Adams River (British Columbia)

The Adams River is a tributary to the Thompson and Fraser Rivers in British Columbia, Canada. Beginning in the Monashee Mountains to the north, the Upper Adams River flows mainly southward and eventually reaches Adams Lake. The Lower Adams River begins at the southern end of the lake and flows into the extreme western end of Shuswap Lake. The river is one of the most important sockeye salmon breeding areas in North America. The run occurs in mid-October and can bring millions of fish to a concentrated area near the river mouth. Excavations of Secwepemc villages on the river have shown a long tradition of habitation and salmon fishing in the area. The river also served as an important transportation route for early logging operations in the watershed.

Course

The headwaters of the Adams are several unnamed glaciers at roughly elevation in the north-east region of the Monashee Range of the Columbia Mountains. The upper portion of the river flows roughly south and southwest through wetlands and passes through two small lakes, Tumtum and Mica. It has sections of rapids and whitewater, and flows over cataracts below Tumtum Lake. Its flow drops by per kilometre in certain sections. After travelling for and entering the Shuswap Highland, it enters the northern end of Adams Lake.

Adams Lake is roughly along its north-south axis, and reaches a maximum depth of , making it the 24th deepest lake in the world. The Lower Adams issues from the extreme southern end of the lake and travels through a narrow valley. It empties into Shuswap Lake near the community of Squilax. From Adams Lake to the Shuswap, the Lower Adams drops in elevation.

Tributaries

Tributaries of the Upper Adams include:
*Oliver Creek
*Dudgeon Creek
*Sunset Creek
*Fisher Creek

Adams Lake and the Lower Adams are fed by:
*Cayenne Creek
*Sinmax Creek
*Momich River
*Hiuihill (Bear) Creek
*Nikwikwaia (Gold) Creek

History

Secwepemc

The Secwepemc people have lived in the Adams River valley for millennia. A 1977 study by the provincial government along the lower river found sixty-six sites with evidence of habitation dating to 2000 BCE. The abundance of the salmon run made the river an important food source and trade commodity for First Nations people in the region.

Ethnographer James Teit records that the people of the Adams River area formed a sub-group of the Secwepemc called the "Sxste'lln", now known as the Adams Lake Indian Band. The Sxste'lln moved between summer and winter camps at the outlet of the lower river and the Little River area near Chase. The river's namesake, Chief Sel-howt-ken (baptized as Adam by Oblate missionaries) was a Sxste'lln leader in the 1860s. Like more than 200 of his people, he died in the 1862 smallpox epidemic.

Adams River Lumber Company

Although prospectors, surveyors, and trappers had travelled the region in the 1800s, the first large scale activity in the river valley by Europeans was logging. J.P. McGoldrick, an experienced lumberman from Spokane, established the Adams River Lumber Company in 1909. He licensed large tracts of timber along both the Upper and Lower rivers, as well as the surrounding plateau. McGoldrick's company is described as the first major industrial operation in the British Columbia Interior.

A camp was built on the upper river and logging operations began at Tumtum Lake. The cut logs were run down the river, then towed in booms by the company owned sternwheeler ''Helen'' down Adams Lake. The logs then were run down the Lower river to the mill at Chase. In 1908, Adams River Logging constructed a "splash dam" at the outlet of the Lower Adams. This dam allowed operators to raise the water level of Adams Lake. When sufficient logs had been collected above the dam, the gates were opened and the resulting flood carried the logs to Shuswap Lake. This proved to be destructive to the salmon run as it damaged the gravel beds the fish use to spawn.

In order to move logs from the plateau above the Lower river, Adams River Lumber constructed several flumes. The flumes were elevated wooden troughs filled with water that floated logs down to the valley bottom. The largest of these was at Bear Creek. It incorporated trestles up to high and was capable of moving of logs per month. It was the largest flume in North America at its peak. The structures were dismantled after the areas became logged out.

Although logging continues in the region, the Adams is no longer used for log transport.

Ecology

Flora

Much of the ecology of the watershed has been affected by wildfires and forestry, and is considered to be in a seral phase. The river travels through several different vegetation zones. In its upper reaches, the Adams flows through the Interior Cedar Hemlock zone. These forests are similar to the coastal forests of British Columbia and contain old-growth trees up to 1000 years in age. Old-growth stands along the river also contain rare species of lichen

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases