Spuzzum
Spuzzum, a small community located beyond Hope and just before Hell's Gate, was established in 1848 as a depot for the HBC.1 It was originally known as Simon's House before it became known as Spuzzum.2 The name is an adaptation of the Indigenous name for a nearby creek called Spozem, which means little flat lands.3
The community was situated in the gold mining area west of the Fraser River, between Yale and Boston Bar. Douglas notes that the banks of the Fraser River near Spuzzum were known as a rich mining area. In this despatch, Douglas writes that Chinese Miners have settled near Spuzzum and that their own small means are insufficient to bring in an artificial supply [of water] from the neighbouring mountains, [so] they convey the soil for washing wheel barrows to the rivers edge, a fact which goes far to prove the extensive richness of the deposit.
  • 1. Spuzzum, BC Geographical Names Information System.
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Ibid.
Mentions of this place in the documents
People in this document

Douglas, James

Places in this document

Boston Bar

Fraser River

Hell's Gate

Hope

Yale