Spuzzum is an unincorporated settlement in

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. Because it is on the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean on ...

, approximately north of the community of Hope, it is often referred to as being "beyond Hope".

Environment

Spuzzum lies in a constricted part of the

Fraser Canyon The Fraser Canyon is a major landform of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser Valley. Colloquially, the term "Fraser ...

north of the Yale highway tunnel; the area is dominated by granitic or gneissic bedrock. The community lies within the Interior Douglas-Fir zone, wet warm subzone (IDFww) but the boundary with the Coastal Western Hemlock zone, dry submaritime subzone (CWHds) is mapped a few kilometers to the south.

Etymology

Sources say that the name is a First Nation’s word meaning "little flat", and that Spuzzum was the boundary between the Sto:lo and the

Nlaka'pamux The Nlaka'pamux or Nlakapamuk ( ; ), also previously known as the ''Thompson'', ''Thompson River Salish'', ''Thompson Salish'', ''Thompson River Indians'' or ''Thompson River people'', and historically as the ''Klackarpun'', ''Haukamaugh'', ''Kni ...

peoples.

First nations

The

Spuzzum First Nation Spuzzum First Nation ( thp, Spô’zêm) is a Nlaka'pamux First Nations government located near Spuzzum, British Columbia. It is a member of the Fraser Canyon Indian Administration, one of three tribal councils of the Nlaka'pamux people. Othe ...

is also the name of the local band government, who are part of the Nlaka'pamux group. Their offices and community hall and most housing are located between the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks and the Fraser River, just north of where the store/gas station had formerly been. Their Indian reserves, all included within the community area of Spuzzum, are Spuzzum Indian Reserve No. 1, Spuzzum Indian Reserve No. 1A, and Spuzzum Indian Reserve No. 7. Spuzzum Creek flows through the community to join the Fraser. Spuzzum Mountain is located northwest of the community, and is part of the

Lillooet Ranges The Lillooet Ranges are the southeasternmost subdivision of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. They are located between the drainage of the Lillooet River and Harrison Lake on the west and the canyon of the Fraser Rive ...

subdivision of the Coast Mountains.

History

The rich social history of this ancient settlement on a low flat place in the Fraser River begins with Simon Fraser's visit of 1808 and its use as a North West Company depot. During the

Fraser Canyon War The Fraser Canyon War, also known as the Canyon War or the Fraser River War, was an incident between the Nlaka'pamux people and white miners in the newly declared Colony of British Columbia, which later became part of Canada, in 1858. It occurr ...

, 3,000 miners from farther up the Canyon gathered for safety at Spuzzum, then known as "the

Rancherie A Rancherie is a First Nations residential area of an Indian reserve in colloquial English throughout the Canadian province of British Columbia. Originating in an adaptation of '' ranchería'', a Californian term for the residential area of a ''ran ...

", whose indigenous people were "friendly" and neutral in the conflict, as refuge from attacks by the Nlaka'pamux who lived farther up the canyon. Their chief, Kowpelst (known also as White Hat), was among the first groups of miners at

Hills Bar Hill's Bar is a long-abandoned ghost town located in the Fraser Canyon region of British Columbia, Canada. The site of the former boomtown is situated near the right bank of the Fraser River, between Yale and the mouth of Emory Creek. The eponym ...

at the onset of the

Fraser Canyon Gold Rush The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, (also Fraser Gold Rush and Fraser River Gold Rush) began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River a few miles upstream from the Thompson's c ...

in 1858.

Colloquial references

The town is often referred to in humorous contexts due to its small size. Until it burned down at the end of the last century, Spuzzum boasted a single gas station and general store, which served as the hamlet's most diverting roadside landmark. As if to sum up its comic status in local cultural life, both sides of a one-time sign on the Trans-Canada Highway read "You are now leaving Spuzzum". Spuzzum is often referred to, by regional local citizens, as having "back-to-back city-limits signs".

Bibliography

Local elder

Annie York Annie Zixtkwu York (September 21, 1904 - August 19, 1991) was a distinguished elder of the Nlaka'pamux people (also known as Thompson) of the Spuzzum First Nation of Spuzzum, in Fraser Canyon located in the lower region of British Columbia, Canad ...

's books in the field of ethnobotany are valuable resources for the history of native peoples in the lower Fraser Canyon. They include: *''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'' with Andrea LaForetGooglebook page on this book
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References

External links

(photos and reminiscences]
''Spuzzum House'', Vanishing History website, M. Kluckner
(photos and reminiscences about the Spuzzum Hotel) {{Coord, 49, 41, 20, N, 121, 24, 45, W, display=title, source:BCNames/GeoBC, name=Spuzzum Designated places in British Columbia Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Fraser Canyon Nlaka'pamux Populated places in the Fraser Valley Regional District Populated places on the Fraser River