Campbell River, British Columbia
Campbell River is a city in
British Columbia at the south end of Discovery Passage on northern
Vancouver Island. Campbell River claims a population of 28,456 and has long been known as the
salmon capital of the world.
The first settlers were members of the Kwakiutl
First Nations and Weewaikai and Wewaykum tribe members of the Laich-kwil-tach First Nations.
The town is served by Campbell River Airport, a
seaplane base called YHH at Campbell River Harbour, a
BC Ferries route to Quadra Island, and highways which connect it to neighbouring towns such as Courtenay, The Village of Sayward and
Port Hardy.
Encyclopedia
Campbell River is a city in
British Columbia at the south end of Discovery Passage on northern
Vancouver Island. Campbell River claims a population of 28,456 and has long been known as the
salmon capital of the world.
The first settlers were members of the Kwakiutl
First Nations and Weewaikai and Wewaykum tribe members of the Laich-kwil-tach First Nations.
The town is served by Campbell River Airport, a
seaplane base called YHH at Campbell River Harbour, a
BC Ferries route to Quadra Island, and highways which connect it to neighbouring towns such as Courtenay, The Village of Sayward and
Port Hardy.
Economy
The people of Campbell River rely on the
forestry industry, the
mining industry , the
fishing industry, and the
tourism industry. It is arguably the
salmon capital of the world, sharing a healthy rivalry with nearby
Port Alberni, the other contender. It is known for its
sport fishing and many tourists come to fish.
The 1948 construction of the BC Power Corporation's Elk Falls
hydroelectric dam — later named the
John Hart Generating Station — allowed Crown Zellerbach to establish the Elk Falls Pulp and Paper Mill in 1952, which greatly improved the town's economy.
Plans to build a
cruise ship dock have been in the making for a long time, with the Canadian Government providing $4.23 million assistance in December 2003, and $9 million in 2004 towards the actual construction. Numerous cruise ships go by Campbell River daily, but have never made stops, so a dock would provide large amounts of tourism and revenue provided the ships dock. The dock will provide an expected 150 full-time jobs, and an extra $8.5 million for the region. Construction has begun on the project, and is expected to be completed in time to allow cruise ships to visit by the spring of 2007.
History
Captain
George Vancouver reached Campbell River with the ships HMS
Discovery and
HMS Chatham in 1792. The captain and his botanist, Mr
Archibald Menzies, discovered a small tribe of 350
natives who spoke the
Salish language. A Lekwiltok or Laich-wil-tach war party, heavily armed with European rifles, paddled south from Johnstone Strait in the middle of the 19th Century and were in control of the area when the HMS
Plumper came through on a cartography mission under Captain George Henry Richards around 1859. Dr Samuel Campbell was the ship surgeon, and it's believed his name was given to the town. Likewise, the name of the ship's Lieutenant Zachary Mudge is preserved in the nearby Cape Mudge.
Sports fishermen travelled to the area as early as the 1880s, especially after the tales from noted anglers such as Sir Richard Musgrave and Sir John Rogers. The formation of the Campbell River Tyee Club in 1924, over concern regarding over-fishing of the salmon stocks, actually served to increase the popularity of the area. E.P. Painter, for instance, moved to Campbell River the following year and opened his Painter's Lodge in 1929. Commerical fishing was a large industry for many
years. While Roderick Haig-Brown purchased a fishing cabin on Campbell River and wrote some influential books
on
flyfishing.
Industrial logging took off in the 1920's with Merrill Ring and Company, Bloedel, Stewart and Welch
and Comox Logging. A large forest fire started near Buttle Lake and burned much of the valley in 1938.
Rock Bay, Menzies Bay, and Englewood all were big logging camps.
Campbell River prospered after 1912 and it became a supply point for northern Vancouver Island, Quadra Island
and Cortes Island. The south. After the second world war, Campbell River became a boom town and industrial centre with the building
of the Elk River pulp mill, and nearby mills in Tahsis and Gold River. Logging and mining in the area prospered.
There is a lead zinc mine nearby, and coal mines, while a large copper mine operated to the north.
Climate
Campbell River enjoys a mild
climate, with temperatures usually between 0°C and 32°C year-round. The most precipitation is measured in November, at 218.0 mm on average. While January sees the most average snow, 152 mm , only 10 mm will be seen actually accumulating. In the winter monthes occasional arctic bursts from the interior of British columbia and make their way onto the coast bringing temperatures below zero. If a pacific low reaches the coast a large snowfall can occur. 40cm plus. A snow shovel is ususually not needed as the snowfalls tend to turn to rain.
- Climate statistics are from the Campbell River Airport weather station.
Sister cities
Education
Public schools are administered by School District 72 Campbell River.
Other facts
Campbell River is located near Seymour Narrows, the site of the largest man-made non-nuclear explosions. In 1958 Campbell River miners tunneled for 28 months to plant explosives and demolish a navigational hazard called Ripple Rock, a submerged peak which made the narrows so treacherous that Captain
George Vancouver claimed it was "one of the vilest stretches of water in the world" upon sailing it in 1792. Adjoining Seymour Narrows is Menzies Bay, British Columbia.
Movies filmed in Campbell River:
People From Campbell River Include:
...
the actor
References
External links
