Pavilion, British Columbia
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Pavilion is an unincorporated community on the eastern side of the
Fraser River The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...
in the South Cariboo 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 ...
. The place is near Mile 21 of the Old Cariboo Road. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road about northeast 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 ...
and west of
Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North Thompson River, North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the ad ...
.


First Nations

The early anglicized version of the village name was Skwailuk, meaning hoar-frost, perhaps indicating the shaded ground remaining frozen during the long winters at this elevation. The Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation (a.k.a. the Tsk'waylacw First Nation or Tsk'weylecw First Nation), residing on the Pavilion 1 Indian Reserve comprise most of the area population. The Pavilion dialect is a mix of
St'at'imcets Lillooet (; Lillooet: / , ) is a Salishan language of the Interior Salish languages, Interior branch spoken by the Stʼatʼimc in southern British Columbia, Canada, around the middle Fraser River, Fraser and Lillooet River, Lillooet Rivers. Th ...
and Secwepemc'tsn and many of the place names in the surrounding country are Secwepemc'tsn.


Name origin

In 1859, Lieutenant Mayne of the
Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...
observed the indigenous people possessed a basic fluency in French from earlier contact with the fur traders. In 1862, Mayne published his journals for this period. He recalled a large white flag waving over the grave of an indigenous chief. Pavilion is the French word for tent or flag. The location was on the River Trail during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. One explanation for its significance is that the large banner of white cloth informed passing travellers of the presence of a "friendly Indian" camp in the context of the then-recent Fraser Canyon War farther south along the Fraser, and perhaps was also a mark of wealth, cloth being an expensive trading item.


Early community

In 1856, David Reynolds began
squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...
on Pavilion Creek near Pavilion Lake. In 1858, Capt. John Martley preempted in the vicinity. When Reynolds departed, Martley was granted this adjacent property. The Martley ranch was called "The Grange" and eventually comprised nearly . At 22 Mile, the residence was a stop on the stage route. Martley also ran an Ashcroft–Lillooet freight business. In 1859, Pavilion comprised around 20 miners' huts, which provided a base to reorganize prior to proceeding to various mining prospects. In 1881, Billy Kane bought the George Baillie property at 20 Mile, developing it into the "Box K" ranch. At 21 Mile, William Lee established a general store (1860s) and a flour mill (1872). The latter operated as late as 1909. The post office existed 1873, 1878–1881, 1882–1904, and 1905 onward. By the early 1890s, Phil Garrigan owned the 20 Mile ranch. He also ran a store and blacksmith shop. Cornelius O’Halloran owned the 19 Mile ranch. His son was a justice of the
British Columbia Court of Appeal The British Columbia Court of Appeal (BCCA) is the highest appellate court in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia, Canada. It was established in 1910 following the 1907 Court of Appeal Act. Jurisdiction The ...
1938–1963. In 1899, a partnership between John Bates Bryson and J.C. Smith purchased the Grange ranch, of which Byson became the sole owner two years later. The place was a stage stop. In 1949, the property was sold to Colonel Victor Spencer becoming part of the "Diamond S Ranch". The Lee general store building was modified or replaced over the decades. By the 1950s, the proprietors operated a bed and breakfast, five-table restaurant, post office/store, and gas bar. In 2000, an electrical fire destroyed the building. A community hall once existed.


Roads and stages

Pavilion roads and stages outlines progress extending to the north. By 1862,
Barnard's Express Barnard's Express, later known as the British Columbia Express Company or BX, was a pioneer transportation company that served the Cariboo and Fraser-Fort George Regional District, British Columbia, Fraser-Fort George regions in British Columbia, ...
stages ran from Douglas north to Pavilion.


Ferry

The caption to an 1890s photo describes the Low Bar Ferry as between Pavilion and High Bar, a concept that Morrow seems to have adopted. The photo is definitely a different ferry and the term Low Bar Ferry does not appear to have ever been used in the historical records. A cross river ferry subsidized from 1897, which existed between these two extremities, was called 20-Mile Post or Pavilion. The ferry was about northwest of Pavilion. The size of the subsidies over the next two decades covered the payroll for the ferry operator, suggesting the use of only a rowboat, a fact not specified until 1917. A new ferry operator's residence was built in 1938–39. The rowboat was replaced in 1937–38 and 1942–43. In 1949, a two-passenger aerial cable ferry attached to concrete anchors was installed to augment the rowboat. Two years later, heavier cable and a larger cage were installed to carry passengers and freight together. The rowboat operated at least until 1958 and the aerial cage ferry until 1962. No type of ferry appears to have existed after the mid-1960s.


Railway

During the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) construction, a hospital was based at Pavilion. By mid-October 1915, the rail head was from Lillooet, having passed through Pavilion and reached the head of Pavilion Lake. In early January 1916, passenger service through Pavilion to Clinton commenced. The Pavilion
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 ...
was northeast of Glen Fraser and southwest of Moran.Timetable. 15 Feb 1959


Footnotes


References

*{{cite book, last=Harris , first=Lorraine , title=Halfway to the Goldfields, A History of Lillooet , publisher=J.J. Douglas , year=1977 , isbn=0-88894-062-9 Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Fraser Canyon Lillooet Country Populated places in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Populated places on the Fraser River