Arrowhead is a former steamboat port and town at the head of
Upper Arrow Lake in
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
Apart from the cemetery, the initial site has been submerged beneath the waters of the lake, which is now part of the reservoir formed by
Hugh Keenleyside Dam at
Castlegar. However, the name still identifies the locality, and sometimes the local region.
Name origin
Although the likely name origin is Arrowhead being at the head of the
Arrow Lakes
The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Beac ...
, another version indicates the finding of
arrowhead
An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, or sometimes for special purposes such as signaling.
...
s in the ground during the construction of town buildings, evidencing an ancient battle between
First Nations
First nations are indigenous settlers or bands.
First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to:
Indigenous groups
*List of Indigenous peoples
*First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
tribes. A further version identifies the arrowhead-shaped appearance of the lake from higher ground.
The name of the Arrow Lakes is credited to "Arrow Rock", a large cliffside
pictograph
A pictogram (also pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto) is a graphical symbol that conveys meaning through its visual resemblance to a physical object. Pictograms are used in systems of writing and visual communication. A pictography is a wri ...
shot through with clusters of arrows, again relating to an ancient battle (in this case known to be between the
Sinixt
The Sinixt"Sinixt Nation…" (; also known as the Sin-Aikst or Sin Aikst,Reyes 2002, ''passim.'' "Senijextee", "Arrow Lakes Band", or—less commonly in recent decades—simply as "The Lakes") are a First Nations People. The Sinixt are d ...
and the
Ktunaxa
The Kutenai ( ), also known as the Ktunaxa ( ; ), Ksanka ( ), Kootenay (in Canada) and Kootenai (in the United States), are an indigenous people of Canada and the United States. Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, norther ...
), which stood above "the Narrows", a stretch of fast-flowing channel connecting Upper Arrow to Lower Arrow Lake.
See also
*
List of ghost towns in British Columbia
This is a list of ghost towns in the Canadian province of British Columbia, including those still partly inhabited or even overtaken by modern towns, as well as those completely abandoned or derelict. Region of location and associated events or en ...
*
Steamboats of the Arrow Lakes
The era of steamboats on the Arrow Lakes and adjoining reaches of the Columbia River is long-gone but was an important part of the history of the West Kootenay and Columbia Country regions of British Columbia Canada. The Arrow LakesThe lakes are ...
*
Comaplix, British Columbia
Comaplix was a former mining town on the Incomappleux River in the Upper Arrow Lake area of the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. The name of the town and an adjacent mountain and creek derived from the river. Cleared in 1896, the town w ...
*
Beaton, British Columbia
Beaton is at the head of the Beaton Arm of Upper Arrow Lake in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. The locality is sometimes confused with nearby Evansport.
In 1896, the steamboat landing became the eastern terminal for the ...
References
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Arrow Lakes
Ghost towns in British Columbia
British Columbia populated places on the Columbia River
Submerged places in Canada