Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
The Village of Harrison Hot Springs is a small community at the southern end of Harrison Lake
in the Fraser Valley
of British Columbia
. It is a member of the Fraser Valley Regional District; its immediate neighbour is the District of Kent
and included in it, the town of Agassiz
. It is a resort community known for its hot springs, and has a population of just over 1500 people. It is named after Benjamin Harrison, a former deputy governor for the Hudson's Bay Company
.
brought the lakeside springs within a short carriage ride of the transcontinental mainline. In its first promotion as a resort it was known as St. Alice's Well, although it had been discovered decades earlier when a party of goldfield-bound travellers on Harrison Lake capsized into what they thought was their doom, only to discover the lake at that spot was not freezing, but warm.
Although the resort flourished in a low-key fashion for years after this discovery was exploited by hoteliers, the Village of Harrison Hot Springs was not incorporated until 1949. Its namesake hot springs
are a major attraction for tourists who come to stay at the village's spa-resort. Harrison Hot Springs is also known for an international sandcastle
building competition that takes place there annually in September, and for the summertime Harrison Festival of the Arts.
The hot springs
themselves were originally used and revered by the Sts'Ailes
(Chehalis
) First Nations people who live along the Harrison River
nearby. There are two hot springs, the "Potash", with a temperature of 40°C, and the "Sulphur", with a temperature of 65°C. According to Harrison Hot Springs Resort, the waters average 1300 ppm of dissolved mineral solids, one of the highest concentrations of any mineral spring. This hot spring is one of several lining the valley of the Lillooet River
and Harrison Lake. The northernmost of the Lillooet River hot springs is at Meager Creek
, north of Whistler
, with another well-known one to the east of Whistler at Skookumchuck Hot Springs
, midway between Pemberton
and Port Douglas. One feature of this chain of hot springs is that the Harrison Hot Springs vent is the most sulfuric, and there is consistently less sulfur content as one goes northwards, with the springs at Meager Creek having almost no scent at all.
above the north end of the giant fresh-water fjord of Harrison Lake in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia
, Canada, could collapse into the lake, generating a large wave that might destroy the town of Harrison Hot Springs (located at its south end).
The population of Harrison Hot Springs has been steadily growing in recent years. The Canadian Census has reported 655 people in 1991, 898 in 1996, 1343 in 2001, and 1573 in 2006.
.
provincial electoral district, represented by Barry Penner
in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
. In the 2009 provincial election
, he was elected as the district's Member of the Legislative Assembly
with 55% support from the town's polls.
Federally, Harrison Hot Springs is in the Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon riding, represented in the Canadian House of Commons
by Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
Chuck Strahl
.
Harrison Lake
Harrison Lake is the largest lake in the southern Coast Mountains of Canada, being about 250 square kilometres in area. It is about 60 km in length and at its widest almost 9 km across. Its southern end, at the resort community of Harrison Hot Springs, is c. 95 km east of...
in the Fraser Valley
Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is the section of the Fraser River basin in southwestern British Columbia downstream of the Fraser Canyon. The term is sometimes used to refer to the Fraser Canyon and stretches upstream from there, but in general British Columbian usage of the term refers to the stretch of the...
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 is a member of the Fraser Valley Regional District; its immediate neighbour is the District of Kent
Kent, British Columbia
The District of Kent is a district municipality located east of Vancouver, British Columbia. Part of the Fraser Valley Regional District, Kent consists of several communities, the largest and most well-known being Agassiz, the only town in the municipality, Harrison Mills, Kilby, Mount Woodside,...
and included in it, the town of Agassiz
Agassiz, British Columbia
Agassiz is a small community located in British Columbia's Fraser Valley. The only town within the jurisdiction of the District Municipality of Kent, it contains the majority of Kent's population.-References:...
. It is a resort community known for its hot springs, and has a population of just over 1500 people. It is named after Benjamin Harrison, a former deputy governor for the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
.
History
The Village of Harrison Hot Springs has been a small resort community since 1886, when the opening of the Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian 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...
brought the lakeside springs within a short carriage ride of the transcontinental mainline. In its first promotion as a resort it was known as St. Alice's Well, although it had been discovered decades earlier when a party of goldfield-bound travellers on Harrison Lake capsized into what they thought was their doom, only to discover the lake at that spot was not freezing, but warm.
Although the resort flourished in a low-key fashion for years after this discovery was exploited by hoteliers, the Village of Harrison Hot Springs was not incorporated until 1949. Its namesake hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
are a major attraction for tourists who come to stay at the village's spa-resort. Harrison Hot Springs is also known for an international sandcastle
SandCastle
Sandcastle is a documentation generator from Microsoft that automatically produces MSDN style reference documentation out of reflection information of .NET assemblies and XML documentation comments found in the source code of these assemblies...
building competition that takes place there annually in September, and for the summertime Harrison Festival of the Arts.
The hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
themselves were originally used and revered by the Sts'Ailes
Sts'Ailes
The Sts'ailes are a First Nations people in the Lower Mainland of the Canadian province of British Columbia. They are a Halqemeylem-speaking people but are distinct historically and politically from the surrounding Sto:lo peoples...
(Chehalis
Chehalis First Nation
The Chehalis First Nation or Chehalis Indian Band is the band government of the Sts'Ailes people, whose territories lie between Deroche and Agassiz, British Columbia...
) First Nations people who live along the Harrison River
Harrison River
The Harrison River is a short but large tributary of the Fraser River, entering it near the community of Chehalis, British Columbia. The Harrison drains Harrison Lake and is the de facto continuation of the Lillooet River, which feeds the lake....
nearby. There are two hot springs, the "Potash", with a temperature of 40°C, and the "Sulphur", with a temperature of 65°C. According to Harrison Hot Springs Resort, the waters average 1300 ppm of dissolved mineral solids, one of the highest concentrations of any mineral spring. This hot spring is one of several lining the valley of the Lillooet River
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
and Harrison Lake. The northernmost of the Lillooet River hot springs is at Meager Creek
Meager Creek
Meager Creek is a creek in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. It flows northeast into the Lillooet River....
, north of Whistler
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
, with another well-known one to the east of Whistler at Skookumchuck Hot Springs
Skookumchuck Hot Springs, British Columbia
T'sek Hot Springs, near the First Nation community of Skookumchuck and more recently as Skatin is on the historic Harrison Lillooet Gold Rush trail in the Lillooet River valley, south of Lillooet Lake, in British Columbia, Canada...
, midway between Pemberton
Pemberton, British Columbia
Pemberton is a village north of Whistler in the Pemberton Valley of British Columbia in Canada, with a population of 2,192. Until the 1960s the village could be accessed only by train but that changed when Highway 99 was built through Whistler and Pemberton.-Climate:The climate of Pemberton is...
and Port Douglas. One feature of this chain of hot springs is that the Harrison Hot Springs vent is the most sulfuric, and there is consistently less sulfur content as one goes northwards, with the springs at Meager Creek having almost no scent at all.
Tsunami Risk
Some geologists consider that an unstable rock face at Mount BreakenridgeMount Breakenridge
Mount Breakenridge, , is a mountain in the Lillooet Ranges of southwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on the east side of upper Harrison Lake in the angle of mountains formed by that lake and the Big Silver River.-Name:...
above the north end of the giant fresh-water fjord of Harrison Lake in the Lower Mainland of southwestern 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...
, Canada, could collapse into the lake, generating a large wave that might destroy the town of Harrison Hot Springs (located at its south end).
Demographics
| Canada 2006 Census Canada 2006 Census The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897... |
||
| Harrison Hot Spring | British Columbia | |
| Median age | 49.8 years | 40.8 years |
| Under 15 years old | 14% | 17% |
| Over 65 years old | 21% | 15% |
| Protestant (2001) | 37% | 31% |
| Catholic (2001) | 16% | 17% |
The population of Harrison Hot Springs has been steadily growing in recent years. The Canadian Census has reported 655 people in 1991, 898 in 1996, 1343 in 2001, and 1573 in 2006.
Economy
Harrison Hot Springs' major economy is tourism in relation to the hot springs, with over half of employment found in service industries, with much of the rest found split through retail, government, construction and manufacturing are represented, as well as minor activity in other areas.Attractions
Harrison Hot Springs' greatest attraction is its titular springs, of course, but it also has the Ranger Station Public Art Gallery, a marina with jet boat tours of the lake available, a nine hole golf course, and is the closest access to Sasquatch Provincial ParkSasquatch Provincial Park
Sasquatch Provincial Park is a provincial park in Kent, British Columbia, Canada.-History:The park was established 1968, in its present condition. It actually began in 1959 as a 20 hectare inland fjord called Green Point Park, which was expanded into a picnicking area in 1960. Eight years later the...
.
Government
Harrison Hot Springs is part of the Chilliwack-HopeChilliwack-Hope
Chilliwack-Hope is a provincial electoral district in British Columbia, Canada established by the Electoral Districts Act, 2008. It will come into effect upon the next dissolution of the BC Legislature, currently scheduled for April 2009, and will first be contested in the ensuing election...
provincial electoral district, represented by Barry Penner
Barry Penner
Barry Penner, QC is a former Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Chilliwack-Hope. He previously served as Attorney General of British Columbia, Deputy House Leader , and Minister of Environment and Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.Born in Kitimat in 1966,...
in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
. In the 2009 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
, he was elected as the district's Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
with 55% support from the town's polls.
Federally, Harrison Hot Springs is in the Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon riding, represented in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
by Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Chuck Strahl
Chuck Strahl
Charles Strahl, PC, MP was a politician in British Columbia, Canada. He was a Member of Parliament in the governing Conservative Party of Canada.-Before politics:...
.
