Wahleach Lake
Encyclopedia
Wahleach Lake, commonly known as Jones Lake, is a lake
and reservoir
located in the Skagit Range
in the Lower Mainland
of British Columbia
, Canada
, east of the city of Chilliwack
and southwest of the town of Hope
.
The lake, which was a resting place for Sto:lo
people on their way to summer hunting grounds, was expanded by an earthfill dam and is now 6.4 km long and 1 km wide. At over 600 m above the level of the Fraser River, nearly all of its volume is diverted through the side of a flank of Mount Cheam, part of the Four Brothers Range, to the Wahleach Powerhouse which stands aside the Trans-Canada Highway
east of Bridal Falls
. When the Wahleach development was completed in 1952 it produced 14% of the power for the BC Electric Company, a predecessor to BC Hydro
and a subsidiary of the British Columbia Electric Railway Company
. As of 2008, it produces less than 1% of BC Hydro's generating capacity but is ranked as one of the company's most efficient operations. In addition to a private-run recreational cabin operation, there are three campgrounds operated by BC Hydro as part of its recreation areas program, with approximately 60 campsites in three different campgrounds.
The name Wahleach, which also occurs as the name of an island and associated Indian Reserve
on the other side of the Fraser, and as Waleach as a railway point on the CPR
on Sea Bird Island
, is that of a Sto:lo resident from Union Bar, near Hope, whose anglicized and baptized name was Camille Walecia but whose name in Halq'eméylem is spelled "Xwelích", meaning "crossing a neck of land between two bodies of water" [ie. portage].
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
and reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
located in the Skagit Range
Skagit Range
The Skagit Range is a subrange of the Cascade Range in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington, United States, which are known in Canada as the Canadian Cascades or, officially, the Cascade Mountains...
in the Lower Mainland
Lower Mainland
The Lower Mainland is a name commonly applied to the region surrounding and including Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As of 2007, 2,524,113 people live in the region; sixteen of the province's thirty most populous municipalities are located there.While the term Lower Mainland has been...
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...
, 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...
, east of the city of Chilliwack
Chilliwack, British Columbia
Chilliwack is a Canadian city in the Province of British Columbia. It is a predominantly agricultural community with an estimated population of 80,000 people. Chilliwack is the second largest city in the Fraser Valley Regional District after Abbotsford. The city is surrounded by mountains and...
and southwest of the town 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...
.
The lake, which was a resting place for Sto:lo
Stó:lo
The Sto:lo , alternately written as Stó:lō, Stó:lô or Stó:lõ and historically as Staulo or Stahlo, and historically known and commonly referred to in ethnographic literature as the Fraser River Indians or Lower Fraser Salish, are a group of First Nations peoples inhabiting the Fraser Valley of...
people on their way to summer hunting grounds, was expanded by an earthfill dam and is now 6.4 km long and 1 km wide. At over 600 m above the level of the Fraser River, nearly all of its volume is diverted through the side of a flank of Mount Cheam, part of the Four Brothers Range, to the Wahleach Powerhouse which stands aside the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
east of Bridal Falls
Bridal Falls, British Columbia
Bridal Falls is a community in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, located east of Rosedale and immediately adjacent to the on-ramps for the Agassiz-Rosedale Bridge, which connects the Trans-Canada Highway at Bridal Falls to Agassiz, on BC Highway 7. Bridal Falls is mostly a highway services...
. When the Wahleach development was completed in 1952 it produced 14% of the power for the BC Electric Company, a predecessor to BC Hydro
BC Hydro
The BC Hydro and Power Authority is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia generally known simply as BC Hydro. It is the main electric distributor, serving 1.8 million customers in most areas, with the exception of the Kootenay region, where FortisBC, a subsidiary of Fortis...
and a subsidiary of the British Columbia Electric Railway Company
British Columbia Electric Railway
The British Columbia Electric Railway was a historic Canadian railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia.Originally the parent company, and later a division, of BC Electric, the BCER operated public transportation in southwestern British Columbia from its establishment in the...
. As of 2008, it produces less than 1% of BC Hydro's generating capacity but is ranked as one of the company's most efficient operations. In addition to a private-run recreational cabin operation, there are three campgrounds operated by BC Hydro as part of its recreation areas program, with approximately 60 campsites in three different campgrounds.
Name
The name Jones Lake first appeared on a map in 1904 and is the main name used locally, as well as appearing on the highway signs for the Jones Lake Forest Service Road, which is the only access. The dual naming also applies to Wahleach Creek, which is also known as Jones Creek.The name Wahleach, which also occurs as the name of an island and associated Indian 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...
on the other side of the Fraser, and as Waleach as a railway point on the CPR
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...
on Sea Bird Island
Sea Bird Island (British Columbia)
Sea Bird Island is an island in the Fraser River just east of Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada, in the Upper Fraser Valley region of that province, about 75 miles east of Vancouver...
, is that of a Sto:lo resident from Union Bar, near Hope, whose anglicized and baptized name was Camille Walecia but whose name in Halq'eméylem is spelled "Xwelích", meaning "crossing a neck of land between two bodies of water" [ie. portage].