Spuzzum

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Location of Spuzzum in British Columbia

Spuzzum is an unincorporated settlement in British Columbia ( Canada ). Because it is on the Trans-Canada Highway , approximately 50 km north of the community of Hope , its location is often given as “beyond Hope”, literally “beyond hope”). Spuzzum became immortal in the early 1980s with the band "Six Cylinder", who wrote the chorus "If you haven't been to Spuzzum, you ain't been anywhere" in one of their songs , you haven't been anywhere ").

etymology

The sources say that the name of the place comes from an Indian word meaning "small area" and that Spuzzum formed the border between the peoples of the Sto: lo and the Nlaka'pamux .

First Nations

Spuzzum First Nation is also the name of the local tribal government that is part of the Nlaka'pamux group. Their offices and community hall, as well as most of the apartment buildings, are between the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Fraser River , just north of the former gas station and shop. Their Indian reservations , all within the Spuzzum area, are Spuzzum Indian Reserve No. 1 , the Spuzzum Indian Reserve No. 1A , and the Spuzzum Indian Reserve No. 7 . The Spuzzum Creek flows through the village and flows into the Fraser River. The Spuzzum Mountain is northwest of the village and is part of the Lillooet Ranges , a sub-chain of the Coast Mountains .

history

The rich social history of this ancient settlement of a low-lying flat spot on the Fraser River begins with Simon Fraser's visit in 1808 and its use as a warehouse by the North West Company .

During the Fraser Canyon War , 3,000 prospectors from the upper canyon gathered to be on the safe side at Spuzzum, then known as "the rancherie ", whose indigenous people were known to be "friendly" and neutral with regard to the conflict. They sought refuge from the attacks of the Nlaka'pamux, who lived in the upper canyon. Their chief Kowpelst (also known as "White Hat") was among the first groups of gold prospectors in 1858 at the beginning of the Fraser Canyon gold rush .

Colloquial information

The place is often referred to in humorous contexts because of its small size. Until it was destroyed by fire at the end of the last century, Spuzzum boasted a single gas station and village shop, which served as the most entertaining place in the hamlet. To summarize his comical status in local cultural life, the unique sign on the Trans-Canada Highway reads “You are now leaving Spuzzum” on both sides.

Spuzzum is often mentioned by the inhabitants of the region as a place with the "back-to-back" place-name signs.

See also

swell

Local Elder Annie York's books on ethnobotany are valuable resources for the history of the tribal peoples of Lower Fraser Canyon. This includes:

  • They Write Their Dreams on the Rock Forever: Rock Writings in the Stein River Valley of British Columbia (with Chris Arnett and Richard Daly)
  • Spuzzum: Fraser Canyon Histories, 1808-1939 together with Andrea LaForet

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Beyond Hope . 6 cylinders. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  2. ↑ Spuzzum . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
  3. ↑ GPV Akrigg, Helen B. Akrigg: 1001 British Columbia Place Names , 3rd Edition, Discovery Press, Vancouver 1,973th
  4. ↑ Spuzzum 1 . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
  5. ↑ Spuzzum 1 . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
  6. ↑ Spuzzum 7 . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
  7. ↑ Spuzzum Creek . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
  8. ^ Spuzzum Mountain . In: BC Geographical Names (English)
  9. ^ Andrea Laforet, Annie York: Spuzzum: Fraser Canyon Histories, 1808-1939 . UBC Press, Vancouver 1998, ISBN 9780774806671 , p. 296.
  10. ↑ Donald Hauka: McGowan's war: The birth of British Columbia politics on the Fraser River gold fields . New Star Books, Vancouver 2003, ISBN 1-55420-001-6 , p. 256.
  11. ^ Route 1 Geocache - The Pathway to Gold . New Pathways to Gold. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  12. ^ Andrea Laforet, Annie York: Spuzzum: Fraser Canyon Histories, 1808-1939 . UBC Press, 2011, ISBN 0774841885 , p. 296.

Coordinates: 49 ° 41 ′  N , 121 ° 25 ′  W