The
Interior Plateau comprises a large region of central
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
, and lies between the
CaribooThe Cariboo Mountains are the northernmost subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which run down into the Spokane, Washington area of the United States and include the Selkirks, Monashees and Purcells. The Cariboo Mountains are entirely within the province of British Columbia, Canada. The range is...
and
Monashee MountainsThe 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...
on the east, and the
Hazelton MountainsThe Hazelton Mountains are a grouping of mountain ranges on the inland lee of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, spanning the area of Hazelton, British Columbia south to the Nechako Reservoir...
,
Coast MountainsThe Coast Mountains are a major mountain range 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 referred to as the Coast Range...
and
Cascade RangeThe Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
on the west. The continuation of the plateau into the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is known there as the
Columbia PlateauThe Columbia Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, cut through by the Columbia River...
. The Interior Plateau is
not part of the
Interior MountainsThe Interior Mountains, also called the Northern Interior Mountains and Interior Ranges, are the semi-official names for a huge area that comprises much of the northern two thirds of the Canadian province of British Columbia and a large area of southern Yukon...
, a huge area that constitutes most of the northern two thirds of the Canadian province of British Columbia between the Coast Mountains,
Rocky MountainsThe Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States. The range's highest peak is Mount Elbert in Colorado at above sea level...
and the various small ranges on the inland lea of the Coast Mountains between the
Bulkley RangesThe Bulkley Ranges is mountain range in northern British Columbia, Canada, located between the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers south of Hazelton, north of the Morice River and Zymoetz River. It has an area of 7851 km2 and is a subrange of the Hazelton Mountains which in turn form part of the...
and the
Bella Coola RiverThe Bella Coola River is a major river on the Pacific slope of the Coast Mountains in southern British Columbia. The town of Bella Coola, which is the historic and ancient capital of the Nuxalk people, is at its mouth on North Bentinck Arm...
.
The
Interior Plateau comprises a large region of central
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
, and lies between the
CaribooThe Cariboo Mountains are the northernmost subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which run down into the Spokane, Washington area of the United States and include the Selkirks, Monashees and Purcells. The Cariboo Mountains are entirely within the province of British Columbia, Canada. The range is...
and
Monashee MountainsThe 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...
on the east, and the
Hazelton MountainsThe Hazelton Mountains are a grouping of mountain ranges on the inland lee of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, spanning the area of Hazelton, British Columbia south to the Nechako Reservoir...
,
Coast MountainsThe Coast Mountains are a major mountain range 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 referred to as the Coast Range...
and
Cascade RangeThe Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
on the west. The continuation of the plateau into the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is known there as the
Columbia PlateauThe Columbia Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, cut through by the Columbia River...
. The Interior Plateau is
not part of the
Interior MountainsThe Interior Mountains, also called the Northern Interior Mountains and Interior Ranges, are the semi-official names for a huge area that comprises much of the northern two thirds of the Canadian province of British Columbia and a large area of southern Yukon...
, a huge area that constitutes most of the northern two thirds of the Canadian province of British Columbia between the Coast Mountains,
Rocky MountainsThe Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States. The range's highest peak is Mount Elbert in Colorado at above sea level...
and the various small ranges on the inland lea of the Coast Mountains between the
Bulkley RangesThe Bulkley Ranges is mountain range in northern British Columbia, Canada, located between the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers south of Hazelton, north of the Morice River and Zymoetz River. It has an area of 7851 km2 and is a subrange of the Hazelton Mountains which in turn form part of the...
and the
Bella Coola RiverThe Bella Coola River is a major river on the Pacific slope of the Coast Mountains in southern British Columbia. The town of Bella Coola, which is the historic and ancient capital of the Nuxalk people, is at its mouth on North Bentinck Arm...
. Physiographically, the Interior Plateau is a section of the larger Northern Plateaus province, which in turn is part of the
Intermontane PlateausFor purposes of description, the physical geography of the United States is split into several major physiographic divisions, one being the Intermontane Plateaus. Please refer to the Geography of the United States for the other areas.-Plateau Province:...
physiographic division.
Subdivisions
It has several subdivisions, these being:
- The Fraser Plateau
The Fraser Plateau is one of the main subdivisions of the Interior Plateau and is located in the Central Interior of British Columbia, and is inclusive of the Cariboo and Chilcotin Plateaus and the adjoining Marble, Clear and Camelsfoot Ranges on its southwestern edge...
- The Chilcotin Plateau
The Chilcotin Plateau is a major subdivision of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia, also known as the Fraser Plateau. The Chilcotin Plateau is physically near-identical with the region of the same name, i.e...
- The Cariboo Plateau
The Cariboo Plateau is a volcanic plateau in south-central British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Fraser Plateau that itself is a northward extension of the North American Plateau...
- The Bonaparte Plateau
The Bonaparte Plateau is a subarea of the larger Cariboo Plateau, which extends to the Quesnel River and lies between the Cariboo Mountains on the east and the Fraser River on the west. The Cariboo Plateau is a subarea of the Interior Plateau, aka the Fraser Plateau...
(part of the Thompson PlateauThe Thompson Plateau, also known as the Okanagan-Thompson Plateau, forms the southern portion of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia, Canada, lying to the west of Okanagan Lake, south of the Thompson River and to the east of the Fraser River...
in some definitions, and also known as the Kamloops Plateau)
- The Nechako Plateau
The Nechako Plateau is the northernmost subdivision of the Interior Plateau, one of the main geographic regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia...
- The McGregor Plateau
The McGregor Plateau is a sub-plateau of the Fraser Plateau, the northernmost major subdivision of the Interior Plateau spanning the inland regions of the Pacific Northwest...
- The Thompson Plateau
The Thompson Plateau, also known as the Okanagan-Thompson Plateau, forms the southern portion of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia, Canada, lying to the west of Okanagan Lake, south of the Thompson River and to the east of the Fraser River...
The
CaribooThe Cariboo Plateau is a volcanic plateau in south-central British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Fraser Plateau that itself is a northward extension of the North American Plateau...
and
Chilcotin PlateauThe Chilcotin Plateau is a major subdivision of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia, also known as the Fraser Plateau. The Chilcotin Plateau is physically near-identical with the region of the same name, i.e...
s are separate by the
Fraser RiverThe Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for 1,375 km , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
. The
Nechako PlateauThe Nechako Plateau is the northernmost subdivision of the Interior Plateau, one of the main geographic regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia...
flanks the
FraserThe Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for 1,375 km , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
on both sides; its southern boundary is defined by the
West Road RiverThe West Road River or Blackwater River is a major tributary of the Fraser River, flowing generally north-eastward from the Ilgachuz Range and across the Fraser Plateau in the Chilcotin and Cariboo regions of central British Columbia, Canada...
(aka the Blackwater River) and the
Quesnel RiverThe Quesnel River is a major tributary of the Fraser River in the Cariboo District of central British Columbia. It begins at the outflow of Quesnel Lake, at the town of Likely and flows for about 100 km northwest to its confluence with the Fraser at the city of Quesnel.- History :Just...
, and its northern boundary are the
Omineca MountainsThe Omineca Mountains, also known as "the Ominecas", are a group of remote mountain ranges in north-central British Columbia, Canada. They are bounded by the Finlay River on the north, the Rocky Mountain Trench on the east, the Nation River on the south, and the upper reaches of the Omineca River...
and the
Cassiar MountainsThe Cassiar Mountains are the most northerly group of the Northern Interior Mountains in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. They lie north and west of the Omineca Mountains, west of the northernmost Rockies and the Rocky Mountain Trench, north of the Hazelton...
, which are two major subdivisions of the
Interior MountainsThe Interior Mountains, also called the Northern Interior Mountains and Interior Ranges, are the semi-official names for a huge area that comprises much of the northern two thirds of the Canadian province of British Columbia and a large area of southern Yukon...
.
Mountain Ranges
Several mountain ranges and hill-systems are included in the definition of this region. Among these are:
- the Pavilion Range includes:
- The Clear Range
The Clear Range is a small mountain range located in the angle of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers in south-central British Columbia. It has a small subdivision just northeast of that confluence named the Scarped Range. The Clear Range totals 16,270 km² and is 75 km north to south and 35 km east...
(includes the Scarped Range)
- The Marble Range
The Marble Range is a small mountain range adjoining the Fraser River on the southwestern edge of the Cariboo Plateau of British Columbia. It has an area of 1,250 square kilometres and about 65 km NNW to SSE and about 20 km wide...
- The Cornwall Hills (not formally part of the Pavilion Range, but adjoining the Clear Range on its east)
- The Trachyte Hills
The Trachyte Hills are a remote mountain range in southern British Columbia, Canada, located southwest of junction of Bonaparte River and Hat Creek.-References:* in the Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia...
(not formally part of the Pavilion Range, but adjoining the Clear and Marble Ranges on their east)
- The Arrowstone Hills
Arrowstone Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Thompson Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located to the northeast of the town of Cache Creek....
(SW edge of the Bonaparte PlateauThe Bonaparte Plateau is a subarea of the larger Cariboo Plateau, which extends to the Quesnel River and lies between the Cariboo Mountains on the east and the Fraser River on the west. The Cariboo Plateau is a subarea of the Interior Plateau, aka the Fraser Plateau...
)
- The Rainbow Range
The Rainbow Range, formerly known as the Rainbow Mountains, is a mountain range in British Columbia, Canada, located northwest of Anahim Lake...
(sometimes assigned to either the Pacific RangesThe Pacific Ranges are the southernmost subdivision of the Coast Mountains portion of the Pacific Cordillera. Located entirely within British Columbia, Canada, they run northwest from the lower stretches of the Fraser River to Bella Coola, north of which are the Kitimat Ranges.The Pacific Ranges...
or Kitimat RangesThe Kitimat Ranges are one of the three main subdivisions of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, the other being the Pacific Ranges to the south and the Boundary Ranges to the north...
subranges of the Coast MountainsThe Coast Mountains are a major mountain range 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 referred to as the Coast Range...
)
- The Itcha Range
The Itcha Range is a mountain range on the Chilcotin Plateau of the West-Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The range is located 25 miles NE of Anahim Lake...
- The Ilgachuz Range
The Ilgachuz Range is a name given to an extinct shield volcano in British Columbia, Canada. It is not a mountain range in the normal sense, because it was formed as a single volcano that has been eroded for the past 5 million years. It lies on the Chilcotin Plateau, located some north-northwest...
- The Quanchus Range (western edge of the Nechako Plateau
The Nechako Plateau is the northernmost subdivision of the Interior Plateau, one of the main geographic regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia...
, in the midst of the Nechako ReservoirThe Nechako Reservoir, sometimes called the Ootsa Lake Reservoir, is a hydroelectric reservoir in British Columbia, Canada that was formed by a diversion of the Nechako River through the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains to sea level at Kemano to provide power for the aluminum smelter at Kitimat...
/Ootsa Lake)
- The Telegraph Range (Nechako Plateau
The Nechako Plateau is the northernmost subdivision of the Interior Plateau, one of the main geographic regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia...
)
- The Fawnie Range (Nechako Plateau
The Nechako Plateau is the northernmost subdivision of the Interior Plateau, one of the main geographic regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia...
)
- The Pattullo Range (sometimes classified as part of the Hazelton Mountains
The Hazelton Mountains are a grouping of mountain ranges on the inland lee of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, spanning the area of Hazelton, British Columbia south to the Nechako Reservoir...
)
Some classifications systems assign the Pattullo Range to the
Hazelton MountainsThe Hazelton Mountains are a grouping of mountain ranges on the inland lee of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, spanning the area of Hazelton, British Columbia south to the Nechako Reservoir...
, which are part of the larger
Skeena MountainsThe Skeena Mountains, also known as the Skeenas, are a subrange of the Interior Mountains of northern British Columbia, Canada, essentially flanking the upper basin of the Skeena River. They lie just inland from the southern end of the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains, and also of the...
complex, but then theoretically also is the Quanchus Range. Also, the
Cariboo MountainsThe Cariboo Mountains are the northernmost subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which run down into the Spokane, Washington area of the United States and include the Selkirks, Monashees and Purcells. The Cariboo Mountains are entirely within the province of British Columbia, Canada. The range is...
are sometimes included as part of the Interior Plateau.
Three areas
liminalLiminality is a psychological, neurological, or metaphysical subjective, conscious state of being on the "threshold" of or between two different existential planes, as defined in neurological psychology and in the anthropological theories of ritual by such writers as Arnold van Gennep, Victor...
to the plateau, i.e. sometimes considered part of it rather than the adjoining mountain ranges, are the
Shuswap HighlandThe Shuswap Highland is a plateau-like hilly area in British Columbia, Canada. It spans the upland area between the Bonaparte and Thompson Plateaus from the area of Mahood Lake, at the southeast corner of the Cariboo Plateau, southeast towards the lower Shuswap River east of Vernon in the...
,
Okanagan HighlandThe Okanagan Highland is a plateau-like hilly area in British Columbia, Canada, and the U.S. state of Washington . It lies between the Okanagan Valley on its west and the Kettle River on its east, and geologically is more or less an extension of the Thompson Plateau, which lies west of the Okanagan...
and
Quesnel HighlandThe Quesnel Highland is a geographic area in the Central Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia. As defined by BC government geographer in Landforms of British Columbia, an account and analysis of British Columbia geography that is often cited as authoritative...
.
History of the Interior Plateau
The location of the Interior Plateau in
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
is between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast Ranges.
It is cut by the basins and tributaries of two rivers: the
ColumbiaThe Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains in 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...
and the
FraserThe Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for 1,375 km , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
. The northern region is largely wooded, except in lowland and more southerly areas which resemble the
sagebrushSagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
grasslandGrasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s which typify the southern part of the plateau in the Columbia drainage.
The first documented human presence was in 8500 BC.
BisonMembers of the genus Bison are large even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant species and four extinct species are recognized...
remains,
ClovisClovis may refer to:In geography:* Clovis, California* Clovis, New MexicoIn royalty:* Clovis I, the first king of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler* Clovis II, king of Neustria and Burgundy...
and other fluted points date back to this time frame. An important sites in the area is at
WenatcheeWenatchee is the largest city in and the county seat of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population was 27,856 at the 2000 census. Located at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia rivers near the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range, Wenatchee lies on the western side of...
site (located in
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
).
The Windust phase is dated between 10600 BC and 7100 BC. At the
Lind Coulee Archaeological SiteThe Lind Coulee Archaeological Site, also known as 45GR97, is the site of an archaeological dig near Warden, Washington. The site was the first evidence of human habitation of Washington older than about 2,000–4,000 years. The site was discovered in 1947, by a program led by the Smithsonian...
in east-central Washington, leaf-shaped projectile points and knives date between 8500-5500 BC. Based on
archaeologicalArchaeology or archeology is the science that studies human cultures through the recovery, documentation, analysis, and interpretation of material culture and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, and landscapes...
evidence, it is suggested that these people were hunters, subsisting also from
fishingFishing is the activity of catching fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and plant gathering. The presence of sea shells gives an indication that trading took place. A small oval shaped dwelling was also found at the
Paulina LakePaulina Lake is one of the twin crater lakes , located above sea level in Newberry Crater, Central Oregon, United States. It is in the Deschutes National Forest near La Pine. The crater was built from 500,000 years of volcanic eruptions. The lake's main inflow is from snow melt, hot springs, and...
site in
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, dating to 7100 BC.
The Cascade phase took place from 7100-4300 BC, and was marked by a slight change in toolkit technology from the Windust peoples. A residential structure was found for this group, dating between 5500-4300 BC. Other pithouses followed between 4000-2000 BC. Most residential structures are located on rivers. During the historic era, plants and
salmonSalmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the family are called trout; the difference is often attributed to the migratory life of the salmon as compared to the residential behaviour of trout, a distinction that holds true for the Salmo...
were the staple foods, which give us an indication that Cascade groups harvested salmon runs in the summer and fall.
The Late Period, dated to about 2500 BC, the pithouse (
quiggly holeA quiggly hole, also known simply as a quiggly or kekuli, is the remains of an underground house built by the First Nations people of the Interior of British Columbia and the Columbia Plateau in the U.S....
) came into existence. Other markers of this period include the increasing number of pithouses and settlements. Fishing continued to increase, and technology advanced, introducing more specialized barb fish spears and composite toggling harpoons. Other technology was used as well, including nets and
weirA weir , also known as a lowhead dam, is a small overflow-type dam commonly used to raise the level of a river or stream. Weirs have traditionally been used to create mill ponds in such places. Water flows over the top of a weir, although some weirs have sluice gates which release water at a level...
s. Trade networks also flourished during this time, using sea shells, turquoise, fish grease and others.
Further reading
- Fagan, Brian M. Ancient North America. London: Thames and Hudson, Ltd., 2005