San Juan River (Vancouver Island)
The San Juan River is a river that flows from east to west through southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The river originates in the Seymour Range, flows westward through the San Juan Valley to Port San Juan at Port Renfrew. [1]
| San Juan River | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Region | Vancouver Island |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Seymour Range |
| • coordinates | 48°43′39″N 123°59′32″W |
| • elevation | 735 m (2,411 ft) |
| Mouth | Port San Juan |
• location | Port Renfrew, British Columbia |
• coordinates | 48°33′33″N 124°24′31″W |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Harris Creek |
The mouth of the river is protected by Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and the San Juan River Estuary Ecological Reserve.[2]
History
Early Spanish expeditions
The First Nations of Vancouver Island have a legend of a Spanish trading schooner which arrived on the Island's southwestern coast in 1777. The Spanish anchored in the harbour and traded with the Nitinat Natives. The Spanish discovered gold in the San Juan River and tried to recover the gold. The Nitinat Natives slaughtered the Spanish expedition. Two Spanish women were taken as slaves. The women were later released to another Spanish expedition who discovered them. The later expedition inadvertently infected the Nitinat Natives with smallpox. There is some evidence to support this story. Spanish ships such as the Santiago investigated the west coast in the 1700s. There are also records of attacks on Spanish by First Nations. This is the first alleged discovery of gold in the San Juan River.[3]
Foster's Lost Mine
In 1885 an American prospector named Foster found gold in the San Juan River. Foster returned in 1907 to find more gold. Every year Foster returned looking for the gold. He returned year after year because he couldn't find the original spot on the San Juan River. Foster died in 1917 in Salt Lake City. The people of Port Renfrew heard about Foster's search. Many people from Port Renfrew searched all over the San Juan River looking for Foster's old gold site. It was never discovered.[3]
References
- BCGNIS entry "San Juan River"
- Environment, Ministry of. "San Juan River Ecological Reserve - BC Parks". www.env.gov.bc.ca. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- Basque Garnet (2000), Lost Bonanzas of Western Canada.