Lytton, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Lytton in British Columbia
, Canada, sits at the confluence of the Thompson River
and Fraser River
on the east side of the Fraser. The location has been inhabited by the Nlaka'pamux
people for over 10,000 years, and is one of the earliest locations settled by non-natives in the Southern Interior of British Columbia
, having been founded during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush
of 1858–59, when it was originally known as "The Forks". The community includes both the Village of Lytton and the surrounding Indian Reserves of the Lytton Indian Band
, whose name for the community is Camchin, also spelled Kumsheen ("river meeting").
Lytton was on the route of the Gold Rush
in 1858. That same year, Lytton was named for Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the British Colonial Secretary and a novelist. For many years Lytton was a stop on major transportation routes, namely, the River Trail
from 1858, Cariboo Wagon Road in 1862, the Canadian Pacific Railway
in the 1880s, the Cariboo Highway in the 1920s, and the Trans Canada Highway in the 1950s. However, it has become much less important since the construction of the Coquihalla Highway in 1987 which uses a more direct route to the BC Interior
.
............" and is considered by some to be the worst opening sentence in the English language. However, Lord Lytton also wrote "The pen is mightier than the sword
......" in the play Richelieu. Despite being a very popular author for 19th century readers, few people are even aware of his prodigious body of literature spanning many genres. In the 21st century he is known best as the namesake for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
(BLFC) sponsored annually by the English Department at San Jose State University, which challenges entrants "to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels".
the great-great grandson of Edward Bulwer-Lytton to defend the great man's honour by debating Professor Scott Rice- the sponsor of the BLFC- on the literary and political legacies of his great ancestor. The debate received wide media coverage including The Globe and Mail
, the New York Times
, the Guardian
, CBC's "As It Happens
" and many local and regional newspapers and radio and TV stations. The debate was moderated by Mike McArdell of Global TV. Henry Lytton-Cobbold provided a spirited and crowd inspiring defense and despite a factual and well-researched presentation by Professor Rice, Mr Lytton-Cobbold emerged as the crowd favorite by a wide margin. In the end, Professor Rice begrudgingly admitted to an admiration of Bulwer-Lytton. This event was held as part of the Village of Lytton's 150BC celebrations, as it was the 150th anniversary of the community receiving its name.
of the neighbouring six Nlaka'pamux communities.
(Köppen climate classification
Dsb, the hottest month is almost hot enough for the climate to be classified as Dsa). In the summer, Lytton is often the hottest spot in Canada, despite being north of 50° in latitude. Due to its interior location and at a low elevation of 230m (750'), summer afternoon shade temperatures regularly reach the mid to high 30 °C 's (upper 90's to low 100 °F's) and sometimes top 40 °C (104 °F). Lytton, along with the nearby community of Lillooet
, share the second-highest
temperature ever recorded in Canada. On July 16 and 17, 1941, the temperature reached a record 44.4 °C (111.9 °F) on both days in both communities. Hot summer temperatures are made more tolerable by low humidity; however, the heat can be intense with usually clear blue skies and blazing sunlight – heat also radiates from the valley's slopes, and forest fires are not uncommon in the region during the summer.
Lytton's climate is also characterized by relatively short and mild winters (December and January average temperatures are just below freezing), with Pacific maritime influence during the winter ensuring thick cloud cover much of the time. Cold snaps originating from arctic outflow do occur from time to time, but tend to be short-lived, and mountains to the north block extreme cold from penetrating the Fraser Canyon.
The climate is quite dry and prone to occasional drought, with only 430 mm (17") of annual precipitation on average, although Lytton is wetter than some other communities in the region. Precipitation is largely concentrated in the cooler half of the year.
and ponderosa pine
dominate the slopes around Lytton. Some black cottonwood
is scattered among the conifers. Bunchgrass dominates the forest floor. Non-native trees cultivated in Lytton include black locust
and Manitoba Maple.
and Canadian National
Railways. The Canadian National Railway Crosses both the Fraser and Thompson Rivers on two large steel bridges at Lytton. Via the Trans-Canada, Lytton
is approximately 265 km from the city of Vancouver, 111 km north of Hope
, and 84 km south of Cache Creek
and Ashcroft.
Highway 12 runs north from Lytton 62 km to Lillooet
, connecting there to Highway 99
, which leads southwest to Pemberton
and Whistler
and beyond to Vancouver, and northeast to its terminus at Lower Hat Creek (Carquile) at a junction with Highway 97
just north of Cache Creek.
The Lytton Ferry
, a free reaction ferry
, crosses the Fraser River at Lytton. On the West side of the river is a First Nation reserve
and the Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park
that includes the entire watershed
for the Stein River
. When the ferry is out of service due to ice or low water levels on the Fraser River, pedestrian access is available via a walkway located on the Canadian National Railway bridge crossing the river.
Via Rail
's Canadian
and the Rocky Mountaineer
pass through Lytton, but do not make any stops. Via Rail's closest stops are Ashcroft, 80km to the north, and North Bend
/Boston Bar, 44km to the south.
Lytton is a corporate entity created under the Community Charter Act. The elections for the Village Council are held every three years with this years election held on November 15, 2008. The Council elected at that election include:
provincial riding, Lytton since 1966 was from then in the provincial riding of Yale-Lillooet
, represented since 2005 by Harry Lali
of the NDP
, who won re-election in the town's new riding of Fraser-Nicola
in the 2009 election.
of the Conservatives
.
Tourism is of ever increasing importance as Lytton is the self-proclaimed "River Rafting Capital of Canada". Biggest of the companies operating from Lytton is Kumsheen Rafting Resort. Hyak is very close behind and Fraser River and Reo Rafting are the smaller rafting companies. A provincial campsite, Skihist Provincial Park
, is adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway six kilometres north of the Village, with space for tenting as well as RVs and enjoys one of the few views available of Skihist Mountain
, the highest summit of the Lillooet Ranges
, across the Fraser to the west of Lytton. The privately run Jade Springs Restaurant, also east of the Village on the Trans-Canada, offers a full service camp ground.
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, sits at the confluence of the Thompson River
Thompson River
The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches called the South Thompson and the North Thompson...
and 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...
on the east side of the Fraser. The location has been inhabited by the 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...
people for over 10,000 years, and is one of the earliest locations settled by non-natives in the Southern Interior of British Columbia
British Columbia Interior
The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...
, having been founded during 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...
of 1858–59, when it was originally known as "The Forks". The community includes both the Village of Lytton and the surrounding Indian Reserves of the Lytton Indian Band
Lytton First Nation
The Lytton First Nation is a First Nations government headquartered at Lytton in the Fraser Canyon region of the Canadian province of British Columbia...
, whose name for the community is Camchin, also spelled Kumsheen ("river meeting").
History
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
in 1858. That same year, Lytton was named for Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the British Colonial Secretary and a novelist. For many years Lytton was a stop on major transportation routes, namely, the River Trail
River Trail (British Columbia)
The River Trail was a main route for travel in the colonial era of what is now the Canadian province of British Columbia, running northwards along the Fraser River from to present day Lillooet to Big Bar, British Columbia and points beyond in the Cariboo District...
from 1858, Cariboo Wagon Road in 1862, 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...
in the 1880s, the Cariboo Highway in the 1920s, and the Trans Canada Highway in the 1950s. However, it has become much less important since the construction of the Coquihalla Highway in 1987 which uses a more direct route to the BC Interior
British Columbia Interior
The British Columbia Interior or BC Interior or Interior of British Columbia, usually referred to only as the Interior, is one of the three main regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the other two being the Lower Mainland, which comprises the overlapping areas of Greater Vancouver...
.
Name origin
As a novelist Lord Lytton was a friend and contemporary of Charles Dickens and was one of the pioneers of the historical drama. He is best remembered for the opening line to the novel Paul Clifford, which begins "It was a dark and stormy nightIt was a dark and stormy night
"It was a dark and stormy night" is an infamous phrase written by Victorian novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton at the beginning of his 1830 novel Paul Clifford. The annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest uses the phrase as a signifier of purple prose...
............" and is considered by some to be the worst opening sentence in the English language. However, Lord Lytton also wrote "The pen is mightier than the sword
The pen is mightier than the sword
"The pen is mightier than the sword" is a metonymic adage coined by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 for his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy. The play was about Cardinal Richelieu, though in the author's words "license with dates and details.....
......" in the play Richelieu. Despite being a very popular author for 19th century readers, few people are even aware of his prodigious body of literature spanning many genres. In the 21st century he is known best as the namesake for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is a tongue-in-cheek contest that takes place annually and is sponsored by the English Department of San Jose State University in San Jose, California. Entrants are invited "to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels" – that is,...
(BLFC) sponsored annually by the English Department at San Jose State University, which challenges entrants "to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels".
Lord Lytton literary debate
On August 30, 2008, the Village of Lytton invited Henry Lytton-CobboldHenry Lytton-Cobbold
Henry Fromanteel Lytton-Cobbold is the current occupier of Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, England.He is the son of David Antony Fromanteel Lytton-Cobbold, 2nd Baron Cobbold, and is heir to the Barony of Cobbold. He is married to Martha Boone, with two children, Morwenna Gray and Edward...
the great-great grandson of Edward Bulwer-Lytton to defend the great man's honour by debating Professor Scott Rice- the sponsor of the BLFC- on the literary and political legacies of his great ancestor. The debate received wide media coverage including The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, the Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, CBC's "As It Happens
As It Happens
As It Happens is a long-running interview show on CBC Radio One in Canada. Its 40th anniversary was celebrated on-air on 18 November 2008. It has been one of the most popular and acclaimed shows on CBC Radio; it is also distributed in the United States by Public Radio International.The bulk of the...
" and many local and regional newspapers and radio and TV stations. The debate was moderated by Mike McArdell of Global TV. Henry Lytton-Cobbold provided a spirited and crowd inspiring defense and despite a factual and well-researched presentation by Professor Rice, Mr Lytton-Cobbold emerged as the crowd favorite by a wide margin. In the end, Professor Rice begrudgingly admitted to an admiration of Bulwer-Lytton. This event was held as part of the Village of Lytton's 150BC celebrations, as it was the 150th anniversary of the community receiving its name.
Population
The current village population is about 300 people with another 1,700 in the immediate area living in rural areas and on reservesIndian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
of the neighbouring six Nlaka'pamux communities.
Climate
Lytton's climate is a dry summer continental climateHumid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dsb, the hottest month is almost hot enough for the climate to be classified as Dsa). In the summer, Lytton is often the hottest spot in Canada, despite being north of 50° in latitude. Due to its interior location and at a low elevation of 230m (750'), summer afternoon shade temperatures regularly reach the mid to high 30 °C 's (upper 90's to low 100 °F's) and sometimes top 40 °C (104 °F). Lytton, along with the nearby community 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,...
, share the second-highest
Canada Weather Extremes
This table shows record weather extremes in Canada.*A snowfall season runs from July 1-June 30**Data range is from 1996 to 2009 only-See also:*List of extreme temperatures in Canada*List of weather records-External links:*...
temperature ever recorded in Canada. On July 16 and 17, 1941, the temperature reached a record 44.4 °C (111.9 °F) on both days in both communities. Hot summer temperatures are made more tolerable by low humidity; however, the heat can be intense with usually clear blue skies and blazing sunlight – heat also radiates from the valley's slopes, and forest fires are not uncommon in the region during the summer.
Lytton's climate is also characterized by relatively short and mild winters (December and January average temperatures are just below freezing), with Pacific maritime influence during the winter ensuring thick cloud cover much of the time. Cold snaps originating from arctic outflow do occur from time to time, but tend to be short-lived, and mountains to the north block extreme cold from penetrating the Fraser Canyon.
The climate is quite dry and prone to occasional drought, with only 430 mm (17") of annual precipitation on average, although Lytton is wetter than some other communities in the region. Precipitation is largely concentrated in the cooler half of the year.
Vegetation
Open coniferous forests of Douglas-firDouglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
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...
dominate the slopes around Lytton. Some black cottonwood
Balsam poplar
The balsam poplars — also known as Populus sect. Tacamahaca — are a group of about 10 species of poplars, indigenous to North America and eastern Asia, distinguished by the balsam scent of their buds, the whitish undersides of their leaves, and the leaf petiole being round in cross-section...
is scattered among the conifers. Bunchgrass dominates the forest floor. Non-native trees cultivated in Lytton include black locust
Black locust
Robinia pseudoacacia, commonly known as the Black Locust, is a tree in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States, but has been widely planted and naturalized elsewhere in temperate North America, Europe, Southern Africa and Asia and is...
and Manitoba Maple.
Transportation
Lytton lies on the Trans Canada Highway as well as both the Canadian PacificCanadian 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...
and Canadian National
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"....
Railways. The Canadian National Railway Crosses both the Fraser and Thompson Rivers on two large steel bridges at Lytton. Via the Trans-Canada, Lytton
Lytton
- People :* Lady Constance Lytton Suffragette and author* David Lytton-Cobbold, 2nd Baron Cobbold* Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, Diplomat and author...
is approximately 265 km from the city of Vancouver, 111 km north of Hope
Hope, British Columbia
Hope is a district municipality located at the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla rivers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Hope is at the eastern end of both the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland region, and is at the southern end of the Fraser Canyon...
, and 84 km south of Cache Creek
Cache Creek, British Columbia
Cache Creek is a junction community northeast of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is on the Trans-Canada Highway in the province of British Columbia at its junction with northbound Highway 97...
and Ashcroft.
Highway 12 runs north from Lytton 62 km to 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,...
, connecting there to 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...
, which leads southwest to 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 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...
and beyond to Vancouver, and northeast to its terminus at Lower Hat Creek (Carquile) at a junction with Highway 97
British Columbia provincial highway 97
Highway 97 is the longest continuously-numbered route in the Canadian province of British Columbia , running 2,081 km from the Canada/U.S. border at Osoyoos in the south to the British Columbia/Yukon border in the north at Watson Lake, Yukon. The route takes its number from U.S...
just north of Cache Creek.
The Lytton Ferry
Lytton Ferry
The Lytton Ferry is a cable ferry across the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated about north of Lytton.Technically, the ferry is a reaction ferry, which is propelled by the current of the water. An overhead cable is suspended from towers anchored on either bank of the river,...
, a free reaction ferry
Reaction ferry
A reaction ferry is a cable ferry that uses the reaction of the current of a river against a fixed tether to propel the vessel across the river...
, crosses the Fraser River at Lytton. On the West side of the river is a First Nation reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
and the Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park
Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park
Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. Nearly the complete Stein River watershed from the mountains to the Fraser River is protected in this park, though there are some areas of the watershed that were left out....
that includes the entire watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
for 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...
. When the ferry is out of service due to ice or low water levels on the Fraser River, pedestrian access is available via a walkway located on the Canadian National Railway bridge crossing the river.
Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
's Canadian
The Canadian
The Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1955 and 1978. It is currently operated as an Inter-city rail service by Via Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in...
and the Rocky Mountaineer
Rocky Mountaineer
Rocky Mountaineer is a Canadian tour company offering Western Canadian vacation packages that operates trains on four rail routes through British Columbia and Alberta.-Background:...
pass through Lytton, but do not make any stops. Via Rail's closest stops are Ashcroft, 80km to the north, and 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...
/Boston Bar, 44km to the south.
Municipal
The mayor of Lytton is Jessoa Lightfoot, who was elected for the first time to Mayor during the 2008 Municipal Election.Lytton is a corporate entity created under the Community Charter Act. The elections for the Village Council are held every three years with this years election held on November 15, 2008. The Council elected at that election include:
- Mayor Jessoa Lightfoot
- Cnclr Jim Steer
- Cnclr Rita McKay (re-elected)
- Cnclr Jim Robertson
- Cnclr Jan Polderman
Provincial
Originally part of the LillooetLillooet (electoral district)
The Lillooet electoral district was a riding in the Canadian province of British Columbia, centred on the town of the same name and with various boundaries...
provincial riding, Lytton since 1966 was from then in the provincial riding of Yale-Lillooet
Yale-Lillooet
Yale—Lillooet was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.It first appeared in the 1966 General Election, when it superseded the older Lillooet riding, which was one of the province's original twelve ridings, as well as the equally-old Yale riding,...
, represented since 2005 by Harry Lali
Harry Lali
Harry Lali is the current MLA for Fraser-Nicola in the Canadian province of British Columbia. In the 1991 election he was elected to the Legislative Assembly as MLA for Yale-Lillooet, and was re-elected in 1996. Lali served as the Minister of Transportation from 1998 to 2001. For the 2001 election,...
of the NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
, who won re-election in the town's new riding of Fraser-Nicola
Fraser-Nicola
Fraser-Nicola 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.- Member...
in the 2009 election.
Federal
Federally, the town is in the riding of Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon and is currently represented by Mark StrahlMark Strahl
Mark Strahl is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2011 election. He represents the electoral district of Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon as a member of the Conservative Party...
of the Conservatives
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...
.
Economy
The single main employer in the Village was part of the forestry industry and was forced to close following the market uncertainties of 2007.Tourism is of ever increasing importance as Lytton is the self-proclaimed "River Rafting Capital of Canada". Biggest of the companies operating from Lytton is Kumsheen Rafting Resort. Hyak is very close behind and Fraser River and Reo Rafting are the smaller rafting companies. A provincial campsite, Skihist Provincial Park
Skihist Provincial Park
Skihist Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located on the Thompson River and adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway between the towns of Lytton and Spences Bridge...
, is adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway six kilometres north of the Village, with space for tenting as well as RVs and enjoys one of the few views available of Skihist Mountain
Skihist Mountain
Skihist Mountain is the highest mountain in the Cantilever Range and in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southern boundary of Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park, about west of Lytton....
, the highest summit of the Lillooet Ranges
Lillooet 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...
, across the Fraser to the west of Lytton. The privately run Jade Springs Restaurant, also east of the Village on the Trans-Canada, offers a full service camp ground.