Chilcotin District

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The Chilcotin District (pronunciation: tʃɪlˈkoʊtɪn ) in British Columbia is usually known simply as the Chilcotin, or the Chilcotin Country, or simply Chilcotin . It is a plateau and mountainous region in British Columbia on the inland meadow of the Coast Mountains west of the Fraser River . Chilcotin is also the name of the river that drains the region. In the Chilcotin language, their name and the name of the river mean "people of the red ocher river" (its tributary, the Chilko River , means "red ocher river").

The Chilcotin district is often seen as an extension of the Cariboo District , east of the river, although it is different from the Cariboo District. Most of the population are First Nations , members of the Chilcotin Indians or their tribes, while others are non-indigenous settlers and ranchers.

geography

Most of the Chilcotin District is a wide, high plateau that stretches from the mountains to the Fraser River . However, there are also several fjord-like lakes that lie on the edge of the plateau at the foot of the mountains. The largest of the lakes in the region is Chilko Lake , which drains over the Chilko River , the main tributary of the Chilcotin River . Other main lakes are Tatlayoko Lake (pronunciation: ˈtætləkoʊ ) and Taseko Lakes (pronunciation: təˈsikoʊ ). The area around the lakes in the southern part of the district is the Ts'ilʔos Provincial Park , also known as Xeni Gwet'in Wilderness, named after the Xeni Gwet'in , the local Chilcotin tribe. It is also known as Stony Chilcotin , which was very important in the campaign to protect the area.

The forested plateau directly northeast of the park, between the Chilko River and the Taseko River , is known as the Brittany Triangle and is currently very controversial between conservationists and the timber industry. East of Ts'il? Os Provincial Park are the Big Creek Provincial Park and the Churn Creek Protected Area , while in the southeast of the Spruce Lake Protected Area is also known as "the South Chilcotin" known which despite their nickname in the Bridge River Country is , as part of the Lillooet Country , which is not part of the Chilcotin Country , which begins on the north and northwest borders of the reserve.

literature

Despite its small population and isolation from the region few but very readable literature of naturalism with Indians and settlers culture and memoirs. The most famous authors in the area are Leland Stowe and Paul St. Pierre ; the latter was a MP for Coast Chilcotin and a noted Vancouver journalist . St. Pierre wrote about Chilcotin folklore and daily life in a clear, ironic, and often humorous style; his best-known books are Smith and Other Events and Cariboo Cowboy , while Stowe's books focus on the fauna and flora on the western edge of the district, in Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park . His Carusoe of Lonesome Lake is about early settler Ralph Edwards and his work protecting the trumpeter swans that flew through the region. Edward's own volume, Edwards of Lonesome Lake, corresponds to Stowes report, and in Ruffles On My Longjohns his wife Frances reports of her tribulation as the wife of a wilderness advocate.

Other recent books worth mentioning are Chiwid by Sage Birchwater on Tatlayoko Lake, which documents the memories of the Indian woman Lilly Skinner as an eyewitness, and Nemaia: the Unconquered Country by Terry Glavin , which tells the story of the Chilcotin War in 1864 and the character of Nemaia Valley told today (the Nemaia is the main residence of the Xeni Gwetin, who were the main instigators of the war).

Edward's cabin and the Trumpeter Swan habitat are World Heritage Sites, although his cabin burned down during major forest fires in the summer of 2005.

Another writer in the area is Ted "Chilco" Choate, a hunting guide on Gaspard Lake in the southeastern part of the district who wrote about animals, hunters and the wilderness lifestyle. Choate is a major advocate for amalgamating the Tweedsmuir, Ts'ilşos, Spruce Lake / South Chilcotin, Big Creek and Churn Creek wilderness areas into one large national park that stretches from the Coast Mountains and the plateau between the Fraser River as well The ridge of the Coast Mountains.

Wild horses

The Chilcotin District is known for its large population of Mustang horses , which are the ancestors of the domesticated horses in the area, including - for a change - known as the Cayuse pony or in the local pronunciation cayoosh (the old name of the place Lillooet ), which lies on the border of the Chilcotin District to the southeast, near the confluence of the plateau with the Fraser River .

During their competition for feed with cattle herds they were overpopulated - even before they entered into competition with the feed that large-scale ranches were demanding for their cattle - so that a high premium was placed on them and they were hunted and almost exterminated. They believed they were well taken care of during the gold rush times when - according to contemporary records - the Chilcotin Indians had no horses until then. Author and guide-outfitter Author Chilco Choate pointed out that according to the feeding scheme and the adaptation of the breed to the area, it is more likely that they entered the area in the wild before they were domesticated by the local Indians and perhaps offshoots of the large herds of horses that have already been acquired by the Okanogan and Nez Percé and other inhabitants of the plateau over many decades. Despite their controlled status, their population still survives today, despite being endangered by the expansion of livestock and logging.

towns and places

The area is connected by BC Highway 20 , which runs from the port town of Bella Coola , at the end of the South Bentinck Arms , a coastal fjord that cuts into the heart of the Coast Mountains, over the mountains and the plateau to the town of Williams Lake , the main town of the Cariboo District . Near BC Highway 20 at the southern end of Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park is the Hunlen Falls, at 373.7 m one of the highest waterfalls in Canada, where the water plunges into a deep canyon that makes it difficult to survey.

The largest places in Chilcotin are Alexis Creek, Anahim Lake and Hanceville , which are all Indian settlements. Other settlements in Chilcotin are Alkali Lake , Nemaia Valley, Nimpo Lake , Tatla Lake , Tataloyoko Lake and Towdystan, created by settlers (usually small ranches) and spread far inland. There is a Canadian Forces artillery and tactical training area at the eastern end of the plateau near old Fort Chilcotin (this land was originally used for military purposes after the Chilcotin War).

The Gang Ranch

Also of importance in Chilcotin is the Gang Ranch, one of the world's largest and still one of the main meat suppliers in British Columbia . "The Gang" dates from the 1860s and covers almost the entire area south of the Chilcotin River , east of Taseko Lakes and the Fraser River and north of the Bridge River Country . Most of the Gang Ranch area is more wilderness than pastureland. It is a mix of natural plateau and alpine grassland as well as large forests and swamps. The Gang extends into the area off the northeast flank of the Coast Mountains when they reach the Fraser River from the west, and meets the Fraser River between the main house and the village of Lillooet.

Similar grazing conditions are found in Burns Lake and the Smithers area of northwest inner British Columbia en route to the U.S. border, including the famous Douglas Lake Ranch south of Kamloops , but The Gang is by far the largest and wildest in character.