The Coquihalla River (originally or more recently and popularly ) is a tributary of the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...

in the

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

of the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. It originates in the Coquihalla Lakes and empties into the

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

. The Coquihalla River forms the northern boundary of two portions of the Cascades, the

Skagit Range The Skagit Range ( ) is a Mountain range#Sub-ranges, subrange of the Cascade Range in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington (state), Washington, United States, which are known in Canada as the Canadian Cascades or, offi ...

and the

Hozameen Range The Hozameen Range (spelled Hozomeen Range in the United States) is a mountain range in southwestern British Columbia and northern Washington, straddling the division between the Coast and Interior regions of that province. It is a subrange of ...

. The river flows through a deep, narrow valley, dropping in , a tumultuous course that creates an incessant roar. ''Kw'ikw'iyá:la'' in the

Halkomelem language Halkomelem (; in the Upriver dialect, in the Island dialect, and in the Downriver dialect) is a language of various First Nations peoples of the British Columbia Coast. It is spoken in what is now British Columbia, ranging from southeastern ...

of the '' Stó:lō'', is a place name meaning "stingy container" or "stingy place". It refers specifically to a deep pool named ''Skw'éxweq'' or ''Skw'exwáq'', near the mouth of what is now known as the Coquihalla River. The ''Stó:lō'' would go to this pool to spear suckerfish, which were plentiful there. According to ''Stó:lō'' oral history, the ''s'ó:lmexw'' (black-haired, 2-foot tall, dark-skinned underwater people) would grab the spears, preventing fish from being caught. Thus they were stingy with the fish. There were two other pools in the rivers where this was said to happen. The

Coquihalla Highway Coquihalla may refer to: *British Columbia Highway 5, also known as Coquihalla highway *Coquihalla River *Coquihalla Pass *Okanagan—Coquihalla, a federal electoral district in British Columbia *Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park *Coquihalla River ...

, which runs from Hope to

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, w ...

, derives its name from running alongside this river between Hope and the site of a former toll booth about away. Portions of the motion picture ''

First Blood ''First Blood'' (also known as ''Rambo: First Blood'') is a 1982 American action film directed by Ted Kotcheff, and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. It co-stars Richard Crenna as Rambo's mentor ...

'' were filmed there.

References

{{Reflist Canyons and gorges of British Columbia Rivers of the Lower Mainland Canadian Cascades Tributaries of the Fraser River Yale Division Yale Land District

See also

References