Burton (
Ktunaxa:
ʔa·kink̓umǂasnuqǂiʔit [1]) is a
settlement on the
Arrow Lakes in the West Kootenay region of southeastern
British Columbia,
Canada.
Before European contact, Burton was known as xaieken ??, a large village of Sinixt first nations people.?? note: There are claims by several native bands about the area and there has been little archeological research done to confirm the who, where, when, why or for what duration any of them were in the area and if they were here full time or transient residents. There have been many artifacts collected in the area (arrowheads, scrapers etc) but little information on who made them.
Burton came to be in the 1890s when gold was found at Cariboo Creek, a steamboat stop.[2] Miners and farmers moved in and development began. Served by CPR sternwheeler boats for many years until 1954, BC Highway 6 is now the main means of access. Tug boats still ply the lake towing log booms and barges.
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Wharf at Burton, 1923
The original townsite was flooded out in the 1960s when the
Keenleyside Dam was built on the
Columbia River near
Castlegar, British Columbia which raised the level of the river, with the result combining Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes into one large lake, almost all the way to
Revelstoke over 100 miles to the north of Castlegar. A new town site was established on higher ground at that time. The old town site had 4 stores, gas stations, cafe, school, playing fields, a community hall, a large Federal gov't wharf, a hotel with pub and three churches. The old townsite was north of the mouth of Cariboo creek with farms north, south and east of the townsite. A scenic location surrounded by mountains with lake, creeks and wildlife close at hand.
[3]
See also
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References
Coordinates: 49°59′00″N 117°53′00″W / 49.98333°N 117.88333°W / 49.98333; -117.88333
