Coquihalla River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coquihalla River |
|
|---|---|
The Coquihalla River, just outside Hope, British Columbia
|
|
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| River mouth | Fraser River Hope, Cascade Mountains 38 m (125 ft) 49°23′36″N 121°26′21″W / 49.39333°N 121.43917°W |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries |
|
The Coquihalla River is an important river in British Columbia, Canada. It's a branch, or tributary, of the much larger Fraser River. This river starts in the Coquihalla Lakes and flows into the Fraser River near the town of Hope. It flows through the beautiful Cascade Range mountains.
About the Coquihalla River
The Coquihalla River helps define the northern edges of two mountain ranges. These are the Skagit Range and the Hozameen Range. The river flows through a very deep and narrow valley.
It drops about 3,400 feet (1,000 m) over a distance of 33 miles (53 km). This fast and wild journey makes the river sound very loud as it rushes by.
What's in a Name?
The name Coquihalla comes from the Halkomelem language. This language is spoken by the Stó:lō people, who are the First Nations people of this area. In their language, Kw'ikw'iyá:la means "stingy container" or "stingy place."
This name refers to a special deep pool in the river. It was called Skw'éxweq or Skw'exwáq. The Stó:lō people would go to this pool to catch fish called suckerfish. There were many suckerfish there.
However, according to Stó:lō stories, there were s'ó:lmexw (underwater people) living in the pool. These little people would grab the spears used for fishing. This stopped the Stó:lō from catching fish. Because of this, the underwater people were seen as "stingy" with the fish. There were other pools in the rivers where similar things were said to happen.
The Coquihalla Highway
You might have heard of the Coquihalla Highway. This major highway runs from Hope all the way to Kamloops. It gets its name because it follows the Coquihalla River for part of its journey.
The highway runs right alongside the river between Hope and where a former toll booth used to be. This spot is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) away. Some parts of the famous movie First Blood were even filmed along this river and highway!
