Bute Inlet
Encyclopedia
Bute Inlet is one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast
. It is 80 km long from its head at the mouths of the Homathko
and Southgate River
s to the continental headlands at its mouth, where it is nearly blocked by Stuart Island
, and it averages about 4 km in width. If measured to the end of the channel (Calm Channel and Sutil Channel
) from there to the Georgia Strait its length is c. 110 km. At that point, the former path of the Bute Glacier is flanked by Quadra Island
(W) and Cortes Island (E).
who was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763. His grandson Charles Stuart
was a master's mate
on Vancouver
's Discovery
.
. Entrepreneur Alfred Waddington
sought to build a route to the Cariboo goldfields
that was shorter and easier than the existing routes via the Fraser Canyon
and the Douglas Road
. In competition with the projected Cariboo Wagon Road, still under construction at that time, Waddington got a license from the colonial government to undertake the construction of a wagon road from the head of Bute Inlet via the Homathko River to the Chilcotin Plateau, thence east across the Fraser to the Cariboo Goldfields
. The plan was that steamers from Victoria
would voyage to the head of the inlet, and travellers would take what was to be a toll road
overland from there. He was granted a townsite at the head of the inlet (still on maps as Port Waddington but as nothing more than a land survey) and commenced construction up the Grand Canyon of the Homathko
from there.
Conflict with warriors of the Tsilhqot'in
Nation quickly ensued when Waddington's foreman threatened smallpox on the warriors, who had been working as labourers due to famine in their country, which is over the mountains on the inland side of the range. Discussing his threats that night, the warriors, led by Klatsassin of the Xeni Gwet'in
of Nemaia Valley near Chilko Lake
, rose up and slaughtered Waddington's work party. Three men escaped and made it to civilization despite severe injuries. As a result of their reports, expeditions were launched by troops from Victoria
and a posse of volunteers from the Cariboo
and a long bait-and-wait game ensued known to history as the Chilcotin War
of 1864. It ended with the surrender on terms of amnesty by Klatsassin, who was betrayed and hung at Quesnellemouthe (near modern-day Quesnel
).
, which would have seen extensive blasting down the west shore of the inlet and a series of bridges to reach Vancouver Island
near Campbell River
via Seymour Narrows
. This route was passed over in favour of the Fraser Canyon
route to a new port-city at Burrard Inlet
, which was to become the city of Port Moody, British Columbia
. The residual political impact of the Chilcotin War
was one factor dissuading the CPR
from using Bute Inlet; the other was the severe grades required in the Canyon of the River
in order to reach the elevation of the Chilcotin Plateau
on the inland side of the Coast Range
, as well as the cost of blasting along the inlet and the deepwater bridges needed below it.
, and the Lower Mainland Ministry of Environment Region, headquartered in Surrey
. It is also within the mainland portion of the Strathcona Regional District
, which has only municipal powers such as sewage and building permits on non-Indian Reserve lands in rural areas. The inlet lies in the overlapping traditional territories and land claims of the Homalco
, Klahoose, Kwiakah
and We Wai Kai
First Nations.
British Columbia Coast
The British Columbia Coast or BC Coast is Canada's western continental coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The usage is synonymous with the term West Coast of Canada....
. It is 80 km long from its head at the mouths of the Homathko
Homathko River
The Homathko River is one of the major rivers of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia, and one of the few rivers that penetrates the range from the Chilcotin Plateau to the coastal inlets, entering the sea at the head of Bute Inlet adjacent to the mouth of the Southgate River, just to...
and Southgate River
Southgate River
The Southgate River is a river in the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, entering the head of Bute Inlet, on that province's South Coast, just east of the mouth of the Homathko River at Waddington Harbour. The lower reaches of the river's course are flat-bottomed...
s to the continental headlands at its mouth, where it is nearly blocked by Stuart Island
Stuart Island (British Columbia)
Stuart Island is one of the Discovery Islands of British Columbia, which lie between northern Vancouver Island and the British Columbia Coast. It is privately owned and has no ferry access. It is at the mouth of Bute Inlet to the east of the larger Sonora Island...
, and it averages about 4 km in width. If measured to the end of the channel (Calm Channel and Sutil Channel
Sutil Channel
Sutil Channel is a channel, or strait, in British Columbia, Canada, located at the north end of the Strait of Georgia, between Quadra Island and Read Island to the west, and Cortes Island to the east. It connects to several channels to the north, including Calm Channel and Hoskyn Channel...
) from there to the Georgia Strait its length is c. 110 km. At that point, the former path of the Bute Glacier is flanked by Quadra Island
Quadra Island
Quadra Island is an island off the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, part of the Discovery Islands. It is separated from Vancouver Island by Discovery Passage, and from Cortes Island by Sutil Channel...
(W) and Cortes Island (E).
Name origin
Bute Inlet took its name from John Stuart, 3rd Earl of ButeJohn Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute KG, PC , styled Lord Mount Stuart before 1723, was a Scottish nobleman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain under George III, and was arguably the last important favourite in British politics...
who was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763. His grandson Charles Stuart
Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay
Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay GCB, PC , known as Sir Charles Stuart between 1812 and 1828, was a British diplomat...
was a master's mate
Master's mate
Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the master...
on Vancouver
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
's Discovery
HMS Discovery (1789)
HMS Discovery was a Royal Navy ship launched in 1789 and best known as the lead ship in George Vancouver's exploration of the west coast of North America in his famous 1791-1795 expedition. She was converted to a bomb vessel in 1798 and participated in the Battle of Copenhagen. Thereafter she...
.
Waddington's Road and the Chilcotin War of 1864
Bute Inlet had an interesting role in the early history of the Colony of British ColumbiaColony of British Columbia
The Colony of British Columbia was a crown colony in British North America from 1858 until 1866. At its creation, it physically constituted approximately half the present day Canadian province of British Columbia, since it did not include the Colony of Vancouver Island, the vast and still largely...
. Entrepreneur Alfred Waddington
Alfred Waddington
Alfred Penderell Waddington was born in 1801 in the Brompton, Kensington, district of London, England. During his later years, Waddington was actively involved in the Colony of Vancouver Island in what later became the province of British Columbia, Canada....
sought to build a route to the Cariboo goldfields
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...
that was shorter and easier than the existing routes via 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...
and the Douglas Road
Douglas Road
The Douglas Road, aka the Lillooet Trail, Harrison Trail or Lakes Route, was a goldrush-era transportation route from the British Columbia Coast to the Interior...
. In competition with the projected Cariboo Wagon Road, still under construction at that time, Waddington got a license from the colonial government to undertake the construction of a wagon road from the head of Bute Inlet via the Homathko River to the Chilcotin Plateau, thence east across the Fraser to the Cariboo Goldfields
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...
. The plan was that steamers from Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
would voyage to the head of the inlet, and travellers would take what was to be a toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
overland from there. He was granted a townsite at the head of the inlet (still on maps as Port Waddington but as nothing more than a land survey) and commenced construction up the Grand Canyon of the Homathko
Homathko River
The Homathko River is one of the major rivers of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia, and one of the few rivers that penetrates the range from the Chilcotin Plateau to the coastal inlets, entering the sea at the head of Bute Inlet adjacent to the mouth of the Southgate River, just to...
from there.
Conflict with warriors of the Tsilhqot'in
Tsilhqot'in
The Tsilhqot'in are a Northern Athabaskan First Nations people that live in British Columbia, Canada...
Nation quickly ensued when Waddington's foreman threatened smallpox on the warriors, who had been working as labourers due to famine in their country, which is over the mountains on the inland side of the range. Discussing his threats that night, the warriors, led by Klatsassin of the Xeni Gwet'in
Xeni Gwet'in
The Xeni Gwet'in, also known as the Stone Chilcotin, are a First Nations people whose traditional territory is located in the southern Chilcotin District of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the inland flank of the Coast Mountains west of the Fraser River...
of Nemaia Valley near Chilko Lake
Chilko Lake
Chilko Lake is a 180 km² lake in west-central British Columbia, at the head of the Chilko River on the Chilcotin Plateau. The lake is about 65 km long, with a southwest arm 10 km long. It is one of the largest lakes by volume in the province because of its great depth, and the...
, rose up and slaughtered Waddington's work party. Three men escaped and made it to civilization despite severe injuries. As a result of their reports, expeditions were launched by troops from Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
and a posse of volunteers from the Cariboo
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia along a plateau stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the woodland caribou that were once abundant in the region...
and a long bait-and-wait game ensued known to history as the Chilcotin War
Chilcotin War
The Chilcotin War, Chilcotin Uprising or Bute Inlet Massacre was a confrontation in 1864 between members of the Tsilhqot'in people in British Columbia and white road construction workers...
of 1864. It ended with the surrender on terms of amnesty by Klatsassin, who was betrayed and hung at Quesnellemouthe (near modern-day Quesnel
Quesnel, British Columbia
-Demographics:Quesnel had a population of 9,326 people in 2006, which was a decrease of 7.1% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Quesnel was $54,044, which is slightly above the British Columbia provincial average of $52,709....
).
Proposed Canadian Pacific Railway route
The Bute Inlet route was later considered for the mainline of the Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian 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...
, which would have seen extensive blasting down the west shore of the inlet and a series of bridges to reach Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
near Campbell River
Campbell River, British Columbia
Campbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route...
via Seymour Narrows
Seymour Narrows
Seymour Narrows is a section of the Discovery Passage in British Columbia known for strong tidal currents. Discovery Passage lies between Vancouver Island at Menzies Bay, British Columbia and Quadra Island except at its northern end where the eastern shoreline is Sonora Island...
. This route was passed over in favour of 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...
route to a new port-city at Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West...
, which was to become the city of Port Moody, British Columbia
Port Moody, British Columbia
Port Moody is a small, crescent-shaped city in Metro Vancouver, located at the east end of Burrard Inlet in British Columbia, Canada. Port Moody is the smallest of the Tri-Cities, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south, and Burnaby on the west. The villages of Belcarra and Anmore, along with...
. The residual political impact of the Chilcotin War
Chilcotin War
The Chilcotin War, Chilcotin Uprising or Bute Inlet Massacre was a confrontation in 1864 between members of the Tsilhqot'in people in British Columbia and white road construction workers...
was one factor dissuading the CPR
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...
from using Bute Inlet; the other was the severe grades required in the Canyon of the River
Homathko River
The Homathko River is one of the major rivers of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia, and one of the few rivers that penetrates the range from the Chilcotin Plateau to the coastal inlets, entering the sea at the head of Bute Inlet adjacent to the mouth of the Southgate River, just to...
in order to reach the elevation of the Chilcotin Plateau
Chilcotin District
The Chilcotin District of British Columbia is usually known simply as "the Chilcotin", and also in speech commonly as "the Chilcotin Country" or simply Chilcotin. It is a plateau and mountain region in British Columbia on the inland lea of the Coast Mountains on the west side of the Fraser River....
on the inland side of the Coast Range
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains are a major mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges, of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia. They are so-named because of their proximity to the sea coast, and are often...
, as well as the cost of blasting along the inlet and the deepwater bridges needed below it.
Political geography
Bute Inlet is located in the Coast Land District, Range 1 and is part of the Sunshine Coast Forest District of the Coast Forest Region, which is headquartered in Powell RiverPowell River, British Columbia
Powell River is a city on the northern Sunshine Coast of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Most of its population lives near the eastern shores of Malaspina Strait, that part of the larger Georgia Strait between Texada Island and the Mainland...
, and the Lower Mainland Ministry of Environment Region, headquartered in Surrey
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
. It is also within the mainland portion of the Strathcona Regional District
Strathcona Regional District, British Columbia
The Strathcona Regional District is a regional district in British Columbia, Canada. It was created on February 15, 2008, encompassing the northern and western portions of the former Regional District of Comox-Strathcona. The partition left the new Strathcona Regional District with 91.6 percent of...
, which has only municipal powers such as sewage and building permits on non-Indian Reserve lands in rural areas. The inlet lies in the overlapping traditional territories and land claims of the Homalco
Homalco First Nation
The Homalco First Nation is a First Nations government located in Bute Inlet near the upper Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada. The Homalco are also known, with their neighbours the Sliammon and Klahoose and the K'omoks of nearby parts of Vancouver Island, as the Mainland Comox...
, Klahoose, Kwiakah
Kwiakah First Nation
The Kwiakah First Nation, also known as the Kwiakah Band or Kwiakah Nation, is the band government of the Kwiakah people, a subgroup of the Laich-kwil-tach group of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples...
and We Wai Kai
We Wai Kai Nation
The We Wai Kai Nation, also known as the Wewaikai First Nation, the Cape Mudge First Nation and the Cape Mudge Indian Band, is the band government of the We Wai Kai subgroup of the Laich-kwil-tach group of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples, based on Quadra Island offshore from Campbell River, British...
First Nations.
External links
- Bute Inlet, Long Term Trends in Deep Water Properties of BC Inlets, Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Pacific Region
- Map (PDF, 3,5 MB)
- hydropower project in Bute Inlet