Cayoosh Creek
Encyclopedia
Cayoosh Creek is a northeast-flowing tributary
of the Seton River
in the Canadian province
of British Columbia
.
north of Cayoosh Pass
to join the Seton River
at of Lillooet
. In local parlance, the 4 kilometre length of the Seton River to its confluence with the Fraser at the town of Lillooet is referred to as Cayoosh Creek, as is indicated by a Department of Highways sign on the BC Highway 99
bridge crossing it just before the Bridge of the Twenty-Three Camels
over the Fraser
, which lies immediately upstream of the river's mouth.
to the south. Duffey Lake is named for "Sapper Duffy", a Lieut. Patrick Duffey (or "Duffy") or the Royal Engineers
, who was assigned to investigate the route of the Cayoosh valley as a possible wagon road from the head of Lillooet Lake
to Lillooet
, which because of the steep descent westwards from Cayoosh Pass was not gone forward with. The creek's final descent to the confluence with the Seton is a deeper and deeper canyon, narrow and twisting, with the last ridges of the Cayoosh Range forming a rock wall thousands of feet in height, immediately opposite the highway across a very narrow gorge below. The north wall of the canyon was the location of the Golden Cache Mine, which started a small regional rush in 1897-1898 and whose former mill buildings were in the depths of the canyon below the highway and whose workings were reached by ramparts beneath overhangs on the highest part of the canyon wall. This stretch of the canyon was the site of the hunt for First World War hero-turned-outlaw Frank Gott, who is commemorated by Gott Peak which is on the southern rim of the Cayoosh basin, on the divide separating it from the basin of the Stein River
, which parallels it roughly to the south, and by Gott Peak which is one of Cayoosh Creek's several large southern tributaries.
At the bottom of the canyon, as the highway clings to a mountainface some three thousand feet high, ranging from one to two thousand feet to the creek, steep below, there is a small private reservoir formed by a dam where Cayoosh Falls had once been known as Walden North. Walden North was a private estate and scientific research facility and manufacturing installation built by American uranium
prospector Vernon Pick. From Cayoosh Falls to the Fraser was the scene of the Cayoosh Gold Rush
of the 1880s, in which 300 Chinese gold miners were estimated by the local Government Agent
to have taken out around $6 million in gold. The creek's riverbed throughout this stretch was literally turned upside down and remains of Chinese gold-mills and gold-furnaces can be found near the Hydro campsite, as well as piles of washed rocks which are byproducts of Chinese mining methods.
-run campground on the creek's final bottomlands near the Seton River, is Mount Brew
. Brew is the highest in the northern Lillooet Ranges at 9970'; the elevation of the confluence is about 700', the edge of Brew's summit above, less than a mile to the south, is around 8800'. A buttress of Mount Brew lies to the southeast of the confluence, even closer and overhanging the lower Seton River, and features an 8000' near-sheer wall, while on the north across the Seton River are the last ramparts of Mission Ridge, reaching up to 6000' in this area, which is also the terminus of the Cayoosh Range. The combined gorge-walls of Seton Lake, the Cayoosh Range, Cayoosh Canyon, Mount Brew and its northward buttress, and the last buttress of Mission Ridge, form a large canyon complex ranging from 5000' to 7000' which also is a zone of extreme aridity and high summer temperatures, featuring lizards, cactus, and sagebrush. "Nkoomptch" is the historical name for this locality historically and means "water crossing over" in the St'at'imcets language
. In this locality, Governor Seymour commissioned one of the Interior's three first flour mills in 1862, the others being at Big Bar 60 km up the Fraser, in times when the Lillooet District produced mostly grain, as a measure to secure food supplies for the Cariboo gold rush
. A store was also located in this area, operated by Dan Hurley
, a Lillooet rancher and hotelier, as this was the route of the wagon road from the foot of Seton Lake, the last water leg of the Douglas Road
, into Lillooet.
Cayoosh Creek's last reaches are unusual in that they are bridged by a canal, the Seton Canal
, which is part of the last phase of the Bridge River Power Project
and feeds a powerhouse on the Fraser
just south of the Seton River's confluence.
, whose name had become used for a type of horse. There are differing accounts over how the stream acquired its name/
"Cayoosh" is the local form of Cayuse, and in the Lillooet and Chilcotin regions refers to a particular strain of Indian mountain pony
The traditional indigenous name of the stream is said to be Tsammuk and/or Tsho-ha-mous.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Seton River
Seton River
The Seton River is a tributary of the Fraser River in the Canadian province of British Columbia.-Course:The Seton River originates at the foot of Anderson Lake and runs initially for only 3km to the head of Seton Lake...
in the Canadian province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
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...
.
Course
Cayoosh Creek flows generally northeast from sources in the eponymous Cayoosh RangeCayoosh Range
The Cayoosh Range is the northernmost section of the Lillooet Ranges, which are a subrange of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia. The range is c...
north of Cayoosh Pass
Cayoosh Pass
Cayoosh Pass is a mountain pass in the Lillooet Ranges of the Pacific Ranges of the southern Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada...
to join the Seton River
Seton River
The Seton River is a tributary of the Fraser River in the Canadian province of British Columbia.-Course:The Seton River originates at the foot of Anderson Lake and runs initially for only 3km to the head of Seton Lake...
at of Lillooet
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
. In local parlance, the 4 kilometre length of the Seton River to its confluence with the Fraser at the town of Lillooet is referred to as Cayoosh Creek, as is indicated by a Department of Highways sign on the BC Highway 99
British Columbia provincial highway 99
Highway 99, also known as the Sea to Sky Highway, the Squamish Highway, Route 99, or Whistler Highway, is the major north-south artery running through the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia from the U.S. border, up Howe Sound through the Sea to Sky Country to Lillooet, and connecting to...
bridge crossing it just before the Bridge of the Twenty-Three Camels
Bridge of the Twenty-Three Camels
Bridge of the Twenty-Three Camels is the official name of the highway bridge over the Fraser River at Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada, on BC Highway 99...
over the Fraser
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...
, which lies immediately upstream of the river's mouth.
Cayoosh Canyon
Although already 10km long when it enters Duffey Lake, a 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) long lake which is the focus of its upper basin, at the lake's outflow it begins a rapid descent, carving deeply between the Cayoosh Range and the main Lillooet RangesLillooet Ranges
The Lillooet Ranges are the southeasternmost subdivision of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. They are located between the drainage of the Lillooet River and Harrison Lake on the west and the canyon of the Fraser River on the east, and by the lowland coastal valley of...
to the south. Duffey Lake is named for "Sapper Duffy", a Lieut. Patrick Duffey (or "Duffy") or the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, who was assigned to investigate the route of the Cayoosh valley as a possible wagon road from the head of Lillooet Lake
Lillooet Lake
Lillooet Lake is a lake in British Columbia, Canada about 25 km in length and about 33.5 square kilometres in area. It is about 95 km downstream from the source of the Lillooet River, which resumes its course after leaving Little Lillooet Lake, aka Tenas Lake...
to Lillooet
Lillooet
Lillooet may refer to:*Lillooet, a town in the Fraser Canyon in British Columbia.*the St'at'imc people, also known as the Lillooet people*The Lillooet language, also known under the names of its dialects St'at'imcets and Ucwalmícwts...
, which because of the steep descent westwards from Cayoosh Pass was not gone forward with. The creek's final descent to the confluence with the Seton is a deeper and deeper canyon, narrow and twisting, with the last ridges of the Cayoosh Range forming a rock wall thousands of feet in height, immediately opposite the highway across a very narrow gorge below. The north wall of the canyon was the location of the Golden Cache Mine, which started a small regional rush in 1897-1898 and whose former mill buildings were in the depths of the canyon below the highway and whose workings were reached by ramparts beneath overhangs on the highest part of the canyon wall. This stretch of the canyon was the site of the hunt for First World War hero-turned-outlaw Frank Gott, who is commemorated by Gott Peak which is on the southern rim of the Cayoosh basin, on the divide separating it from the basin of the Stein River
Stein River
The Stein River is a tributary of the Fraser River in the Canadian province of British Columbia.The name is derived from the Nlaka'pamux word Stagyn, meaning "hidden place", referring to the fact that the size and extent of the Stein River valley is not very noticeable from the river's confluence...
, which parallels it roughly to the south, and by Gott Peak which is one of Cayoosh Creek's several large southern tributaries.
At the bottom of the canyon, as the highway clings to a mountainface some three thousand feet high, ranging from one to two thousand feet to the creek, steep below, there is a small private reservoir formed by a dam where Cayoosh Falls had once been known as Walden North. Walden North was a private estate and scientific research facility and manufacturing installation built by American uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
prospector Vernon Pick. From Cayoosh Falls to the Fraser was the scene of the Cayoosh Gold Rush
Cayoosh Gold Rush
The Cayoosh Gold Rush was one of several in the history of the region surrounding Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada. If estimates of its yield are true, it would be one of the richest single finds in the gold mining history of that province....
of the 1880s, in which 300 Chinese gold miners were estimated by the local Government Agent
Government Agent
A function called Government Agent exist or existed in the past in several countries, such as* Sri Lanka - see Government Agent * Canada - see Government Agent...
to have taken out around $6 million in gold. The creek's riverbed throughout this stretch was literally turned upside down and remains of Chinese gold-mills and gold-furnaces can be found near the Hydro campsite, as well as piles of washed rocks which are byproducts of Chinese mining methods.
"Nkoomptch"
Towering over the lower reaches of the canyon and Walden North as a large BC HydroBC Hydro
The BC Hydro and Power Authority is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia generally known simply as BC Hydro. It is the main electric distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the Kootenay region, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis...
-run campground on the creek's final bottomlands near the Seton River, is Mount Brew
Mount Brew (Lillooet Ranges)
Mount Brew is a mountain located south of Lillooet and north of Skihist Mountain. It lies on the western side of the Fraser River and is the highest mountain just south of Lillooet....
. Brew is the highest in the northern Lillooet Ranges at 9970'; the elevation of the confluence is about 700', the edge of Brew's summit above, less than a mile to the south, is around 8800'. A buttress of Mount Brew lies to the southeast of the confluence, even closer and overhanging the lower Seton River, and features an 8000' near-sheer wall, while on the north across the Seton River are the last ramparts of Mission Ridge, reaching up to 6000' in this area, which is also the terminus of the Cayoosh Range. The combined gorge-walls of Seton Lake, the Cayoosh Range, Cayoosh Canyon, Mount Brew and its northward buttress, and the last buttress of Mission Ridge, form a large canyon complex ranging from 5000' to 7000' which also is a zone of extreme aridity and high summer temperatures, featuring lizards, cactus, and sagebrush. "Nkoomptch" is the historical name for this locality historically and means "water crossing over" in the St'at'imcets language
St'at'imcets language
Lillooet or Lilloet, also known as St’át’imcets , is the Interior Salishan language of the St’át’imc, spoken in southern British Columbia, Canada around the middle Fraser and Lillooet rivers. The dialect of the Lower Lillooet people uses the name Ucwalmícwts as St’át’imcets properly means "the...
. In this locality, Governor Seymour commissioned one of the Interior's three first flour mills in 1862, the others being at Big Bar 60 km up the Fraser, in times when the Lillooet District produced mostly grain, as a measure to secure food supplies for the Cariboo gold rush
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...
. A store was also located in this area, operated by Dan Hurley
Dan Hurley
Dan Hurley is the head basketball coach at Wagner College in Staten Island, NY, which is an NCAA Division I program in the Northeast Conference. He was named head coach in 2010 after a standout career as head coach of Saint Benedict's Preparatory School, where he built the New Jersey school into...
, a Lillooet rancher and hotelier, as this was the route of the wagon road from the foot of Seton Lake, the last water leg of 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...
, into Lillooet.
Cayoosh Creek's last reaches are unusual in that they are bridged by a canal, the Seton Canal
Seton Canal
The Seton Canal is a diversion of the flow of the Seton River from Seton Dam, just below the flow of Seton Lake, to the Seton Powerhouse on the Fraser River at the town of Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada...
, which is part of the last phase of the Bridge River Power Project
Bridge River Power Project
The Bridge River Power Project is a hydroelectric power development in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located in the Lillooet Country between Whistler and Lillooet...
and feeds a powerhouse on the Fraser
Seton Powerhouse
The Seton Powerhouse is a hydroelectric generating station on the Fraser River just below the confluence of the Seton River at the town of Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada. The powerhouse is fed by the Seton Canal, a 5 km diversion of the flow of the Seton River which begins at Seton Dam,...
just south of the Seton River's confluence.
Name
The name of the river probably derives from the CayuseCayuse
The Cayuse are a Native American tribe in the state of Oregon in the United States. The Cayuse tribe shares a reservation in northeastern Oregon with the Umatilla and the Walla Walla tribes as part of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation...
, whose name had become used for a type of horse. There are differing accounts over how the stream acquired its name/
"Cayoosh" is the local form of Cayuse, and in the Lillooet and Chilcotin regions refers to a particular strain of Indian mountain pony
The traditional indigenous name of the stream is said to be Tsammuk and/or Tsho-ha-mous.