Kamloops is a city in south
central British
Columbia
, Canada
, at the
confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River and near Kamloops Lake
. It is the largest community in the
Thompson-Nicola Regional
District and the location of the regional district's offices.
The surrounding region is more commonly referred to as the
Thompson Country. It is ranked
37th on
the list of the 100 largest
metropolitan areas in Canada and
represents the
4th largest census
agglomeration nationwide, with 92,882 residents in 2006.
History
Kamloops and the Thompson River,
1886
The Kamloops area was exclusively inhabited by the
Secwepemc (Shuswap) nation (part of the
Interior Salish language group)
prior to the arrival of European settlers.
The first European
explorers arrived in 1811, in the person of David Stuart, sent out from
Fort
Astoria
, then still a Pacific Fur Company post, and who spent
a winter there with the Secwepemc people, with Alexander Ross establishing a
post there in May 1812 - "Fort Cumcloups".
Later in the year, with the rival
North West Company establishing another
post - Fort Shuswap - nearby in the same year. The two operations
were merged in 1813 when the North West Company officials in the
region bought out the operations of the
North West Company. After the North West
Company's forced merger with the
Hudson's Bay Company in 1821, the post
became known commonly as Thompson's River Post, or Fort Thompson,
which over time became known as Fort Kamloops. The post's journals,
kept by its
Chief Traders, document a
series of inter-Indian wars and personalities for the period and
also give much insight to the goings-on of the fur companies and
their personnel throughout the entire Pacific slope.
Soon after the forts were founded, the main local village of the
Secwepemc, then headed by a chief named
Kwa'lila, was moved close to the trading post in
order to control access to its trade, as well as for prestige and
protection.
With Kwalila's death, the local chieftaincy
was passed to his nephew and foster-son Chief Nicola, who led an alliance of Okanagan and Nlaka'pamux people in the plateau country to the
south around Stump
, Nicola
and Douglas
Lakes
.
Relations between Nicola and the
fur
traders were often tense but in the end Nicola was recognised
as a great help to the influx of whites during the gold rush,
though admonishing those who had been in parties waging violence
and looting on the
Okanagan Trail,
which led from American territory to the
Fraser goldfields.
Throughout, Kamloops
was an important way station on the route of the Hudson's Bay Brigade Trail, which
originally connected Fort Astoria with Fort
Alexandria
and the other forts in New Caledonia to the north (today's
Omineca Country, roughly), and which
continued in heavy use through the onset of the Cariboo Gold Rush as the main route to the
new goldfields around what was to become Barkerville
.
The gold rush of the 1860s and the construction of the
Canadian Pacific Railway in the
1880s brought further growth, resulting in the City of Kamloops
being incorporated in 1893 with a population of about 500.
Etymology
Kamloops, British Columbia.
"Kamloops" is the anglicised version of the
Shuswap word "Tk'emlups", meaning 'meeting
of the waters'. Shuswap is still actively spoken in the area by
members of the Kamloops Indian Band. Another possible origin of the
name comes from the French "Camp des loups" meaning 'Camp of
Wolves', likely spoken by fur traders.
One story perhaps connected with this version of the name concerns
an attack by a pack of wolves, much built up in story to one huge
white wolf, or a pack of wolves and other animals, traveling
overland from the
Nicola Country
being repelled by a single shot by John Tod, then Chief Trader,
with his musket - at a distance of some . The shot caused the
admiration of native witnesses and is said to have given the Chief
Trader a great degree of respect locally, preventing the fort from
attack.
Industry
Industries
in the Kamloops area include primary resource processing such as
Domtar Kamloops' Pulp Mill, Tolko-Heffley
Creek Plywood and Veneer, LaFarge Cement,
Highland Valley Copper Mine (in Logan
Lake
), and others. Thompson Rivers University is the
city's largest employer and serves a student body of 10,000
including a diverse international contingent.
There are tertiary industrial sector entities such as
Transportation
Kamloops is also a transportation hub for the region due to its
connections to
Highways 5
and
97C, the
Trans-Canada and
Yellowhead Highways.
Kamloops North railway
station is served three times per week (in each direction) by
VIA Rails The
Canadian.
Kamloops
is home to Kamloops
Airport
(Fulton Field), a small international Airport
currently being expanded, with construction underway into
2010. YKA has averaged a 15% increase in air travelers every
month since 2004. Airlines currently flying to Kamloops are
Air Canada,
WestJet,
Central
Mountain Air, and
Pacific
Coastal Airlines.
Local bus service is provided by
Kamloops Transit.
Geography and location
Kamloops is situated in the Thompson Valley and the
Montane Cordillera
Ecozone. The central core of the city is located in the
valley near the confluence of the North and South branches of the
Thompson River. Suburbs stretch for more than a dozen kilometres
along both North and South branches, as well as to the steep
hillsides along the south portion of the city and lower North East
hill sides.
Kamloops
Indian Band
areas begin just to the northeast of the downtown
core but are not located within the city limits.
As a
result of this placement, it is necessary to leave Kamloops' city
limits and pass through the band lands before re-entering the city
limits to access the communities of Rayleigh
and Heffley Creek
. Kamloops is surrounded by the smaller
communities of Cherry Creek, Pritchard
, Savona
, Scotch Creek
, Adams
Lake
, Chase
, Paul Lake, Pinantan and various
others.
The Thompson River.
Climate
Canadian National trains pull through
north Kamloops then cross this rail bridge over the North Thompson
River to the Kamloops Indian Band, and the large CN rail
yards.
The climate of Kamloops is a
semi-arid steppe climate (
Köppen climate
classification BSk) due to its
rain shadow location. While situated in a
semi-arid valley, Kamloops has winters that are generally mild and
very short with an occasional cold snap where temperatures can drop
to around when Arctic air floods over the
Rocky Mountains into the interior.
However, until the winter of 2008/2009, Kamloops had not seen since
the mid 1990s . Snow can occur from November to April, but most of
it falls over a few weeks in December and January. Winter mean
temperature is in January. The average number of cold days below in
one year is 8 as recorded by
Environment Canada.
Perhaps surprisingly, considering that Kamloops is located at 50°
North, summers are quite hot with prevailing dry, and sunny
weather. The average July high temperature is and would be higher
if not for occasional incursions of cool northerly air masses.
In most
years, Kamloops can experience warm weather similar to that in
southern California
, as summer temperatures come close to or even
exceed . Humidity is generally very
low and night time temperatures are moderate.
Spring
arrives very early, sometimes in February, due to mild air spilling
over the coastal mountains from the Pacific Ocean
. On February 19, 2001 Kamloops recorded .
Fall is generally a pleasant and a mostly dry season. On November
3, 1975 Kamloops recorded a day time high of .
Locater map for Kamloops, BC
The city does have Spring and Summer water restrictions
[41361]: Water Restrictions are in effect only from
May 1 to August 31. All commercial and residential customers who
receive their water supply from the City of Kamloops are required
to comply with the following regulations:
- Even numbered property addresses are allowed to sprinkle or
irrigate only on even numbered days.
- Odd numbered property addresses are allowed to sprinkle or
irrigate only on odd numbered days.
- Where a complex uses internal addresses or other identifying
numbers, the internal numbers will be used to establish the
appropriate watering day.
Kamloops
lies in the rain shadow leeward of the Coast Mountains
and is biogeographically connected to similar
semi-desert and desert areas in the Okanagan region, the Osoyoos
area, and the central/eastern parts of Washington
and Oregon
state as
well as intermontane areas of Nevada
and Idaho
in the
US.
These areas of relatively similar climate have many distinctive
native plants and animals in common, such as
Ponderosa Pine (
Pinus ponderosa),
big sagebrush (
Artemisia
tridentata),
prickly pear cactus
(
Opuntia fragilis in this case),
rattlesnakes (
Crotalus viridis),
Black widow spiders and
Lewis's Woodpecker.
|
Hottest Summer |
Most Days above 30°C |
Driest |
Warmest Spring |
Fewest Fog Days |
Most Sunny Days in Warm Months |
Most Growing Degree Days |
Most Days Without Precipitation |
| Rank Among 100 Largest Canadian Cities |
1st |
1st |
2nd
(next to Whitehorse) |
2nd
(next to Chilliwack) |
2nd
(next to Penticton) |
2nd
(next to Portage la Prairie) |
3rd
(next to Windsor and St. Catharines-Niagara) |
3rd
(next to Medicine Hat and Lethbridge) |
| Value |
|
29.28 |
|
|
7.28 |
148.93 |
2308.61 |
258.12 |
| Data is for Kamloops Airport (YKA), in the city of
Kamloops, west northwest of the town. |
Sports
A golf course in Kamloops.
Kamloops hosted the 1993
Canada Summer
Games.
It co-hosted (with Vancouver
and Kelowna
) the 2006 IIHF World U20 Championship from
December 26, 2005, to January 5, 2006. It hosted the 2006
BC Summer Games. In the summer of
2008, Kamloops, and its modern facility the Tournament Capital
Centre, played host to the U15 boys and girls Basketball National
Championship. The city is known as, and holds a Canadian trademark
as, Canada's Tournament Capital.
Sun Peaks
Resort
is a nearby ski and snowboard hill. Olympic medallist skier
Nancy Greene is director of skiing at Sun Peaks
and the chancellor of
Thompson Rivers University. The
Overlander Ski Club runs the Stake Lake cross country ski area with
of trails. Kamloops is home to world-famous
mountain bikers such as
Wade Simmons and Matt Hunter.
In 2007, the Kamloops Bike Ranch opened in Juniper
Ridge
along Highland Drive. The Kamloops Rotary
Skatepark located at McArthur Island is one of the largest
skateboard parks in Canada. Kamloops will host the 2011
Western Canada Summer
Games.
Kamloops
is home to the Western Hockey
League's Kamloops Blazers, who
play at the Interior Savings Centre
, the Thompson Okanagan
Junior Lacrosse League's Kamloops Junior B Rattlers, as well as
the Kamloops Storm.
Also
calling Kamloops home is the Canadian Junior Football
League's Kamloops Broncos, and
Pacific Coast Soccer
League's Kamloops Excel, both of
whom play at Hillside
Stadium
.
Soccer for the city includes:
Kamloops Youth Soccer
Association,
Kamloops Blaze rep
team and the
Kamloops Excel (see
above).
Thompson Rivers University of Kamloops hosts the
Thompson Rivers WolfPack, and has
sports teams that include men's and women's volleyball, basketball,
soccer, and badminton. Also the WolfPack have rugby, badminton,
golf, and baseball teams.
Alumni of the Kamloops Blazers include:
Mark
Recchi,
Jarome Iginla,
Darryl Sydor,
Nolan Baumgartner,
Shane Doan,
Scott
Niedermayer,
Rudy Poeschek and
Darcy Tucker.
There is a proposal to bring a
Golden Baseball League expansion team to
Kamloops for the 2010 season. If successful, it would be the city's
first professional baseball team and the league's fourth Canadian
team.
Demographics
Demographics of the City of Kamloops according to
Statistics Canada 2006 census.
- Total private dwellings: 34,163
- Land area:
- Density:
Visible minorities
Total visible minority population: 5,030
- South Asian: 1,540 (1.92%)
- Chinese: 1,065 (1.33%)
- Japanese: 775 (0.96%)
- Filipino: 605 (0.75%)
- Southeast Asian: 235 (0.29%)
- Black: 117 (0.13%)
- Latin America: 195 (0.24%)
- Multiple visible minorities: 140 (0.17%)
- Korean: 100 (0.12%)
- Non-classified visible minorities: 89 (0.11%)
- Arab: 70 (0.09%)
- West Asian: 50 (0.06%)
Religious groups
Data is from the
2001
census.
- Christian Orthodox: 360 (0.47%)
- Other religions: 340 (0.44%)
- Hindu: 170 (0.22%)
- Muslim: 150 (0.20%)
- Jewish: 90 (0.12%)
- Eastern religions: 35 (0.05%)
Media
Education
Image:Kamloops School-2.JPG|A school in
Kamloops.Image:International-Sub.jpg|International Building at
Thompson Rivers University
K-12
Public schools in the Kamloops area are part of
School District 73
Kamloops/Thompson. Private schools include Kamloops Christian
School, Our Lady Of Perpetual Help School (Catholic), and
St. Ann's Academy (Catholic).
Post-Secondary
Thompson Rivers
University primarily an
undergraduate degree-granting
university with
satellite campuses
in
Thompson Rivers University has begun to offer
MBA,
M.Ed, and
M.Sc. programs as well
as undergraduate degrees in the mid-2000s. Thompson Rivers
University also has an open-distance learning division.
Neighbourhoods
Officially recognised
neighbourhoods
within the city of Kamloops.
Unofficially recognized areas are listed beneath the neighborhoods
to which they belong:
Notable people
Below is a list of people who are from Kamloops, or who lived there
for an extended period.
Historical figures
- Edward Donald Bellew,
recipient of the Victoria Cross.
- Donald McLean, former
Chief Trader of Fort Kamloops and one of the casualties of the
Chilcotin War.
- Allan McLean, son of
Donald McLean and leader of the outlaw gang known as the Wild
McLean Boys.
- Frank Robert Miller, former
Deputy Minister of National
Defence.
- Chief Nicola, conjoing chief of
the Nicolas and the Kamloops Shuswap during the fur trade and gold
rush eras.
- Robert and Henry Pratt,
first settlers in Barnhartvale, British Columbia.
- Johnny Ussher, settler, provincial
magistrate and Gold Commissioner.
- Mark Sweeten Wade, medical
doctor, newspaperman and historian.
Politicians
- Jack Davis,
politician who was elected both federally and provincially.
- John L. Frazer, was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from
1993 to 1997.
- Edmund Davie Fulton, was a member
of the Canadian House of
Commons from 1945 to 1963, and 1965 to 1968.
- Terry Lake, former mayor.
- Leonard Marchand, QPC, CM, the first person of First Nations ethnicity to serve in the
federal cabinet and the first
Status Indian to serve as a Member of Parliament.
- Nelson Riis, former Kamloops
alderman and Director of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District,
later federal MP for Kamloops.
- Peter Wing, North America's first
mayor of Chinese descent.
Sportspeople
- Dylan Armstrong, 2008 Olympics shot
putter who finished 4th.
- Don Ashby, former NHL ice hockey player.
- Mitch Berger, NFL player.
- Rick Boh, former NHL ice hockey player.
- Darren Clark,
Canadian FIFA
assistant
referee.
- Jolene Downey,
Barrel Racer from Kamloops, who won the 2006 Calgary
Stampede
Barrel Racing
Championship.
- Craig Endean, former NHL ice hockey player.
- Todd Esselmont, ice and roller
hockey player.
- Erin Gammel, is a swimmer who
competed at the 2004 Summer
Olympics.
- Don Hay, former NHL head coach.
- Murray Kennett, is a former
WHA ice hockey player.
- Doug Lidster, former NHL ice hockey player.
- Steve Marr, ice hockey
defenceman.
- Bert Marshall, former NHL ice hockey player.
- Bob Mowat, former WHA ice hockey player.
- Shane Niemi, is a Canadian sprints
athlete.
- Michelle Pye,
Female Canadian FIFA
referee.
- Mark Recchi, professional hockey
player.
- Peter Soberlak, former AHL professional ice hockey
player.
- Tim Watters, former NHL ice hockey player.
Arts, culture & media
- Steven Galloway, novelist, was
raised in Kamloops.
- Boris Karloff, actor, joined the
Jeanne Russell theatre company in Kamloops in September 1911.
- Mark Madryga, Meteorologist for
Environment Canada and news weather forecaster for Global BC.
- John Pozer, award-winning
filmmaker.
- Michael Shanks, actor, born in
Vancouver, but grew up in Kamloops.
- Andrea Smith, is a singer-songwriter.
- Chris Masuak, is a Punk rock singer-songwriter from
Australia - but lived in Brocklehurst (North Kamloops) in the
60's
Other
Politics
Elections in to the municipality in Kamloops are held with the rest
of the province every three years.
Provincially, Kamloops is considered to be
bellwether, having voted for the governing party
in every provincial election since the introduction of parties to
British Columbian elections. By contrast, Kamloops has regularly
voted against the party in power federally until the 2006 Federal
election. Kamloops is represented in two provincial
ridings -
Kamloops and
Kamloops-North Thompson and
one federal riding -
Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo.
- Mayor – Peter Milobar
- Members of the Legislative Assembly:
Federal Members of Parliament:
Planetary Nomenclature
Kamloops crater on Mars
The city's name was adopted for a
crater on the surface of
Mars.
Crater
Kamloops was officially adopted by the
International Astronomical
Union, and Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature
(IAU/WGPSN) in 1991. The location of the crater on the Martian
surface is 53.8º south latitude and 32.6º west longitude, with a
diameter of .
Sister cities
See also
References
- Fort Kamloops Journals, various authors (traders),
primary source.
- History of the Okanagan Chiefs in James A. Teit, The
Shuswap People, vol XII of the Papers of the Jesup North Pacific
Expedition
- Fur and Gold: Stories, Tales and Legends of British
Columbia, John Pearson, undated S.K. Press Holdings, undated.,
White Rock, B.C.
- Canadian Weather Winners - from Environment
Canada's Weather Winners
- Kamloops Municipal Home Page
- Specialized.com
- [1]
- Kamloops' baseball future Golden? (Taking Note
with Gregg Drinnan, October 25, 2007)
- GBL in Kamloops? (Taking Note with Gregg Drinnan,
October 27, 2007)
- Golden Baseball League coming to Kamloops
(Taking Note with Gregg Drinnan, December 18, 2007)
- Kamloops Community Profile - Statistics Canada.
2006 Community Profiles.
- Kamloops Community Profile - Statistics Canada.
2001 Community Profiles.
- Thompson Rivers
University
- Maps By Neighbourhood
-
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=68b31de6-5990-45a9-a057-32cf2267a2ea&Language=E&Section=FederalExperience
-
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=bd7064c6-90b2-4e0a-9a8f-1c4d781bb30e&Language=E&Section=FederalExperience
- Leonard Marchand: The first Status Indian elected
to Canada's Parliament
- Federal Political Biography from the Library of
Parliament
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=118
- Mitch Berger
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=9966
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=1564
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=8675
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=10294
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=3145
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=62516
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=3410
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=8342
- NHL.com, Players Profile Mark Recchi
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=5077
- http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=5658
- Canada.com, Global BC Personalities: Mark
Madryga
- Internet Movie Database
- Holness Law Group
- IAU/USGS/WGPSN Planetary Feature Nomenclature
Database, USGS Branch of Astrogeology, Flagstaff, Arizona
- USGS Quadrangle Map MC-26 Showing crater KAMLOOPS
on the Mars surface, just beneath crater GALLE, and on the
Eastern edge of ARGYRE Planitia Region of Mars.
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