District of Squamish Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia
District Municipality (1) - A populated place with legally defined boundaries, incorporated as a district municipality under the provincial Municipal Act. Head of Howe Sound, New Westminster Land District
Mapped Location
District of Squamish: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on District of Squamish
- Feature Type: Incorporated
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for District of Squamish
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| District of Squamish | Official |
Origin Notes and History of District of Squamish
References to District of Squamish that document the origin of its place name
Squamish (Post Office) adopted in the 10th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 30 June 1911. Incorporated as a Village Municipality 18 May 1948. Re-incorporated as a District Municipality 15 December 1964, to be called District of Squamish.
Squamish Post Office was opened 1 July 1892, William Mashiter postmaster; closed or renamed Newport Post Office 1 September 1912; re-opened or reinstated as Squamish Post Office 1 May 1914.
In 1914, Pacific Great Eastern Railway sponsored a contest amongst school children, to find a name for their Howe Sound terminal. "Newport" was the winning entry, submitted by 28 children who later shared the $500 prize. However, Mr. D'Arcy Tate, vice president of PGER, made the final adjudication, and his preference for the name of the PGER terminal was "Squamish" - being the long-established name of the adjacent community (February 1914 and November 1966 letters, file S.3.51) "Squamish Dock" was identified in the 1922 PGER timetable - a locational description for the station here, as the track extended along a 1 mile wharf into Howe Sound; according to 1957 timetable, trains no longer travel to Squamish Dock and onto boats; all rail traffic is to North Vancouver, although the track here is still used as a siding for extra cars.
A c1980 notion on BC name card identifies "Keh Kait" as the traditional name for this site (source not cited)
The town and harbour are named after the river, which is in turn named for the First Nation people who have traditionally occupied this region and today call themselves the Skxwúmish. The river appeared as Squawmisht on an 1863 Admiralty chart, and many other obsolete spellings have been recorded, including Chomes, Whoomis, Skqo’mic, and Squohamish. The name has been translated as “people of the sacred water” (older interpretations usually give “strong wind” as the meaning). The Squamish area was first settled by Europeans in the late 1880s, and a small logging and agriculture gradually formed. About 1909 the owners of the Howe Sd & Northern Rwy, after secretly buying up large tracts of land, announced that Squamish would henceforth be known as Newport. Several years of townsite promotion and property speculation ensued; even the post office name was changed from Squamish to Newport Beach, 1912-14. When the BC government took over the railway in 1912 and turned it into the PGE, a competition was held for schoolchildren to suggest a new name for the terminus and growing village. Out of the 2,000 entries received, PGE vice-president D’Arcy Tate chose Squamish, and in 1914 the old name was reinstated; the $500 prize was split between 28 winners. Squamish today is a district municipality with a population of 14,000. Forest remains the dominant industry.
Related Online Resources
Átl’ka7tsem | Howe Sound Marine Reference Guide
A Marine Reference Guide (interactive map) that displays data associated with Átl’ka7tsem’s ocean and watersheds. This will support decision-making, marine spatial planning, and community education by visualizing how human and natural systems interact and overlap.
WEB LINK
Squamish-Lillooet Regional District
- Alpine Meadows
- Alta Lake
- Anvil Island
- Birken
- Blackcomb
- Brackendale
- Bralorne
- Brexton
- Britannia Beach
- Cheakamus
- Cheekye
- Creekside
- D'Arcy
- Darrell Bay
- Dentville
- Devine
- Eagle Run
- Fountain
- Fountain Valley
- Furry Creek
- Garibaldi
- Garibaldi Estates
- Garibaldi Highlands
- Gates
- Gold Bridge
- Gramsons
- Hospital Hill
- District of Lillooet
- McGillivray
- McGuire
- Minaty Bay
- Moha
- Mount Currie
- Nesters
- Northridge
- Ogden
- Oliver's Landing
- Owl Creek
- Paradise Valley
- Pavilion
- Village of Pemberton
- Pemberton Meadows
- Pioneer Mine
- Porteau
- Seton Portage
- Shalalth
- South Shalalth
- Sproatt
- District of Squamish
- Tamarisk
- Valleycliffe
- Whistler Resort Municipality
- Whistler
- Whistler Creek
- Woodfibre
Political Boundaries
Last updated: 2023-10-01