Mount Douglas, Saanich
| Mount Douglas | |
|---|---|
 Mount Douglas from the south | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 225 m (738 ft) |
| Prominence | 225 m (738 ft) |
| Coordinates | 48°29′35.05″N 123°20′48.44″W / 48.4930694°N 123.3467889°W[1] |
| Geography | |
  Mount Douglas  Mount Douglas  Mount Douglas | |
 | |
| Location in Mount Douglas Park | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| District | Capital Regional District |
| Topo map | NTS 92B6 Victoria[2] |
Mount Douglas, is a prominent, 225 m (738 ft)[3] hill in Saanich, British Columbia. It is located in PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park) in the municipality of Saanich.
"Little Mount Douglas" or "Little Mount Doug" is a smaller secondary peak about 150 m (492 ft) west of the main peak.[3]
Name
[edit]The W̱sáneć people call the hill PKOLS [pq̕áls], meaning 'white head' in the SENĆOŦEN language. The hill has been a culturally significant gathering and meeting place for the W̱sáneć and Lekwungen indigenous peoples since time immemorial, a site for ceremonies and sharing important news.[4]
In the mid-nineteenth century, it was called Cedar Hill, and was home to logging operations. Local mills supplied the growing city of Victoria, including the original Hudson's Bay Company fort, transporting lumber south along present day Cedar Hill Road. It was brought under protected status in 1889. Finding no cedars on the hill called "Cedar Hill," Captain Henry Kellett renamed it "Mount Douglas," as recorded in the Fort Victoria Journal by Roderick Finlayson.[5] Although this informal renaming occurred in James Douglas's lifetime (it was given the appellation "Mount" to honour the governor's status), the name "Mount Douglas" was not officially adopted until 1910.
In 2013, an effort was started to "restore" its indigenous place name.[6][7][8] The Reclaim PKOLS movement appealed to the BC Geographical Names Office for a formal name change. On August 15, 2022, Saanich Council approved a request from the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council to move forward with a municipal park name restoration for PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park).[9]
Neighbourhood
[edit]The namesake neighbourhood around the base of PKOLS is a mix of residential neighbourhoods, hobby farms and working farms, roughly bounded by Cedar Hill Road, Cordova Bay Road, the Blenkinsop Valley and Parkside Crescent. The farms of the Blenkinsop Valley (such as Madrona Farm) are protected by the provincial Agricultural Land Reserve.
Mine
[edit]Mount Douglas has fifteen officially designated trails.[10] One trail in particular, on its south side (near the north-most point of Glendenning Trail), has an old abandoned mine. The mine has a small entrance, but it opens up inside. The mine is about 15 to 18 metres (50 to 60 ft) in length.
Park
[edit]
The hill is located in PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park) in Saanich, BC, which covers 188 ha. It was established as a government reserve in 1858 by Governor James Douglas, and it became Mount Douglas Park in 1889 when the land was transferred to the city of Victoria.[11] Victoria managed the park until 1990 when it was transferred to the District of Saanich.
Located entirely in the Coastal Douglas-fir Biogeoclimatic zone, Mount Douglas contains some of the most endangered and at-risk ecosystems and species in all of Canada. At least six plant and animal species have already been extirpated from park boundaries since its establishment.[12][13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Mount Douglas, Greater Victoria". latitude.to. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
- ^ "Mount Douglas". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
- ^ a b "Mount Douglas Park". saanich.ca. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
- ^ "A History of PKOLS (Mount Douglas)". Archived from the original on 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
- ^ "Victoria Post Journal August 1846". Fort Victoria Journal. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
- ^ "Reclaim PKOLS". Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- ^ Hill, Edward (2013-05-18). "First Nations act to reclaim name of Mount Doug". Victoria News. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
- ^ "Mount Douglas Name Change Supported By Noam Chomsky". huffingtonpost.ca. The Canadian Press. May 22, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-05-23.
- ^ "Name restoration for PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park)". www.saanich.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
- ^ Parks, Recreation & Community Services, District of Saanich. "PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park) GPS Enabled Trail Map". District of Saanich. Retrieved 30 Jun 2024.
- ^ District of Saanich. "Mount Douglas Park".
- ^ "B.C. Conservation Data Centre: CDC iMap". B.C. Conservation Data Centre: CDC iMap. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
- ^ "BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer". B.C. Conservation Data Centre. Retrieved 2024-01-26.