The Mosque River is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
Skeena River
The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (after the Fraser River). Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose n ...
in the
Stikine Region
The Stikine Region is an unincorporated area in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the only area in the province that is not part of a regional district. The Stikine Region was left unincorporated following legislation that establishe ...
of the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
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, ...
, Canada. It originates in the
Tatlatui Range
The Tatlatui Range is a large and very alpine mountain range on the east flank of the upper Skeena River in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has an area of 2307 km2 and is a subrange of the Omineca Mountains which in turn form part of th ...
of the
Skeena Mountains
The Skeena Mountains, also known as the Skeenas, are a subrange of the Interior Mountains of northern British Columbia, Canada, essentially flanking the upper basin of the Skeena River. They lie just inland from the southern end of the Boundary ...
, and flows southwest about to the Skeena River, about north of
Hazelton and about east of
Stewart.
[Length measured using Google Maps path tool, BCGNIS coordinates, topographic maps, and ACME Mapper.] Its
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
covers about , and its mean annual
discharge is .
The river's entire watershed is within the traditional territory of the
Gitxsan First Nation and is part of the lands currently under negotiation for
aboriginal title
Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...
according to the
British Columbia Treaty Process
The British Columbia Treaty Process (BCTP) is a land claims negotiation process started in 1993 to resolve outstanding issues, including claims to un-extinguished indigenous rights, with British Columbia's First Nations.
Two treaties have been ...
.
[
The Mosque River was named in 1940, in association with Mosque Mountain.][
]
Geography
The Mosque River originates on the east side of Diagonal Mountain. The continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...
runs along the east and north sides of the Mosque River's watershed. About northeast of the source of the Mosque River, across the continental divide, lies Thutade Lake
Thutade Lake is located in the Omineca Mountains of the British Columbia Interior, Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. About in length, and no more than about wide, the lake is primarily significant as the ultimate source of the Mack ...
, the source of the Finlay River
The Finlay River is a 402 km long river in north-central British Columbia flowing north and thence south from Thutade Lake in the Omineca Mountains to Williston Lake, the impounded waters of the Peace River formed by the completion of the W.A. ...
.[
The Mosque River generally flows southwest, collecting a number of unnamed tributaries before emptying into the Skeena River. Its watershed is located partly in the Skeena Mountains and partly in the ]Omineca Mountains
The Omineca Mountains, also known as "the Ominecas", are a group of remote mountain ranges in the Boreal Cordillera of north-central British Columbia, Canada. They are bounded by the Finlay River on the north, the Rocky Mountain Trench (here fil ...
.[
Significant mountains in and around the river's watershed include Fort Mountain (), Diagonal Mountain (), South Pass Peak (), Bird Hill (), and Mosque Mountain (). Subranges of the Skeena and Omineca Mountains in the Mosque River's watershed include the ]Tatlatui Range
The Tatlatui Range is a large and very alpine mountain range on the east flank of the upper Skeena River in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has an area of 2307 km2 and is a subrange of the Omineca Mountains which in turn form part of th ...
, Hogem Ranges
The Hogem Ranges are a group of mountain ranges in the northwest part of the Omineca Country of the North-Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located between Takla Lake (W) and the Omineca River (E) and from the Nation Lakes (SE) to the ...
, and Slamgeesh Range.[
]
History
The Mosque River is in the territory of the Gitxsan First Nation. Gitxsan
Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people of" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory encompasses approxim ...
salmon fishing sites are located at numerous places along the Skeena River, including at the confluence of the Skeena and Mosque Rivers.[ At least two other streams are named in association with Mosque Mountain: Islam Creek and Minaret Creek, both of which flow south from Mosque Mountain to the Sustut River. Mosque Mountain was named in 1940, for its dome shape which was thought to resemble a mosque.
The Mosque River watershed is part of the lands currently under negotiation for Gitxsan ]aboriginal title
Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...
according to the British Columbia Treaty Process
The British Columbia Treaty Process (BCTP) is a land claims negotiation process started in 1993 to resolve outstanding issues, including claims to un-extinguished indigenous rights, with British Columbia's First Nations.
Two treaties have been ...
. As of August 2021 the treaty negotiations are in the fourth stage of the process.
See also
*List of British Columbia rivers
The following is a partial list of rivers of British Columbia, organized by watershed. Some large creeks are included either because of size or historical importance
(See Alphabetical List of British Columbia rivers ). Also included are lakes th ...
References
External links
*
*
* {{cite web , url= https://gitxsan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Gitxsan_Newsletter_Vol2-SPREADS-1.pdf , title= Gitxsan Gald'm Mahlasxw Newsletter , publisher= Huwilp Gitxsan Government , date= May–June 2019
Gitxsan
North Coast Regional District
Omineca Country
Rivers of British Columbia
Rivers of the North Coast of British Columbia
Rivers of the Omineca Mountains
Skeena Country
Stikine Country