Fraser River
The Fraser River is an important river in British Columbia.[1] Its headwaters are in the Rocky Mountains, near the border with Alberta.
The river is navigable, from its mouth, flowing generally eastward to Yale where it turns roughly north.[2] As the mountains rose the river found a path through the Frase fault. The Fraser canyon carved along the path of this fault almost two hundred kilometres long. It is relatively straight. In some places the gorge walls are over 1,000 feet (300 m) tall. Elevation drops approximately 700 feet (210 m) over the course of the canyon.
Many railway workers died while constructing the Canadian Pacific Railroad, Canada's first cross-country railroad, which parallels the river.
Canadian explorer Alexander Mackenzie was the first person to record transitting the Fraser River.[1]
The Salmon fishery on the river was severely damaged when the logging industry first exploited the timber accessible to the river, as the large logs damaged the sandbacks in the upper creeks were Salmon laid their eggs.[3][4]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1
"From Canada, by Land". CBC News. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
Mackenzie managed to cross the Rocky Mountains and reach the Fraser River by June 17. Shuswap Indians advised him that the river was too dangerous to navigate, that he should take the overland route they used to trade with the coastal Indians.
- ↑
Mary K. Cullen (2003-01-01). "The History of Fort Langley, 1827-96". Parks Canada. Archived from the original on 2014=11-02. Retrieved 2026-02-04. Check date values in:
|archivedate=(help) - ↑ "The Fraser Valley challenge : an illustrated account of logging and sawmilling in the Fraser Valley : McCombs, Arnold M., 1937- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive". Internet Archive. 2016-10-23. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
- ↑ "Fraser River Action Plan" (PDF). Environment Canada. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
- ↑ "A History of BC's Fraser Canyon, 1808-1966". ExploreNorth. Retrieved 2026-02-04.