N'quatqua
Encyclopedia
N'Quatqua, variously spelled Nequatque, N'quat'qua, is the proper historic name in the St'at'imcets language for the First Nations village of the Stl'atl'imx people of the community of D'Arcy
, which is at the upper end of Anderson Lake about 35 miles southeast of Lillooet
and about the same distance from Pemberton
. The usage is synonymous with Nequatque Indian Reserve No. 1, which is 177 ha. in size and located adjacent to the mouth of the Gates River
(see N'Quatqua First Nation
for a list of other reserves administered by the band, some of which are also named Nequatque).
The village and its beach were at the end of pavement northeast of Vancouver and Whistler
until the opening of the Duffey Lake Road stretch of Hwy 99, which runs on the south side of the Cayoosh Range
which rises above N'Quatqua on the south and east. Beyond D'Arcy towards Seton Portage
, at the other end of Anderson Lake, there is only a rough powerline road thousands of feet above the lake, known as the High Line Road, that is not recommended for the unwary or unsure, or the feeble of engine or nerve.
First Nations
people have resided at N'Quatqua "since time immemorial" and there is little doubt that there has been human habitation at this sheltered, food-rich spot soon after the catastrophic collapse of the Cayoosh Range
8-20,000 BP that created Seton Portage
and separated Anderson and Seton Lake
s (the catastrophe would have created a huge wave - see megatsunami
- wiping out all human populations in the valley). Prior to the diversion of the Bridge River
into the Seton
watershed, the salmon runs coming up the lake were as typically large as on other tributaries of the Fraser
.
There were other villages in the Gates Valley, southwest from D'Arcy and up Blackwater Creek towards Birkenhead Lake
, as well as at Birken
but between the ravages of smallpox, an early 19th C. war with the Tsilhqot'in
, the effects of the gold rush
and Oblate
evangelization and the Indian Act
, today there is only N'Quatqua.
The N'Quatqua people were part of the Lakes Lillooet group of the St'at'imc
, which included today's Seton Lake Band
as well as other villages and single residences along Anderson and Seton Lake
s. In the 19th Century, the paramount chief of the Lakes Lillooet, or the closest thing there was to such a title, was Chief Hunter Jack
(Tash Poli in St'at'imcets, poorly transcribed), whose principal residence was at D'Arcy, although he often lived at Shalalth
and was a habitué of the Bridge River
goldfields over which he claimed suzerainty.
During the gold rush N'Quatqua was busy as a shipping and transference point on the Douglas Road
and went by the name Port Anderson. The name D'Arcy was conferred in honour of Thomas D'Arcy McGee when the Pacific Great Eastern Railway was built, and that name was also applied to the alpine peak just south of "town".
N'Quatqua/D'arcy today has a mix of non-native housing and there are large recreational subdivisions in between D'Arcy and Birken. At Devine, two miles from D'Arcy, a sawmill operated in World War II
by a Frank Devine employeed Japanese Canadians
who had been relocated from the coast to a relocation centre at McGillivray Falls, a few miles farther northeast along the north side of Anderson Lake.
D'Arcy, British Columbia
D'Arcy is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of British Columbia, approximately 150 kilometres northeast of the city of Vancouver...
, which is at the upper end of Anderson Lake about 35 miles southeast 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,...
and about the same distance from 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...
. The usage is synonymous with Nequatque Indian Reserve No. 1, which is 177 ha. in size and located adjacent to the mouth of the Gates River
Gates River
The Gates River is a short river in the Lillooet Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Approximately 14.5 km in length, it flows generally northeast from the outlet of Birken Lake to its mouth at the head of Anderson Lake...
(see N'Quatqua First Nation
N'quatqua First Nation
The N'Quatqua First Nation, also known as the N'quatqua Nation, the N'Quatqua Nation, the Nequatque First Nation, the Anderson Lake Indian Band, the Anderson Lake First Nation and the Anderson Lake Band , is a First Nations government of the St'at'imc people, located in the southern Coast...
for a list of other reserves administered by the band, some of which are also named Nequatque).
The village and its beach were at the end of pavement northeast of Vancouver 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...
until the opening of the Duffey Lake Road stretch of Hwy 99, which runs on the south side of the Cayoosh Range
Cayoosh 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...
which rises above N'Quatqua on the south and east. Beyond D'Arcy towards Seton Portage
Seton Portage, British Columbia
Seton Portage is a historic rural community in British Columbia, Canada, that is about 25 km west of Lillooet, located between Seton Lake and Anderson Lake. "The Portage" was formed about 10,000 years ago when the flank of the Cayoosh Range, which is the south flank of the valley, let go and...
, at the other end of Anderson Lake, there is only a rough powerline road thousands of feet above the lake, known as the High Line Road, that is not recommended for the unwary or unsure, or the feeble of engine or nerve.
First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
people have resided at N'Quatqua "since time immemorial" and there is little doubt that there has been human habitation at this sheltered, food-rich spot soon after the catastrophic collapse of the Cayoosh Range
Cayoosh 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...
8-20,000 BP that created Seton Portage
Seton Portage, British Columbia
Seton Portage is a historic rural community in British Columbia, Canada, that is about 25 km west of Lillooet, located between Seton Lake and Anderson Lake. "The Portage" was formed about 10,000 years ago when the flank of the Cayoosh Range, which is the south flank of the valley, let go and...
and separated Anderson and Seton Lake
Seton Lake
Seton Lake is a freshwater fjord draining east via the Seton River into the Fraser River at the town of Lillooet, British Columbia, about 22 km long and 243 m in elevation and 26.2 square kilometres in area...
s (the catastrophe would have created a huge wave - see megatsunami
Megatsunami
Megatsunami is an informal term to describe a tsunami that has initial wave heights that are much larger than normal tsunamis...
- wiping out all human populations in the valley). Prior to the diversion of the Bridge River
Bridge River
The Bridge River is, or was, a major tributary of British Columbia's Fraser River, entering that stream about six miles upstream from the town of Lillooet.-Name:Its name in the Lillooet language is Xwisten , sometimes spelled Nxwisten or Nxo-isten)...
into the Seton
Seton Lake
Seton Lake is a freshwater fjord draining east via the Seton River into the Fraser River at the town of Lillooet, British Columbia, about 22 km long and 243 m in elevation and 26.2 square kilometres in area...
watershed, the salmon runs coming up the lake were as typically large as on other tributaries of 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...
.
There were other villages in the Gates Valley, southwest from D'Arcy and up Blackwater Creek towards Birkenhead Lake
Birkenhead Lake Provincial Park
Birkenhead Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located in the Lillooet Country region to the northeast of Pemberton and immediately northwest of Birkenhead Peak and Gates Lake at the community of Birken....
, as well as at Birken
Birken, British Columbia
Birken is an unincorporated community, located at Birken Lake in the Gates Valley of the Lillooet Country in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, approximately midway in the route known as the Long Portage or Pemberton Pass, which connects the Pemberton Valley to the Fraser Canyon via...
but between the ravages of smallpox, an early 19th C. war with the Tsilhqot'in
Tsilhqot'in
The Tsilhqot'in are a Northern Athabaskan First Nations people that live in British Columbia, Canada...
, the effects of the 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...
and Oblate
Oblate (religion)
An oblate in Christian monasticism is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Currently, oblate has two meanings:...
evangelization and the Indian Act
Indian Act
The Indian Act , R.S., 1951, c. I-5, is a Canadian statute that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves...
, today there is only N'Quatqua.
The N'Quatqua people were part of the Lakes Lillooet group of the St'at'imc
St'at'imc
The St'át'imc are an Interior Salish people located in the southern Coast Mountains and Fraser Canyon region of the Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia.St'át'imc culture displayed many features typical of Northwest Coast peoples: the...
, which included today's Seton Lake Band
Shalalth, British Columbia
Shalalth, pop. c. 400, is one of the main communities of the Seton Lake Band of the St'at'imc Nation and location of the two main powerhouses of the Bridge River Power Project....
as well as other villages and single residences along Anderson and Seton Lake
Seton Lake
Seton Lake is a freshwater fjord draining east via the Seton River into the Fraser River at the town of Lillooet, British Columbia, about 22 km long and 243 m in elevation and 26.2 square kilometres in area...
s. In the 19th Century, the paramount chief of the Lakes Lillooet, or the closest thing there was to such a title, was Chief Hunter Jack
Chief Hunter Jack
Chief Hunter Jack was a 19th C. chief of the Lakes Lillooet . His name in St'at'imcets, the Lillooet language, is cited in one source as Tash Poli....
(Tash Poli in St'at'imcets, poorly transcribed), whose principal residence was at D'Arcy, although he often lived at Shalalth
Shalalth, British Columbia
Shalalth, pop. c. 400, is one of the main communities of the Seton Lake Band of the St'at'imc Nation and location of the two main powerhouses of the Bridge River Power Project....
and was a habitué of the Bridge River
Bridge River
The Bridge River is, or was, a major tributary of British Columbia's Fraser River, entering that stream about six miles upstream from the town of Lillooet.-Name:Its name in the Lillooet language is Xwisten , sometimes spelled Nxwisten or Nxo-isten)...
goldfields over which he claimed suzerainty.
During the gold rush N'Quatqua was busy as a shipping and transference point on 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...
and went by the name Port Anderson. The name D'Arcy was conferred in honour of Thomas D'Arcy McGee when the Pacific Great Eastern Railway was built, and that name was also applied to the alpine peak just south of "town".
N'Quatqua/D'arcy today has a mix of non-native housing and there are large recreational subdivisions in between D'Arcy and Birken. At Devine, two miles from D'Arcy, a sawmill operated in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by a Frank Devine employeed Japanese Canadians
Japanese Canadians
Japanese Canadians are Canadians of Japanese ancestry, and are mostly concentrated on the west coast, and central Canada, especially in and around Vancouver and Toronto. In 2006, there were 98,900 .- Generations :...
who had been relocated from the coast to a relocation centre at McGillivray Falls, a few miles farther northeast along the north side of Anderson Lake.
See also
- In-SHUCK-ch NationIn-SHUCK-ch NationThe In-SHUCK-ch Nation, also known as Lower Lillooet people, are a small First Nations Tribal Council on the lower Lillooet River south of Pemberton-Mount Currie in the Canadian province of British Columbia...
- Lillooet Tribal CouncilLillooet Tribal CouncilThe Lillooet Tribal Council is the official English name of the largest tribal council of what is also known as the St'at'imc Nation, though not including all governments of St'at'imc peoples - the term St'at'imc Nation has another context of all St'at'imc peoples, not just those within this tribal...
- Lil'wat Nation
- Mount Currie, British ColumbiaMount Currie, British ColumbiaMount Currie is a small community in British Columbia, 164 kilometres north-west of Vancouver and 40 kilometres north-west of Whistler along Highway 99....