Boston Bar, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Boston Bar is an unincorporated town in the Fraser Canyon
of the Canadian province of British Columbia
. It was not named for an organization of Massachusetts
lawyers but dates from the time of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
(1858-1861). A "bar" is a gold-bearing sandbar or sandy riverbank, and the one below today's town was populated heavily by Americans, who were known in the parlance of the Chinook Jargon
as "Boston men" or simply "Bostons". The original Nlaka'pamux
(Thompson Indian) name of Boston Bar was rendered in English-style spelling as Quayome, which appears commonly on frontier-era maps and in diaries and newspapers of the day. The name originally referred to the other side of the river from today's town, but came into use for the present site after the original was re-named North Bend
by the Canadian Pacific Railway
.
Across the Fraser River
is the small town of North Bend, which could only be accessed by rail
or by aerial ferry until recently when the two lane bridge was built. The Canadian Pacific Railway
(CPR) has a small terminal here that is the half way point between Vancouver and Kamloops. The Building of the Railway played an important role in this region, first with the construction of the CPR line (1881-1885) then later the Canadian National Railway
line on the Boston Bar side of the river. North Bend is also at the doorstep of the Nahatlatch Valley, a chain of 3 lakes and the Nahatlatch River.
In June 2011, Boston Bar briefly unofficially changed its name to "Vancouver Bar", in an effort to support the nearby Vancouver Canucks
hockey team of the NHL in the Stanley Cup Finals
as they took on the Boston Bruins
. This follows major retailers such as Boston Pizza
unofficially changing their name to "Vancouver Pizza" during the same round of the playoffs.
The climate is transitional between marine west coast and continental
. The heaviest precipitation occurs in winter, which also has the strongest marine influence in most years. The continental influence is most pronounced in summer, which is hot. The vegetation has a mixture of rain forest and dry interior plant species with bigleaf maple
and Western Red Cedar prominent among the rain forest species and ponderosa pine
standing tall as one of the interior species. Douglas fir is the most common tree.
One consequence of the climate is that Boston Bar is in the range of the timber rattler
, which are common in areas farther upstream along the Fraser and Thompson Rivers.
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...
of the Canadian province 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...
. It was not named for an organization of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
lawyers but dates from the time of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River. This was a few miles upstream from the Thompson's confluence with the Fraser River at present-day Lytton...
(1858-1861). A "bar" is a gold-bearing sandbar or sandy riverbank, and the one below today's town was populated heavily by Americans, who were known in the parlance of the Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon originated as a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to other areas in modern Oregon and Washington, then British Columbia and as far as Alaska, sometimes taking on characteristics of a creole language...
as "Boston men" or simply "Bostons". The original Nlaka'pamux
Nlaka'pamux
The Nlaka'pamux , commonly called "the Thompson", and also Thompson River Salish, Thompson Salish, Thompson River Indians or Thompson River people) are an indigenous First Nations/Native American people of the Interior Salish language group in southern British Columbia...
(Thompson Indian) name of Boston Bar was rendered in English-style spelling as Quayome, which appears commonly on frontier-era maps and in diaries and newspapers of the day. The name originally referred to the other side of the river from today's town, but came into use for the present site after the original was re-named North Bend
North Bend, British Columbia
North Bend is an unincorporated community in the Fraser Canyon region of British Columbia, Canada, located across the Fraser River from the town of Boston Bar...
by 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...
.
Across the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
is the small town of North Bend, which could only be accessed by rail
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
or by aerial ferry until recently when the two lane bridge was built. 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...
(CPR) has a small terminal here that is the half way point between Vancouver and Kamloops. The Building of the Railway played an important role in this region, first with the construction of the CPR line (1881-1885) then later the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
line on the Boston Bar side of the river. North Bend is also at the doorstep of the Nahatlatch Valley, a chain of 3 lakes and the Nahatlatch River.
In June 2011, Boston Bar briefly unofficially changed its name to "Vancouver Bar", in an effort to support the nearby Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
hockey team of the NHL in the Stanley Cup Finals
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals is the championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, emblematic of the professional club championship of ice hockey. Although the Cup itself has existed since 1893, an annual championship series between professional teams was not established until 1913...
as they took on the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
. This follows major retailers such as Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza is a Canadian-based restaurant chain which owns and franchises locations in Canada, the United States and Mexico.-History:...
unofficially changing their name to "Vancouver Pizza" during the same round of the playoffs.
Climate
Boston Bar sits in a pocket climate created by the confines of the canyon, and though on the edge of the coastal temperate zone just to the south, its climate is subject to the seasonal extremes of temperature common in the interior of the province. It enjoys 4 very distinct seasons with temperatures reaching up to 35-40c in the summer and down to -5 to -10c in the winter. It is notably the first place inland up the Fraser Canyon where rainfall levels are markedly lower than the rainier stretches from Yale and Spuzzum north to Hell's Gate.The climate is transitional between marine west coast and continental
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
. The heaviest precipitation occurs in winter, which also has the strongest marine influence in most years. The continental influence is most pronounced in summer, which is hot. The vegetation has a mixture of rain forest and dry interior plant species with bigleaf maple
Bigleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum is a large deciduous tree in the genus Acer.It can grow to be up to 35 m tall, but more commonly grows 15 m to 20 m tall. It is native to western North America, mostly near the Pacific coast, from southernmost Alaska to southern California...
and Western Red Cedar prominent among the rain forest species and ponderosa pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
standing tall as one of the interior species. Douglas fir is the most common tree.
One consequence of the climate is that Boston Bar is in the range of the timber rattler
Crotalus oreganus
Crotalus oreganus is a venomous pitviper species found in North America in the western United States, parts of British Columbia and northwestern Mexico. Seven subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here....
, which are common in areas farther upstream along the Fraser and Thompson Rivers.