- Coquihalla River
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The Coquihalla River, just outside Hope, British Columbia
The Coquihalla River (pronounced /ˌkɒkɪˈhælə/, especially locally; euphemistically /ˌkoʊkɪˈhælə/) is located in the Cascade Mountains near the town of Hope, British Columbia. It originates in the Coquihalla Lakes and empties into the Fraser River at Hope.
The Coquihalla River divides two portions of the Cascades, the Skagit Range and the Hozameen Range. The river flows through a deep, narrow valley, dropping 3,400 feet (1,000 m) in 33 miles (53 km), a tumultuous course that creates an incessant roar.[1]
Kw'ikw'iya:la in the Halq'emeylem language of the Stó:lō, is a place name meaning "stingy container". It refers specifically to a fishing rock near the mouth of what is now known as the Coquihalla River. This rock is a good platform for spearing salmon. According to Stó:lō oral history, the skw'exweq (water babies, underwater people) who inhabit a pool close by the rock, would swim out and pull the salmon off the spears, allowing only certain fisherman to catch the salmon.
The Coquihalla Highway, which runs from Hope to Kamloops, derives its name from running alongside this river between Hope and the toll booth about 50 km away. It is the more widespread use of the name via that highway that is responsible for the euphemistic pronunciation.
Portions of the motion picture First Blood were filmed there.
See also
- List of British Columbia rivers
- Zoa Peak
References
- ^ Beckey, Fred (2009). Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Rainy Pass to Fraser River (3rd ed.). The Mountaineers. pp. 185. ISBN 9780898864236.
External links
- "Coquihalla River". BC Geographical Names. http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/13022.html.
Categories:- Tributaries of the Fraser River
- Canyons and gorges of British Columbia
- Lower Mainland
- Canadian Cascades
- British Columbia geography stubs
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