Spillimacheen Regional District of East Kootenay, British Columbia

Community - An unincorporated populated place, generally with a population of 50 or more, and having a recognized central area that might contain a post office, store and/or community hall, etc, intended for the use of the general public in the region. Between Invermere and Golden on upper Columbia River, Kootenay Land District

Mapped Location

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

 

Information

General information on Spillimacheen

  • Feature Type: Place

 

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Spillimacheen

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

Name Description
Spillimacheen Official

 

Origin Notes and History of Spillimacheen

References to Spillimacheen that document the origin of its place name

Spillimacheen (Post Office) adopted 3 June 1954 on Columbia River Basin manuscript 44, as labelled on BC map 1EM, 1915; not Spillimacheen (Station) as identified in the 1930 BC Gazetteer. Form of name changed to Spillimacheen (community) 28 February 1983 on 82K/16.

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

Settlement and mining activity at Spillimacheen recorded as early as 1864: "A great excitement is raging in this camp regarding new discoveries on several creeks emptying into the Columbia... I yesterday recorded 12 claims on a creek called 'Canyon' about 30 miles below Spillimacheen..." (1 December 1864 letter to J.C. Haynes, Customs Inspector at Osoyoos and stipendiary magistrate & gold commissioner for Kootenay). Post Office opened at this location 1 July 1889, called "Galena" [possibly because Post Office department argued that "Spillimacheen" would too easily be confused with Spallamacheen, a post office opened in 1881 near Vernon?] CPR named their station Spillimacheen (opening date not cited). Galena Post Office re-named Spillimacheen Post Office 19 August 1946.

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

Early spelling variations include: Speylumacheen, Spillemcheen, Spillimachene, Spillomochene...

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

 

Regional District of East Kootenay

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2023-10-21