Cultus Lake, British Columbia
Lake in Canada
49°03′12″N 121°59′12″W / 49.0533°N 121.9867°W / 49.0533; -121.9867
Cultus Lake is a lake, associated community and provincial park in the Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. It is the source of the Sweltzer River. Cultus Lake is located 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) south of the Chilliwack River, near the city of Chilliwack and approximately 80 kilometers (50 mi) east of Vancouver.[2] In 1950, Cultus Lake became a provincial park of British Columbia. Cultus Lake covers an area of 656 hectares, evenly on either side of the lake. At one time the lake had a sawmill and booming ground until it became a provincial park in the 1950s.
Etymology
Cultus Lake is an important place for spirit quests of the Sto:lo people. However, it was named with the Chinook Jargon word meaning primarily bad,[3] worthless, or good for nothing, though the same word can also mean free, without purpose, or simply nothing.[4]
Climate
| Climate data for Cultus Lake | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.0 (64.4) | 20.6 (69.1) | 24.5 (76.1) | 30.0 (86.0) | 38.0 (100.4) | 43.7 (110.7) | 37.8 (100.0) | 38.0 (100.4) | 36.5 (97.7) | 28.6 (83.5) | 22.8 (73.0) | 19.0 (66.2) | 43.7 (110.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) | 8.0 (46.4) | 10.8 (51.4) | 14.2 (57.6) | 17.7 (63.9) | 20.3 (68.5) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.4 (75.9) | 20.7 (69.3) | 15.1 (59.2) | 8.3 (46.9) | 5.0 (41.0) | 14.5 (58.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.4 (36.3) | 4.2 (39.6) | 6.3 (43.3) | 9.0 (48.2) | 12.5 (54.5) | 15.2 (59.4) | 17.9 (64.2) | 18.3 (64.9) | 15.1 (59.2) | 10.4 (50.7) | 5.2 (41.4) | 2.4 (36.3) | 9.9 (49.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.7 (30.7) | 0.4 (32.7) | 1.8 (35.2) | 3.8 (38.8) | 7.3 (45.1) | 10.0 (50.0) | 11.8 (53.2) | 12.2 (54.0) | 9.5 (49.1) | 5.7 (42.3) | 2.1 (35.8) | −0.3 (31.5) | 5.3 (41.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −20.6 (−5.1) | −18.9 (−2.0) | −12.8 (9.0) | −3.9 (25.0) | −2.8 (27.0) | 1.7 (35.1) | 3.9 (39.0) | 2.2 (36.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | −8.0 (17.6) | −18.0 (−0.4) | −21.7 (−7.1) | −21.7 (−7.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 204.5 (8.05) | 152.2 (5.99) | 139.3 (5.48) | 115.1 (4.53) | 94.3 (3.71) | 83.3 (3.28) | 52.8 (2.08) | 56.6 (2.23) | 84.4 (3.32) | 145.3 (5.72) | 233.8 (9.20) | 205.5 (8.09) | 1,566.9 (61.69) |
| Source 1: 1971–2000 Environment Canada[5] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: [6] | |||||||||||||
Recreation
Recreation facilities include Cultus Lake Waterpark and the Cultus Lake Adventure Park, which opened in July 2014 as the expansion of Giggle Ridge Adventure Golf.
British Columbia Parks has several camping sites in the area in addition to a few privately owned campgrounds.
Government
In the early 1900s, the Cultus Lake area was a popular destination, which led to the formation of a joint committee between the City of Chilliwack and the Corporation of the Township of Chilliwhack (sic) in 1924. This then led to the formation of the Cultus Lake Park Board in 1932, which is still in effect today.[7][8] The Cultus Lake Park Board includes five commissioners, of whom 3 are elected from Cultus Lake, and 2 from the City of Chilliwack. As of 2022, the board chairman is Kirk Dzaman.[9]
Education
Cultus Lake Community School has approximately 150 students from Kindergarten to Grade 6. The school was first opened in 1947 as a three-room schoolhouse.[10] It was destroyed by a fire in February 1959; the current building opened in October of the same year. The school is administered by the Chilliwack School District.
References
- ^ a b c "Cultus Lake, Canada - 6.340sq km - Facts, Map".
- ^ British Columbian Tourist Attractions Archived 2006-06-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Chinook Jargon Phrasebook: Adverbs & Adjectives". Archived from the original on 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
- ^ A dictionary of the Chinook jargon: or, the Trade language of Oregon By George Gibbs page 3.
- ^ Environment Canada—1971–2000 Archived 2013-01-01 at archive.today. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ "Historical Data - Climate - Environment and Climate Change Canada". 31 October 2011.
- ^ "Cultus Lake Park Act, 1932". bclaws.gov.bc.ca. King's Printer. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Cultus Lake Park Act". bclaws.gov.bc.ca. King's Printer. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Cultus Lake Park Board information". cultuslake.bc.ca. Cultus Lake Park. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ History of Cultus Lake Community School Archived 2006-08-10 at the Wayback Machine (SD33 web site)
External links
- Cultus Lake Park community web site
- BC Parks webpage
- Fish species in Cultus Lake
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