Stave Lake is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

and

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

for the production of

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

in the

Stave River The Stave River is a tributary of the Fraser, joining it at the boundary between the municipalities of Maple Ridge and Mission, about east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in the Central Fraser Valley region. Blocked since the 1920s by t ...

system, located on the northern edge of the District of Mission, about east of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia, Canada. The main arm of the lake is about long from north to south and its southwest arm, ending at Stave Falls Dam near

Stave Falls Stave Falls is a rural community located in northwestern Mission, British Columbia, Canada. See also *Stave Lake Stave Lake is a lake and reservoir for the production of hydroelectricity in the Stave River system, located on the northern edge ...

, is about long. The total area of the lake currently is about . Prior to construction of the dam, the lake was about one-third the size of its current main arm. The Stave River, the traditional territory of the Skayuks, a vanished

Halqemeylem 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 ...

-speaking

Coast Salish people The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coast ...

related to today's Sto:lo, was a productive salmon river. The presence of large red cedar trees attracted lumber companies, notably

Stave Lake Cedar Stave may refer to: Places * Stave (Krupanj), a village in Serbia * Stave Hill, in London * Stave Lake, in British Columbia, Canada * Stave River, in British Columbia, Canada * Stave Run, a river in Virginia, United States Other uses * Stave ...

, whose mill was a mile above the damsite. The lower portion of the Stave is called

Hayward Lake Hayward Lake is a lake and reservoir on the Stave River in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the District of Mission about 60 km east of Vancouver, Hayward Lake is formed by Ruskin Dam, which lies about 3 km up ...

, formed by

Ruskin Dam Ruskin Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Stave River in Ruskin, British Columbia, Canada. The dam was completed in 1930 for the primary purpose of hydroelectric power generation. The dam created Hayward Lake, which supplies water to a 105 MW ...

and formerly a canyon similar to Capilano and Lynn Canyons, and at its head in the grounds of the one-time community of worker's housing, there is a recreation area there and the beginning of a lakeside trail using the right-of-way of a railway line.

Climate

Stave Lake has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

( Köppen climate type ''Cfb''). The average annual precipitation is . Extremes vary from , recorded on January 31st, 1929 to , recorded on June 25th, 1925.

Dams

The Stave Falls Power Company, later a subsidiary of the

British Columbia Electric Railway The British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) was an historic railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Originally the parent company for, and later a division of, BC Electric Company (now BC Hydro), the BCER assumed contro ...

, dammed the river in the 1920-22 period. The

Stave Falls Dam and Powerhouse Stave Falls Dam is a dual-dam power complex on the Stave River in Stave Falls, British Columbia, Canada. The dam was completed in 1912 for the primary purpose of hydroelectric power production. To increase the capacity of Stave Lake, the dam was ...

, bunkhouses, a community hall, a large workers' community and railway, known as the

Stave Falls Branch Stave may refer to: Places * Stave (Krupanj), a village in Serbia * Stave Hill, in London * Stave Lake, in British Columbia, Canada * Stave River, in British Columbia, Canada * Stave Run, a river in Virginia, United States Other uses * Stave ...

, were part of these projects. As a result the Upper Stave was raised and flooded the forests, as was also the case later with Hayward Lake, which was formed by the completion of

Ruskin Dam and Powerhouse Ruskin Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Stave River in Ruskin, British Columbia, Canada. The dam was completed in 1930 for the primary purpose of hydroelectric power generation. The dam created Hayward Lake, which supplies water to a 105 MW ...

in 1930. The cedar stood in the river for years, though during the 1980s and 1990s the timber been reclaimed by work crews from a prison camp near Sayres Lake (Cedar Lake), adjacent to the opening from the main arm, by prolonged lowerings of the reservoir level to allow for timber extraction. After the dam was built, logging lines used the right of way and logged further north into the Stave Valley. The film '' We're No Angels'' was partly filmed at the Stave Dam complex, with a large fake town and impressive (and real) timber cathedral built on

piling A deep foundation is a type of foundation that transfers building loads to the earth farther down from the surface than a shallow foundation does to a subsurface layer or a range of depths. A pile or piling is a vertical structural element ...

s into Stave Lake. The whole set was dismantled, although a

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. Etymology The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries (website), Oxford D ...

-type

bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an orname ...

was moved to the

Recreation Site just below Stave dam.

Neighbours

Most property neighbouring Stave Lake is controlled by BC Hydro. A small number of private cabins are present on the east shores and Zajac Ranch, a summer camp for children with special needs, is on the south west side of the lake. Access to the east side of the lake is available via Sylvester Road. A large raft can be seen on Google's satellite image at coordinates 49.309144,-122.320021 which floats around the lake during the summer months.

Recreation

Stave Lake is a popular

4x4 Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

and dirt-biking location because of its extensive mud flats to the southwest.

References

External links

''Bulletin 48: Landforms of British Columbia, A Physiographic Outline'', Plate XIIB, Coast Mountains, Pacific Ranges, Looking down the valley of Tingle Creek to Stave Lake
-

Mount Robie Reid Mount Robie Reid is a mountain in the eastern part of Golden Ears Provincial Park in the southern end of the Garibaldi Ranges overlooking the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. It lies to the north of Mission, British Columbia an ...

is just right of the mouth of Tingle Creek,

Mount Baker Mount Baker (Lummi: '; nok, Kw’eq Smaenit or '), also known as Koma Kulshan or simply Kulshan, is a active glacier-covered andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington in the United States. Mount ...

is in the distance. {{British Columbia hydrography Mission, British Columbia Lakes of the Lower Mainland Reservoirs in British Columbia Garibaldi Ranges New Westminster Land District