The Nicomekl River springs from the ground in Langley, British Columbia and travels west through the city to

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

's Crescent Beach, where it empties into Mud Bay, the northernmost section of the

Boundary Bay , image = Boundary Bay Regional Park in Tsawwassen.jpg , image_size = 260px , alt = , caption = Looking east across Boundary Bay from Tsawwassen , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry ...

of the

Strait of Georgia The Strait of Georgia (french: Détroit de Géorgie) or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada and the extreme northwestern mainland coast ...

. It has a total length of 34 km, with a drainage area of 149 km².

History and origins

The word ''Nicomekl'' is from the Halq'emeylem used by the Stó:lō people, meaning "the route to go" or "the pathway." The area from

Mud Bay, British Columbia Mud Bay is the name of the northeast side of Boundary Bay on the Canada–United States border, and an unincorporated place on the bay. The area is served by the coast-spanning Island Highway and the Island Rail Corridor The Island Rail Corr ...

along the Nicomekl river, and portage area to the Salmon River and

Derby, British Columbia Derby is a locality on the lower Fraser River in northwestern Langley. The site of the original Fort Langley, established in 1827 by the Hudson's Bay Company, and was the first post established in Coast Salish territory. The Fort was later move ...

was once occupied by

Snokomish The Snokomish were a Halkomelem-speaking Coast Salish people whose territory was primarily located across the Boundary Bay area. The Snokomish were also known as the Derby people, as their territory included a portion of the Fraser River, near De ...

people, who were largely wiped out by a

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

epidemic in the 18th century. Surviving members joined the surrounding Kwantlen,

Katzie Katzie First Nation ( hur, q̓ic̓əy̓) is an Indigenous band located in the Lower Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada. They are part of the Sto:lo Coast Salish group of peoples, historically referred to by European settlers as Fraser Riv ...

and Semiahmoo peoples. NicomeklRiver 2014

The river was first documented in writing on December 13, 1824, when James McMillan's

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

expedition used the Nicomekl River to travel inland. They went up the Nikomekl to the portage area to the Salmon River which connected to 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 ...

50 miles inland. McMillan built the first

Fort Langley Fort Langley is a village community in Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada. It has a population of approximately 3,400 people. It is the home of Fort Langley National Historic Site, a former fur trade post of the Hudson's Bay Company. ...

at that location two and a half years later. John Work, a clerk with the party, described the Nicomekl as thick with willows and with low banks "well wooded with pine, cedar, alder and some other trees." Work also noted signs of there being numerous beavers on the river.Bartroli, Thomas. ''Genesis of Vancouver City''. Vancouver: (Self-Published). 1997. Nicomekl was more navigable than other nearby rivers so was important to Surrey pioneers. In 1911, Surrey council barred navigation up the Nicomekl and Serpentine rivers due to construction of dams to reclaim land. This ended use of the rivers by steamboats and log booms. In December 1951, high tides up the Nicomekl and Serpentine rivers combined with gale-force winds to flood 490 hectares of farmland under 1.5 metres of salt water. Repairs cost about $20,000 and the salt residue affected farm production for a few years. In the 1960s, river pollution caused the closure of thriving oyster farming businesses.

Tributaries (listed from the mouth up)

*Chantrell Creek *Anderson Creek *Muckle Creek *Pleasantdale Creek *Langley Creek *Newlands Brook

References

External links

Nicomekl Enhancement SocietyPaddling the Nikomekl River
{{Authority control Rivers of the Lower Mainland Langley, British Columbia (district municipality) Langley, British Columbia (city) Surrey, British Columbia