Horseshoe Bay Metro Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia

Bay - Water area in an indentation of the shoreline of a sea, lake, or large river. Facing Queen Charlotte Channel Howe Sound, in West Vancouver, New Westminster Land District

Mapped Location

Horseshoe Bay: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.

 

Information

General information on Horseshoe Bay

  • Feature Type: Place

 

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Horseshoe Bay

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

Name Description
Horseshoe Bay Official

 

Origin Notes and History of Horseshoe Bay

References to Horseshoe Bay that document the origin of its place name

Adopted 8 January 1929, as identified in the 1909 BC Gazetteer and as labelled on BC Lands' maps 2B, 1914, and 2D, 1923.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, files, correspondence and/or research by BC Chief Geographer/Geographical Names Office.  |  Province of British Columbia

Spelled "Horse Shoe Bay" on Plan of Survey of Pre-emption & Purchase Claims situated on Gp 1, NWD (Legal Surveys Branch), dated May 1892.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, files, correspondence and/or research by BC Chief Geographer/Geographical Names Office.  |  Province of British Columbia

Horseshoe Bay's original Squamish name is Ch'axá. This name refers to the sizzling sound created by the Herring when they used to spawn in this place. The Herring populations were once so abundant that their arrival during spawning season made it appear and sound like the ocean waters were boiling with their activity. These fish were an important food source for the Squamish Nation but they have almost completely disappeared from Howe Sound due to pollution and development.... Identified as Ch'axáý on Hwy 99 kiosk: Journeys begin and end here at the gateway to spectacular Howe Sound. It was here that two long-ago giants waged an epic battle with slingshots. Their weapons were transformed into huge boulders, still visible today in the stretch of ocean between K'ítl'alsm (Eagle Harbour) and Skíwitsut (Lighthouse Park). (December 2011 from: Cultural Journey Sea-to-Sky Corridor website, Squamish and Lil'wat First Nations)

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
included with note  |  Province of British Columbia

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
Horseshoe Bay · British Columbia · District of Bowen Island · Town of Gibsons · District of Squamish · Keats Island · Port Mellon · Howe Sound

 

Metro Vancouver Regional District

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2023-09-26