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Mount Currie is a settlement in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern
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 ...
. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road about north 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 cit ...
, northeast of Whistler, and southwest of
Lillooet Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...
. The
Lillooet Tribal Council The Lillooet Tribal Council is the official English name of the largest tribal council of what is also known as the St'at'imc Nation, though not including all governments of Sťáťimc, St'at'imc peoples - the term St'at'imc Nation has another cont ...
governs the
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 ...
portion. The relatively smaller freehold part is an unincorporated community. The latter business centre approximately encompasses an area where the Macrea Road/Highway 99 intersection forms the southwest corner and the Pemberton Portage Road/Highway 99 intersection forms the northeast corner. The First Nations reserves straddle the Birkenhead River. The eastern portion of the reserves extends north to the same latitude as the Owl Creek community but is well back from the river at that point.


First Nations


Early community

In 1846,
Alexander Caulfield Anderson Alexander Caulfield Anderson (10 March 1814 – 8 May 1884) was a British Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) fur-trader, explorer of British Columbia and civil servant. Anderson joined HBC in 1831 and emigrated to Canada from Europe. He was placed ...
visited Lillooet Village (not to be confused with later named
Lillooet Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...
). On a grassy island above
Lillooet Lake Lillooet Lake is a lake in British Columbia, Canada about 25 km in length and about in area. It is about 95 km downstream from the source of the Lillooet River, which resumes its course after leaving Little Lillooet Lake, aka Tenas Lak ...
, the residents numbered 50 men (plus women and children). The island lies in the vicinity of the later Owl Creek general community. In 1881, the government created a reserve at Mount Currie, upon which the people cultivated fine crops and orchards by the early 1900s. Fire destroyed the initial Catholic church building and a new one was erected in 1896. The bell from a demolished Vancouver church was offered to the band, who transported this extremely heavy gift northward by cart and canoe. The bell hung in the Mount Currie church steeple from about 1905 until 1948, when the church burnt down and the bell tumbled. After spending 20 years in Whistler, the bell returned to now hang at the old village site in an open-air steeple, ringing on the passing of band members. By 1933, only 350 people resided on the reserve. The cemetery indicated that many never survived early childhood. The one-room school, which opened at Mount Currie in the 1930s, was called the Pemberton Indian Day School. The two Catholic sisters, who joined the two lay teachers in 1948, took full charge a year later. In 1958, a second building was erected, which housed grades 1–7 classrooms and a residential section for staff. The 1930s building became a kindergarten.


Later community

The Lil'wat First Nation, who comprise most of the Mount Currie population, are of the Interior Salish people and form part of the Upper Lillooet language group of the St'at'imc Nation. Groups to the south form the Lower Lillooet part of the nation. In the early 1970s, the school transferred to indigenous control becoming the Ts̓zil Community School but is now called the Xet̓ólacw Community School. The Lil'wat language and culture are an integral part of the curriculum. The Lil'wat also operate their own gas station and grocery store. The Stl’atl’imx Tribal Police are based at Mount Currie.


Name origin

The post office was called Creekside. The Creekside train station was about half a mile east of the Chilsampton one. In 1956, the post office name changed to Mount Currie as did the Chilsampton station. The new name derives from the mountain, which recognizes John Currie of Pemberton. Ts̓zil is the original name for the mountain.


Early Mount Currie general community

The meadows north of the settlement were among the first privately held land on the BC mainland. P. Smith and Co. received the first preemption. John Shaw received the second one. These two properties form part of the present Mount Currie reserve. John Charles McKay was the inaugural Creekwood postmaster 1938–1945. About 1923, Bill Kiltz (of Lillooet Lake Trading Co) built the first Creekside store, a log cabin structure opposite the present church. After being lost to fire, a new store was erected near the train station. Since the building was demolished during the 1950s school expansion, this would likely be the Creekwood station. Kiltz sold groceries, hardware, basic clothing, and some pharmaceuticals. In 1946, Gerry and Florence Cowell took over. In 1950, Hector and Adele Harwood converted the store to a restaurant. By 1937, A. William (Bill) Spetch, Samuel's son, moved the Owl Creek store/post office to Creekside to serve the indigenous village, but that post office soon closed. George and Adeline Williams already had a store in their home on the reserve, which continued until the early 1950s. In 1940, Bill Spetch sold the store to his brother Walter. Initially leased by Jack and Alice McKay, the couple purchased the business in 1943. Bill repurchased it in 1947. While Bill operated a logging partnership with George Walker, George McDonald ran the store. In 1955, Bill opened a dry goods store, which others ran for him. Called Penny's, then Mount Currie Dry Goods, this was the first true clothing store in the area. Bill's wife Jean managed the business by the mid-1960s. Bill built a hardware store, to which the post office moved. Initially rented out, the enterprise was sold in 1957, as was the original grocery store. Down the road, Gerry Boulanger ran a taxi service to Pemberton and a small café. In the 1950s, Hector Harwood ran a small café by the railway. After the church on the reserve burned, the present St. Christopher's replaced it, being built on freehold land to serve all Catholics. Mount Currie held an annual parade and races in May. The rodeo appeared in the
CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...
documentary Pemberton Valley (1957). The Trap was a movie filmed at Birkenhead Lake and Mount Currie, using indigenous extras. The community hall opened in 1968.


Owl Creek general community

In 1905, a water-powered sawmill came for a short period to produce lumber for the hatchery buildings. The main building, which was , had a 25-million egg capacity. The nearby two-storey boarding house was . Trapping fences were installed in the Birkenhead River. Prior to closure in 1936, the hatchery provided various part-time local employment. In 1908, Samuel Spetch relocated his store/post office from Birken. He was the inaugural Owl Creek postmaster 1908–1929. By 1918, his house was one of the few in the district with indoor plumbing. At the time, he also had a water-powered sawmill at Owl Creek and another mill at Spetch Siding. During the era, the continuous forest bordering the Pemberton Portage hosted several pole and tie manufacturers. Sam Spetch's petitioning was instrumental in the creation of the Correspondence Branch of the BC Department of Education in 1919. His children were the first three students. In 1929, A.William (Bill) Spetch took over his father's store at Owl Creek, which thrived from both the hatchery and valley customer base. By 1937, Bill had moved the store/post office to Creekside. Owl Creek now comprises scattered rural properties.


Transportation

Road and railway access has been similar to Pemberton. The northward advance of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) rail head passed in November 1914. The nearest train stations in 1922 were about northeast at Spetch and west at Pemberton. By 1947, the regular stops northeastward from Pemberton were to Chilsampton, to Creekside, to Owl Creek, and to Birken. By 1959, the
flag stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a bus stop, stop or train station, station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or drop ...
s northeastward from Mount Currie were to Spetch and then to Birken.


Later Mount Currie general community

The mainstays of agriculture and forestry have since been supplemented by tourism and service-based industries, where improved internet has enabled professionals to work from home. Flooding presents the greatest hazard in the area. The annual Lil'wat Nation Open Rodeo continues to be held at Mount Currie in May.


Footnotes


References

* {{authority control Mount Currie Populated places in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Indian reserves in British Columbia Pemberton Valley