Chilko River
| Language of origin | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit, Na-Dene language family Tŝilhqot’in language |
| Feature Type: | River - Watercourse of variable size, which has tributaries and flows into a body of water or a larger watercourse. |
| Status: | Official |
| Other Names: | Chilco River |
| Name Authority: | BC Geographical Names Office |
| Relative Location: | Flows NE into Chilcotin River, W of Alexis Creek (community), Cariboo Land District |
| Tags: | Indigenous |
| Latitude-Longitude: | 52°05'41"N, 123°27'42"W at the approximate mouth of this feature. |
| Datum: | WGS84 |
| NTS Map: | 93B/3 |
| Related Maps: |
92N/16 92N/9 92O/13 93B/3 93B/4 |
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Origin Notes and History:
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Chilko River adopted 26 June 1911, not "Chilco River" as spelled on Trutch's 1871 map of BC, nor "Chilcote River" another variation. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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"From a Chilcotin ... word meaning 'ochre river' ...[Chilcotin] can be translated as 'ochre river people' here referring not to the colour but to the mineralized substance (usually red or yellow) much prized by the [First Nations] for use as a base for paint or dye." Source: Akrigg, Helen B. and Akrigg, G.P.V; British Columbia Place Names; Sono Nis Press, Victoria 1986 /or University of British Columbia Press 1997 |