Riske Creek, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Riske Creek, originally Chilcoten and also Chilcotin, is a ranching
and First Nations
community located on the Fraser River
just southwest of the city of Williams Lake, British Columbia
, Canada
. It is the location of the offices of the Toosey First Nation
, a band government of Tsilhqot'in
people in the vicinity, and also of two of the bridges crossing the Fraser. The older bridge, which is a suspension bridge similar to the bridges at Alexandra and Lillooet, was built c.1912 to bring cattle from ranches on the west side of the Fraser to the railways for export, the newer is a concrete-and-steel span built to improve access for logging trucks to the Chilcotin
, which is the name of the region on the west side of the Fraser and is now the route of the Chilcotin Highway
connecting Williams Lake to Bella Coola
.
immigrant and rancher, L.W. Riskie, who settled here sometime before 1872, and was the first postmaster as of 1886. The post office was then named "Chilcoten" and then renamed "Chilcotin" in 1911, with the current name being adopted in 1912.
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
and 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...
community located on 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...
just southwest of the city of Williams Lake, British Columbia
Williams Lake, British Columbia
Williams Lake, is a city in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the central part of a region known as the Cariboo, it is the largest urban centre between Kamloops and Prince George, with a population of 11,150 in city limits....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is the location of the offices of the Toosey First Nation
Toosey First Nation
The Toosey First Nation is a Tsilhqot'in First Nations government located in the Fraser Canyon region of the Canadian province of British Columbia...
, a band government of Tsilhqot'in
Tsilhqot'in
The Tsilhqot'in are a Northern Athabaskan First Nations people that live in British Columbia, Canada...
people in the vicinity, and also of two of the bridges crossing the Fraser. The older bridge, which is a suspension bridge similar to the bridges at Alexandra and Lillooet, was built c.1912 to bring cattle from ranches on the west side of the Fraser to the railways for export, the newer is a concrete-and-steel span built to improve access for logging trucks to the Chilcotin
Chilcotin District
The Chilcotin District of British Columbia is usually known simply as "the Chilcotin", and also in speech commonly as "the Chilcotin Country" or simply Chilcotin. It is a plateau and mountain region in British Columbia on the inland lea of the Coast Mountains on the west side of the Fraser River....
, which is the name of the region on the west side of the Fraser and is now the route of the Chilcotin Highway
British Columbia provincial highway 20
Highway 20, also known as the Chilcotin Highway, and officially dubbed the Alexander MacKenzie Highway, is one of the two main East-West routes in the Central Interior of British Columbia...
connecting Williams Lake to Bella Coola
Bella Coola, British Columbia
Bella Coola is a community of approximately 600 at the western extremity of the Bella Coola Valley. Bella Coola usually refers to the entire valley, encompassing the settlements of Bella Coola proper , Lower Bella Coola, Hagensborg, Saloompt, Nusatsum, Firvale and Stuie...
.
Name origin
The name is an adaptation of that of PolishPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
immigrant and rancher, L.W. Riskie, who settled here sometime before 1872, and was the first postmaster as of 1886. The post office was then named "Chilcoten" and then renamed "Chilcotin" in 1911, with the current name being adopted in 1912.
See also
- List of crossings of the Fraser River
- Fort ChilcotinFort ChilcotinFort Chilcotin was a short-lived trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company, located at the confluence of the Chilko and Chilcotin Rivers, British Columbia, Canada. It operated between the years 1836 and 1844...
- ChilcotinChilcotinChilcotin, meaning "people of the red ochre river" may refer to:*The Tsilhqot'in , an Athabaskan First Nations people of British Columbia, Canada*Chilcotin language, the language spoken by the Tsilhqot’in...
(disambiguation)