Squamish River adopted in the 10th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 30 June 1911.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

A 9000+ hectare area on the west side of Squamish River watershed between Elaho River and Ashlu Creek has been identified by Squamish Nation as a Wild Spirit Place, called Esté-tiwilh (pronounced us tut ee wayth). A Wild Spirit Place is an area of cultural, spiritual and/or ecological significance to the Squamish Nation. Esté-tiwilh includes an historic village site on the lower Ashlu, low elevation old growth and riparian forests with high quality grizzly bear and mountain goat habitat, as well as high quality anadromous salmonid habitat. (Squamish Nation Forest Recreation Guide, 2003). The meaning or significance of the word Esté-tiwilh is not provided.

Source: included with note

Headwaters at 50 16 -123 24 on 92J/6.

Source: Canadian Geographical Names Database, Ottawa

Spelled "Squawmisht River" on British Admiralty Chart 579, 1863 et seq; so-named in association with the Salishan tribe whose village is here. Meaning/significance not recorded.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

The town and harbour are named after the river, which is in turn named for the First Nation people who have traditionally occupied this region and today call themselves the Skxwúmish. The river appeared as Squawmisht on an 1863 Admiralty chart, and many other obsolete spellings have been recorded, including Chomes, Whoomis, Skqo’mic, and Squohamish. The name has been translated as “people of the sacred water” (older interpretations usually give “strong wind” as the meaning). The Squamish area was first settled by Europeans in the late 1880s, and a small logging and agriculture gradually formed. About 1909 the owners of the Howe Sd & Northern Rwy, after secretly buying up large tracts of land, announced that Squamish would henceforth be known as Newport. Several years of townsite promotion and property speculation ensued; even the post office name was changed from Squamish to Newport Beach, 1912-14. When the BC government took over the railway in 1912 and turned it into the PGE, a competition was held for schoolchildren to suggest a new name for the terminus and growing village. Out of the 2,000 entries received, PGE vice-president D’Arcy Tate chose Squamish, and in 1914 the old name was reinstated; the $500 prize was split between 28 winners. Squamish today is a district municipality with a population of 14,000. Forest remains the dominant industry.

Source: Scott, Andrew; "The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names"; Harbour Publishing, Madeira Park, 2009, page 562.