The Kamloops
area was inhabited by the Secwepemc (Shuswap)
nation (part of the Salishan speaking people)
prior to the arrival of European settlers.
The first European explorers arrived in
1811, and a fur trading post was established
by David Stuart in 1812 for the Pacific
Fur Company. This was bought out by the
North West Company shortly after, and by
1821, the Hudson's Bay Company had control
of the fur trade in Kamloops.
The gold rush of the 1850's and the construction
of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s
brought further growth, resulting in the
City of Kamloops being incorporated in 1893
with a population of about 500.
"Kamloops" is the anglicized
version of the Shuswap word "Tk'emlups",
meaning 'where the rivers meet'. Shuswap
is still actively spoken in the area by
members of the Kamloops Indian Band. |
