Tatlayoko 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 ...

on the

Homathko River The Homathko River is one of the major rivers of the southern Coast Mountains of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of the few rivers that penetrates the range from the interior Chilcotin Country to the coastal inlets of the Pa ...

in the western

Chilcotin District The Chilcotin () region of British Columbia is usually known simply as "the Chilcotin", and also in speech commonly as "the Chilcotin Country" or simply Chilcotin. It is a plateau and mountain region in British Columbia on the inland lee of the Co ...

of the

Central Interior of British Columbia Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, located on a north-south axis just upstream of the entrance of the series of canyons of the Homathko, including the

Great Canyon of the Homathko Great Canyon is the official name of a stretch of the Homathko River as it pierces the heart of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains between the Chilcotin District of the British Columbia Interior and the Central Coast region at Bute Inlet. ...

, on its route to the sea at the head of

Bute Inlet , image = Bute Inlet.jpg , image_size = 260px , alt = , caption = , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Strathcona RD, British Col ...

. The community of

Tatlayoko Lake, British Columbia Tatlayoko Lake is an unincorporated settlement and locality on the Homathko River just north of that river's entry into the lake of same name,* which is located in the western Chilcotin Country of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. ...

is located at its northern end.

History

Tatlayoko Lake is part of the land claim of the Tsilhqot'in People of Xeni (aka

Xeni Gwet'in First Nation Xeni can refer to: *Xeni Gwet'in, Canadian First Nations people *Xeni Gwet'in First Nation, their government *Xeni Jardin Xeni Jardin (; born Jennifer Hamm, August 5, 1970) is an American weblogger, digital media commentator, and tech culture jo ...

or the Nemaia Valley Indian Band) and is called by them ''Talhiqox Biny'' ("biny"-"lake"). One of their number,

Klattasine Lhatŝ’aŝʔin (also known as Klatsassan or Klattasine; died 1864), a chief of the Chilcotin ( Tsilhqot'in) people, led a small group of warriors in attacks on road-building crews near Bute Inlet, British Columbia, in April and May 1864. The road ...

or Klatsassan, led a party of warriors to attack a crew building a gold-rush era route known as

Waddington's Road Alfred Penderell Waddington (October 2, 1801 – February 26, 1872), during his later years, was actively involved in the Colony of Vancouver Island in what later became the province of British Columbia, Canada. From 1860 to 1861 he was a re ...

in the Homathko's canyons, which was the opening round of the

Chilcotin War The Chilcotin War, the Chilcotin Uprising or the Bute Inlet Massacre was a confrontation in 1864 between members of the Tsilhqot'in (Chilcotin) people in British Columbia and white road construction workers. Fourteen men employed by Alfred Waddi ...

of 1864. Relief troops, including the governor of the colony's own party and escort, came to the Chilcotin via Tatlayoko Lake. Tatlayoko Lake and the Homathko River are components in a proposed diversion project involving

Chilko Lake Chilko may refer to: *Chilko River The Chilko River is a river in the Chilcotin District of the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, flowing northeast from Chilko Lake to the Chilcotin River. Its main tributary is the Taseko River. Th ...

, across the mountains on the east side of the lake.

Run-of-the-river Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amou ...

hydroelectric licenses have been let for the Homathko downstream from the lake.

Etymology

The first comprehensive map of British Columbia was produced under the authority of

Joseph Trutch Sir Joseph William Trutch, (18 January 1826 – 4 March 1904) was an United Kingdom, English-born Canadians, Canadian engineer, surveying, surveyor and politician who served as first Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. Early life and ...

, and was published in 1871. This map gives the name as Ta tlah co Lake, which is similar to the Tsilhqot'in name Telhiqox. A few years later, George Dawson surveyed the geology of the area, and his 1878 report to the Geological Survey of Canada used the spelling Tatlayoco. Maps of British Columbia published in the 1880s and 1890s continued to use minor variations of Tatlahco Lake, while many geological publications used Dawson's spelling of Tatlayoco. The existence of many different spellings for a geographic location was not unusual for that era, and the

Geographic Board of Canada The Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) is a national committee with a secretariat in Natural Resources Canada, part of the Government of Canada, which authorizes the names used and name changes on official federal government maps of Canada ...

was established in 1897 to standardize these spellings. Their "Rules of Nomenclature" included the following: * The name that is published first will be preferred * If an indigenous name is used, the spelling should approximate the true pronunciation * The name should not include any redundant or unpronounced letters * Any hard "c" should be replaced with a "k" The Geographic Board of Canada was unaware that the lake was named Tatlahco, which they erroneously thought was a name for a tributary to the Bella Coola River. They were only aware of Dawson's spelling of Tatlayoco, which they adopted as the official name in 1911, after changing the hard "c" to a "k". The name therefore came to be spelled Tatlayoko, despite the fact that Tatlahco was published first, is a better approximation of the original Tsilhqot'in word, and reflects the actual pronunciation of the name (TA-tla-ko).Bonner, Veera, Witte Sisters, Irene E. Bliss, and Hazel Henry Litterick. 1995. Chilcotin: preserving pioneer memories. Heritage House Publishing Co. Pg. 348. According to the Rules of Nomenclature, Tatlahco should have been respelled Tatlako.

References

{{authority control Lakes of the Chilcotin Lakes of British Columbia Pacific Ranges Range 2 Coast Land District