term used in the Canadian province of British Columbia to refer to the upper basin of the Columbia River in that province. It includes a smaller region known as the Columbia Valley, near the river's headwaters at Columbia Lake in the Rocky Mountain Trench, and the Big...
, which includes the Columbia Valley
Columbia Valley
The Columbia Valley is the name used for a region in the Rocky Mountain Trench near the headwaters of the Columbia River between the town of Golden and the Canal Flats. The main hub of the valley is the town of Invermere. Other towns include Radium Hot Springs, Windermere and Fairmont Hot Springs...
and upper 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...
.