City of Campbell River Strathcona Regional District, British Columbia

City - A populated place with legally defined boundaries, incorporated as a city municipality under the provincial Municipal Act. E side of Vancouver Island, N of Courtenay, Sayward Land District

Mapped Location

City of Campbell River: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.

 

Information

General information on City of Campbell River

  • Feature Type: Incorporated

 

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for City of Campbell River

A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named

Name Description
City of Campbell River Official

 

Origin Notes and History of City of Campbell River

References to City of Campbell River that document the origin of its place name

Campbell River (Post Office) adopted 27 April 1945 on C.3591, as labelled on BC map 2C, 1919. Incorporated as a Village Municipality 24 June 1947. Form of name incorrectly changed to Campbell River (Settlement) 6 April 1950 on 92 NW; changed to Campbell River (Village) 6 November 1952 in keeping with incorporated status. Re-incorporated as a District Municipality 17 December 1964, to be known as District of Campbell River. Re-incorporated as a City Municipality per Order in Council 89, 11 February 2005, effective 4 April 2005, to be known as City of Campbell River.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

BC Lands & Works 1887 map "Explorations in the Northern Part of Vancouver Island, made by J.H. Gray, CE, and H. Fry, CE" identifies the proposed rail line north of Nanaimo along the east side of Vancouver Island, with a branch line peeling off at Campbell River (river) and running inland; the legend indicates "Victoria to Campbell River (proposed railway, unexplored)...173 miles". ie, a railway junction was planned here, but at the time there was no named locality. Early settler Frederick Nunns, in an 1889 letter to his brother, identified his homestead as "Padeswood, Campbell River". Campbell River Post Office opened 1 June 1907. "Campbell" hotel, post office, telegraph station & wharf are (mis)labelled on 1907 edition of British Admiralty Chart A3168.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

Named in association with the river of the same name, in turn named by Captain Richards, RN, in 1860 after Samuel Campbell, MD, surgeon aboard HMS Plumper, 1857-1861.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

Campbell River Post Office was opened 1 June 1907. See also the municipality's own website.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

 

Related Catalog Titles

A Bibliography for City of Campbell River, Strathcona Regional District, British Columbia

River city a history of Campbell River and the Discovery Islands by Jeanette Taylor

Title Cover Image

Campbell River, stretching along the benchland of Discovery Passage on the east Coast of Vancouver Island, is the hub of the island's north and the surrounding islands and inlets. Internationally renown as a sports fishing destination acclaimed for the size and quality of its salmon and for the wild beauty of its surroundings, the area draws tens of thousands of tourists each year. The modern Campbell River, with a population of 30,000, carries only faint hints of its rustic beginnings as logging and fishing village, and even fewer traces of its ancient roots as a First Nations fishing community. Jeanette Taylor, a longtime resident and local historian, delves deeply into the area's history to deliver a fascinating insider's account of the people who have melded their skills and souls with the bold, brash, richly endowed landscape of Campbell River and the Discovery Islands. Taylor follows the Lekwiltok peoples from their migration south to Campbell River's fishing grounds, through to "first contact" and the ensuing struggle for cultural and economic survival. She documents the indomitable first settlers of the area, whose vision and determination set the tone for the area's future growth, including Fred Nunns, who paddled up the coast from Comox with a piano straddling two canoes; businessman W.E. Anderson who made his fortune in the Yukon Gold Rush and expanded it by investing in the Quathiaski Canning Company; and a host of other Native people, loggers, fishermen, daredevils and pioneering men, women and children. They left their indelible stamp on Campbell River through the Great Depression, two World Wars and the astounding postwar boom in traditional industries, sport fishing and tourism. The vision and vigour of the area's first settlers can be seen in Campbell River citizens of the nineties. The resource industries that generated its first wave of expansion have declined, but Campbell River is standing firm, looking to the new millennium with optimism as the ecotourism trade develops and restoration and revitalization breathe new life into the community. A riveting saga as well as an important historical record, River City comes from a writer who knows and loves the area's history, and who brings fresh insights into life and work along the Discovery Coast.

239 pages : illustrations, map ; 29 cm

CIRC [ 1 ]
History · 1st Edition · Harbour Pub., Madeira Park, BC, 1999
Related Catalog Items: City of Campbell River · Strathcona Regional District

 


 

Strathcona Regional District

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2025-09-23