Seton Lake
Encyclopedia
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. Its depth is unknown.
The lake is natural in origin but was raised slightly as part of the Bridge River Power Project
, the two main powerhouses of which are on the north shore of the upper end of the lake near Shalalth
. At the uppermost end of the lake is the community of Seton Portage
and the mouth of the short Seton Portage River, which connects Anderson Lake on the farther side of the Portage to Seton Lake.
The Seton Portage River is the main source of natural inflow to Seton Lake, and is primarily fed by Anderson Lake but also by Whitecap Creek, which has its origin on the east slopes of Whitecap Mountain, the highest in the Bendor Range
, and by Spider Creek, which has its origin on the north slopes of an unnamed summit to the south of Seton Lake, which happens to be the highest of the Cayoosh Range
which lines the south flank of the valley.
The Canadian National Railway
(formerly the British Columbia Railway, originally the Pacific Great Eastern) runs along the north shore of the lake.
Prior to the construction of the power project, Seton was considered the bluer and clearer and more brilliant of the two lakes. Afterwards, diversion of the glacial silt-laden waters of the Bridge River
into Seton Lake have transformed it into a dull turquoise, and Anderson is now considered the bluer of the two lakes.
The lake was named in the 1860s by Alexander Caulfield Anderson
, who traversed the uncharted territory in 1846, after his cousin and boyhood friend, Lt. Col. Alexander Seton, who was drowned in the wreck of the troopship HMS Birkenhead
off the South African coast in 1852.
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
draining east via 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...
into 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...
at the town of Lillooet, British Columbia
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,...
, about 22 km long and 243 m in elevation and 26.2 square kilometres in area. Its depth is unknown.
The lake is natural in origin but was raised slightly as part 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...
, the two main powerhouses of which are on the north shore of the upper end of the lake near 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....
. At the uppermost end of the lake is the community of 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 the mouth of the short Seton Portage River, which connects Anderson Lake on the farther side of the Portage to Seton Lake.
The Seton Portage River is the main source of natural inflow to Seton Lake, and is primarily fed by Anderson Lake but also by Whitecap Creek, which has its origin on the east slopes of Whitecap Mountain, the highest in the Bendor Range
Bendor Range
The Bendor Range is a small but once-famous subrange of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains, about It is approximately 7,000 square kilometres in area and about 40 km long and about 18 km at its widest...
, and by Spider Creek, which has its origin on the north slopes of an unnamed summit to the south of Seton Lake, which happens to be the highest 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 lines the south flank of the valley.
The Canadian National Railway
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"....
(formerly the British Columbia Railway, originally the Pacific Great Eastern) runs along the north shore of the lake.
Prior to the construction of the power project, Seton was considered the bluer and clearer and more brilliant of the two lakes. Afterwards, diversion of the glacial silt-laden waters 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 Seton Lake have transformed it into a dull turquoise, and Anderson is now considered the bluer of the two lakes.
The lake was named in the 1860s by Alexander Caulfield Anderson
Alexander Caulfield Anderson
Alexander Caulfield Anderson was a Hudson's Bay Company fur-trader, explorer of British Columbia and civil servant....
, who traversed the uncharted territory in 1846, after his cousin and boyhood friend, Lt. Col. Alexander Seton, who was drowned in the wreck of the troopship HMS Birkenhead
HMS Birkenhead (1845)
HMS Birkenhead, also referred to as HM Troopship Birkenhead or steam frigate Birkenhead, was one of the first iron-hulled ships built for the Royal Navy...
off the South African coast in 1852.
