Human Heritage

The human history of the area is often seen as two separate tales: one of the aboriginal peoples who have lived here for thousands of years, the other of the european newcomers who arrived within the past century or so. The combination of these two major influences have shaped much of what is to be seen here now.

First Peoples, Ancient Ways
This land was, for some 10,000 years, home primarily to the Simpcw people of the Secwepemc (or Shuswap) Nation. Their semi-nomadic ways had evolved to match the annual rhythms of nature: they moved with the seasons, hunting, fishing and gathering, timed by the migration of caribou in the mountains and salmon in the rivers.

Like so many ancient cultures, their values and lifestyle recognised their dependency on their natural surroundings, and taught a deep respect for their environment and the ways in which it provided for them.

Winter settlements were based on the keekwilli, a round pit-house with an earth-covered roof. This made a warm, secure home through the coldest weather. Signs of these may be found throughout the area, but particularly in the North Thompson River Provincial Park. In the hot summers, woven reed-mats were used to build cool and airy lodges. Over 50 archaeological sites have been found in the area, including pictographs on the shores of Mahood Lake.

The first european surveyors, trappers, and prospectors arrived in the early 1800s. Some of these were positive meetings, others much less so. The newcomers introduced foreign diseases, and many native people died of smallpox, measles and other illnesses. They also traded goods which were later to be seen as unwelcome, such as firearms and whiskey.

One of the most damaging influences was the way in which very foreign values and standards were imposed on an ancient, enduring and entirely sustainable lifestyle: it is ironic that much of the world is only now beginning to recognise the errors of abandoning this type of natural balance.

Despite these pressures, the Secwepemc people preserve a vibrant and thriving culture, and remain a unique and important presence in the North Thompson.











 

Overlanders & Pioneers
The first europeans to arrive in the area were fur-trappers in the early 19th Century. They travelled up the North Thompson from the outpost at Kamloops, interacting with the native Secwepemc as they went.

These first european explorers noted the point where a river with very clear water flowed into the sediment-laden North Thompson as Fourche de l’Eau Claire: this tributary subsequently became known as the Clearwater River.

Later, in the mid-1800s, large numbers of prospectors arrived, lured by the promise of riches from the Cariboo Gold-Rush. In 1862 a group known as ‘The Overlanders’ passed through the area on their way to the Cariboo, having journeyed from Ontario by way of Winnipeg and Edmonton. At Tete Jaune Cache, some of the party continued down the Fraser River: the remainder (including pregnant women and young children) made the extraordinarily arduous journey through dense forests and by wooden raft down the wild North Thompson River to ‘Fort Kamloops’.

The first european settlement was established in the early 1900s, and known initially as Raft River. Birch Island was a busy centre for some time as the northern navigable limit for steamers, during the construction of the Canadian Northern Railway. This was an age of trappers, prospectors and homesteaders, signs of which may still be seen in the form of small log cabins falling slowly into ruin. However, several farms which were established in these days are still thriving: an example is the Aveley Ranch in Vavenby, now one of the largest sheep-farms in BC.

In time, the villages of Clearwater, Vavenby, and Birch Island became well-established, based mainly on income from logging and lumber. In recent years, a more diverse economy has evolved, with tourism now playing an important role.