Hobson Lake

Hobson Lake
Hobson Lake
	Hobson Lake
Location	British Columbia
Coordinates	52°30′00″N120°20′00″W / 52.50000°N 120.33333°W
Primary inflows	Clearwater River and Hobson Creek
Primary outflows	Clearwater River
Max. length	35 km (22 mi)
Max. width	1.5 km (0.9 mi)
Surface elevation	858 m (2,815 ft)
Islands	1
Settlements	None

Last updated May 14, 2023

Hobson Lake is the uppermost lake on the Clearwater River in east-central British Columbia, Canada.^[1] Hobson Lake is one of the six major lakes in Wells Gray Provincial Park.^[2]

Hobson Lake is bordered to the east by peaks of the Cariboo Mountains which rise nearly 2000 m (6500 ft) above the lakeshore. Among these are Mount Hugh Neave and Twin Spires. The former is the seventh-highest mountain in Wells Gray Park at 2,829 m (9,281 ft) and is located due east of Hobson Lake's outlet. Its name recognizes a mountaineer who climbed many peaks in northern Wells Gray Park during the 1960s and 1970s. Hugh Neave made the first ascent of Wells Gray Park's third-highest mountain, Garnet Peak, in 1974. West of Hobson Lake is the Quesnel Highland which has no named mountains near the lake.^[2]

History and naming

Hobson Lake is named for John Beaugarde Hobson, a man who did more than any other in British Columbia to demonstrate the value of hydraulic placer mining. With this technique, a bank of gold-bearing gravel was washed into sluices by a powerful jet of water where the gold separated from the gravel. Hobson was born in Ireland in 1844, moved to New York, and studied mining engineering and metallurgy in California. He came to Canada in 1892 at the invitation of the directors of the Canadian Pacific Railway to explore the extensive fields of gold-bearing gravel known to exist in the Cariboo District. He subsequently organized two companies, the Consolidated Cariboo Hydraulic Mining Company on the Quesnel River and the Horsefly Hydraulic Mining Company on the Horsefly River. These were the largest and most modern attempts at hydraulic mining so far known in British Columbia. Unfortunately, because of a lack of funding, neither development prospered. Hobson died in Vancouver in 1912 at the age of 67.^[2]

Thomas Drummond was the first prospector to investigate Hobson Creek, one of three streams which flows into the upper end of Hobson Lake. He wrote gloomily:

I built a flume 10 feet by 45 feet and 325 feet long, and put in a dam 10 feet high and 60 feet long, which carried the water of the stream and laid the bed bare. I spent between $4000 and $5000 and the returns were very disappointing on the whole, although I took out a little gold. It is a terrible country for boulders, both large and numerous, of glacial origin, which have simply filled the creek, making it practically impossible to work the bed of the stream or to prospect on the sides. Under such conditions as to remoteness and boulders the creek would have to be exceptionally rich, which it certainly is not, and even after the flume and dam were in it did not pay the expenses of mining.^[2]

The Westenhiser Company acquired Drummond's Hobson Creek property soon after and, in the summer of 1914, employed a crew of men to improve the road between Quesnel Lake and Hobson Lake. In 1915, a small steamboat ferried mining equipment to the head of Hobson Lake from where a horse-team packed the supplies 2.5 km (1.6 mi) up the creek to the holdings. The workings consisted of tunnels to test the gravel deposits, flumes, dams and ditchlines, and small-scale attempts at hydraulics, but most of these efforts failed for lack of funds to properly test the gravel. The next owner was the New Cariboo Goldfields Company in 1920 which also found limited prospects on Hobson Creek.^[2]

Fred Wells staked some claims in 1923 at the head of a branch of Hobson Creek now called Fred Wells Creek, and was later named the Blue Ice Group. The name aptly described the site, located at an elevation of 2,075 m (6,808 ft), just 60 m (200 ft) away from an active glacier. Although showings of gold and silver were of an economical quantity during the 1938 survey, the site was never fully developed, because of the unpredictable movements of the nearby glacier.^[2]

Access

There is no road to Hobson Lake. Modern access is difficult and a visit is a wilderness experience requiring much preparation and survival skills. A trail, 13 km (8 mi) long, starts at the head of Clearwater Lake and ends at the outlet of Hobson Lake. It is usually in poor condition with many deadfalls. A major hazard is fording Lickskillet Creek because 40 m (131 ft) high Sundt Falls is just downstream. Rental canoes are available at Hobson Lake by prior arrangement with Clearwater Lake Tours. This company also provides a water taxi to the trailhead. A second access route is an overgrown trail that connects Quesnel Lake and Hobson Lake, the remains of the old mining tote road. There are no trails from the lakeshore to the alpine meadows and reaching treeline is challenging due to dense undergrowth. The Kamloops Mountaineering Club organized two expeditions in the 1990s to climb Mount Hugh Neave and both turned back due to difficult conditions. Access by air is restricted and a special permit from B.C. Parks is required to land a float plane or helicopter at Hobson Lake.^[2]

Related Research Articles

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The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Colony of British Columbia, which later became the Canadian province of British Columbia. The first gold discovery was made at Hills Bar in 1858, followed by more strikes in 1859 on the Horsefly River, and on Keithley Creek and Antler Creek in 1860. The actual rush did not begin until 1861, when these discoveries were widely publicized. By 1865, following the strikes along Williams Creek, the rush was in full swing.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Likely, British Columbia</span> Place in British Columbia, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clearwater Lake (British Columbia)</span>

Clearwater Lake is one of six large lakes in Wells Gray Provincial Park in east-central British Columbia, Canada,. The Clearwater River enters the lake at its north end, flowing from Hobson Lake and Azure Lake, and also drains the lake. There are several small streams that flow into Clearwater Lake, but it has no significant tributaries.

Ray Lake is a lake located in Wells Gray Provincial Park, east-central British Columbia, Canada. It is fed by and drained by Falls Creek which flows into the Clearwater River at its outlet from Clearwater Lake.

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Murtle Lake is a lava dammed lake located in Wells Gray Provincial Park, east-central British Columbia, Canada. It is fed primarily by the Murtle River which rises from a large unnamed glacier in the Cariboo Mountains at an elevation of 2,300 m (7,546 ft) and flows southwest for 18 km (11 mi) to the lake. The Murtle River also drains Murtle Lake then flows southwest for 36 km (22 mi) into the Clearwater River.

Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,415 square kilometres. It is British Columbia's fifth largest provincial park, after Tweedsmuir, Tatshenshini, Spatsizi and Northern Rocky Mountains.

Garnet Peak is a mountain in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located between Goat Creek and Azure Lake. Situated in the Cariboo Mountains of the Columbia Mountains, it is the third highest mountain in Wells Gray Provincial Park with an elevation of 2,876 m (9,436 ft). Garnet Peak is a prominent mountain as one drives the Clearwater Valley Road into Wells Gray Park and is first visible from 80 km (50 mi) south at the Clearwater Valley Overlook.

Mount Hugh Neave is a mountain in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located between Hobson Lake to the west and Goat Creek to the south. Situated in the Cariboo Mountains of the Columbia Mountains, it is the seventh highest mountain in Wells Gray Provincial Park with an elevation of 2,829 m (9,281 ft).

Trophy Mountain is a mountain in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located in the south-east region of Wells Gray Provincial Park. The Clearwater River flows to the west, Raft River to the east and Spahats Creek to the south. Trophy Mountain is part of the Shuswap Highland. There are nine summits in the group and the highest is 2,577 m (8,455 ft). Battle Mountain and Table Mountain are the closest summits to the north and Raft Mountain is immediately south. Trophy Mountain was given its name by Dan Case, a big-game hunting guide in the area.

Battle Mountain is a mountain in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located in the south-east region of Wells Gray Provincial Park. The Clearwater River flows to the west, Stevens Lakes are to the east, Philip Creek is to the south and Hemp Creek is to the north. Battle Mountain is part of the Shuswap Highland. There are three summits in the group, ranging from 2,306 m (7,566 ft) to 2,369 m (7,772 ft).

Moul Falls is a waterfall on Grouse Creek in Wells Gray Provincial Park, east-central British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the park's most popular short hiking trails. It is the only waterfall in the park that one can stand behind. Moul Falls is the third highest waterfall in the park, measured as a straight, unbroken drop.

Raft Mountain is a mountain in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located north-east of Clearwater and just outside the south boundary of Wells Gray Provincial Park. The Clearwater River flows to the west, Raft River to the east, Spahats Creek to the north, and North Thompson River to the south. Raft Mountain is part of the Shuswap Highland. There are five summits in the group and the highest is 2,450 m (8,038 ft). Trophy Mountain is the closest summit to the north.

Mount Goodall is a mountain in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located near the headwaters of the Clearwater River. Situated in the Cariboo Mountains of the Columbia Mountains, it is the second highest mountain in Wells Gray Provincial Park with an elevation of 2,930 m (9,613 ft). Mount Goodall has eleven distinct summits and extends nearly 8 km (5.0 mi) in a northwest to southeast direction.

Mount Pierrway is a mountain in east-central British Columbia, Canada, located near the headwaters of the Clearwater River. Situated in the Cariboo Mountains, part of the Columbia Mountains, it is the fifth-highest mountain in Wells Gray Provincial Park with an elevation of 2,854 m (9,364 ft). Mount Pierrway lies on the boundary between Wells Gray Provincial Park and Cariboo Mountains Provincial Park.

References

↑ "Hobson Lake". BC Geographical Names .
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Neave, Roland (2023). Exploring Wells Gray Park, 7th edition. Wells Gray Tours, Kamloops, BC. ISBN 978-0-9681932-3-5.

External links

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[1] "Hobson Lake". BC Geographical Names .

[xwgp-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Neave, Roland (2023). Exploring Wells Gray Park, 7th edition. Wells Gray Tours, Kamloops, BC. ISBN 978-0-9681932-3-5.

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