Chilcotin Ranges
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Chilcotin Ranges | |
---|---|
Dimensions | |
Area | 9,616 km2 (3,713 sq mi) |
Geography | |
Country | Canada |
Province | British Columbia |
Range coordinates | 51°10′0″N 123°15′0″W / 51.16667°N 123.25000°W[1] |
Parent range | Pacific Ranges |
Borders on | Chilcotin Plateau, Waddington Range |
The Chilcotin Ranges are a subdivision of the
They are not one range but a collection of ranges, often very distinct from each other. There are three major named subranges:
- Dickson Range
- Shulaps Range
- Camelsfoot Range (assigned to the Interior Plateau in some definitions)
To the west of the western end of the Chilcotin Ranges, and considered by some to be part of the group, are:
South of which are the Waddington Range and the Homathko Icefield.
Provincial Parks
In recent years major provincial parks and protected areas have been created in the central-eastern part of the Chilcotin Ranges. These are the Big Creek Provincial Park, the Tsʼilʔos Provincial Park (where the '?' is a glottal stop) and Big Creek Provincial Park, and the Spruce Lake Protected Area and Churn Creek Protected Area.
History of the Spruce Lake Protected Area
This region is commonly (but incorrectly) known as the "South Chilcotin" and is the object of a protracted quarrel between preservationist movements and resource extraction proposals since the 1930s. A provincial park was established in the 1990s but was downgraded in 2007 to the Spruce Lake Protected Area. The political status of the area is uncertain and the area preserved is greatly reduced from the original proposals to protect it, which began in the 1930s during the heyday of the Bridge River goldfield towns just to the south.
Historically this region was the hunting territory of Chief Hunter Jack of the
.Though no mines have ever been found in the proposed protected area, other than a few marginal ones in the vicinity of Eldorado Mountain, the south flank of Big Dog Mountain at the northwest end of the
The area's unique and distinct landscape and ecology, so different even from the rest of the Chilcotin Ranges or the rest of the
Many on the environmentalist side hope that the creation of
Resource Interests
Mining interests in the area are few, although the area is rich in copper and there are rumours of pitchblende (which contains uranium), but in over 100 years of exploration no profitable deposits of anything have been found and no major mines established. In recent years, however, clearcut logging has penetrated the flanks of the area and pushed the boundaries of the park from south and east, feeding mills at
References
- ^ "Chilcotin Ranges". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
External links
- "Chilcotin Ranges". BC Geographical Names.
- Chilcotin Ranges in the Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia (contains descriptions of unnamed and unofficially named ranges and areas within the region)