Heritage Creek Name Project
Photo montage of Brunette River, 2010 and 1912 BURNABY CITY ARCHIVES
In 1993 Burnaby published its first Waterways of Burnaby map and named all of its major creeks with historic and community names nominated by Burnaby citizens. Since then we have documented and mapped 39 more creeks that needed their own unique name to identify them as part of Burnaby’s ecosystem.
Burnaby’s Community Heritage Commission and Environment Committee celebrated our City’s waterways with a new “Heritage Creek Name Project” and Burnaby residents were invited to nominate names for these 39 unnamed creeks. A total of 110 public nominations were submitted to the Heritage Creek Name Project between June 3 – August 31, 2012. A sub-committee, consisting of members of the Community Heritage Commission and Environment Committee, reviewed all qualified submitted creek name nominations together with additional information that referenced each creek’s unique environment and history.
Burnaby City Council adopted a report from the Community Heritage Commission with the recommended new creek names on September 17, 2012. The new names will provide enhanced recognition and profile for these valuable environmental features of the City.
A newly revised Waterways of Burnaby map poster will be printed and made available for the public as part of the 2012 World Rivers Day activities being planned for at the BCIT Burnaby Campus on Wednesday, September 26.
Official Names Selected |
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|---|---|---|
Burrard Inlet Watershed |
Creek Name | Description |
| BI-1 | Gull Creek | Gull bird populations are found in the foreshore area here. |
| BI-2 | Tunnel Creek | This creek is located adjacent to the City’s historic water distribution system opened in 1911 with a water tunnel under Burrard Inlet connected to the Seymour Reservoir. |
| BI-3 | Crabtown Creek | To commemorate the people who lived along an area of Burnaby’s Burrard Inlet shoreline in a village called Crabtown from the 1920s to 1957. |
| BI-4 | Starfish Creek | The foreshore area in Burrard Inlet includes the Purple Ochre Sea Star (starfish). |
| BI-5 | Mill Creek | Cedar trees around this creek were logged at the turn of the century and sent to mills including the nearby Burrard Lumber Company for shingle and lumber production. |
| BI-6 | Huckleberry Creek | The area includes many Huckleberry shrubs native to Burnaby and important to wildlife habitat on Burnaby Mountain and Burrard Inlet. |
| BI-7 | Takaya Creek | The word Takaya means ‘wolf’ in the language of the Tsleil-Wauthuth First Nation of Burrard Inlet, who through their legends consider themselves the “Children of Takaya”. |
Central Valley Watershed |
Creek Name | Description |
| CV-1 | Corvus Creek | This creek is located near one of Metro Vancouver’s largest roost sites for the Northwestern Crow, which has the Latin species name of Corvus caurinus. |
| CV-2 | Willow Creek | Willow shrubs are found along the banks of Still Creek in this area. |
| CV-3 | Cutthroat Creek | Cutthroat Trout have been identified historically in the watershed. |
| CV-4 | Stickleback Creek | The Stickleback fish species have been identified in the watershed. |
| CV-5 | Elk Creek | Elk were numerous in Burnaby’s Central Valley prior to 1900. |
| CV-6 | Cranberry Creek | Native cranberry shrubs grew in abundance in the peat bogs surrounding Burnaby Lake and were harvested by First Nations. |
| CV-7 | Black Bear Creek | Black Bears were abundant in the area until the 1920s and have recently returned to Burnaby Lake Regional Nature Park. |
| CV-8 | Dragonfly Creek | Dragonfly species are found throughout in the Burnaby Lake/Still Creek area. This creek name would recognize one of the many invertebrates of this ecosystem. |
| CV-9 | Spartan Creek | The Spartan Oil Well Company located their unsuccessful operation near this creek in 1922 to explore tar and oil deposits found in the peat bog at this location. |
| CV-10 | Pole Line Creek | This creek is a historic ditch built to drain Pole Line Road built in 1905 for the power transmission line from Buntzen Lake Power Plant. The road was renamed to Sperling Avenue in 1912. |
| CV-11 | Bog Creek | This name recognizes the large peat bog ecosystem surrounding Burnaby Lake/Still Creek. |
| CV-12 | Phillips Creek | Named for Phillips Avenue which follows this creek which was named after Lozells pioneer George Phillips. |
| CV-13 | Lozells Creek | Lozells is the historic name of this district established in 1908 and named by the pioneer Ward family formerly of Lozells Parish, Birmingham, England. |
| CV-14A | Salmonberry Creek | The creek is located adjacent to areas of native Salmonberry shrubs (Rubus ursinus). |
| CV-14B | Sculpin Creek | Prickly Sculpin fish have been identified historically in the Brunette River. |
| CV-15 | Rudolph Creek | Named to recognize Elmer Rudolph, who has been instrumental as part of the Sapperton Fish and Game Club in reviving and protecting the Brunette River. He is a 1996 Burnaby Environmental Award recipient. |
| CV-16 | Trolley Creek | To commemorate the historic Burnaby Lake interurban trolley line which was operated by the BC Electric Railway Company from 1911-1953 and where this creek in part follows its now abandoned rail-bed. |
| CV-17 | Ancient Grove Creek | To commemorate the old growth forest (100 to 200 years old) of Red Cedar, Sitka Spruce, and Western Hemlock species in the conservation area. |
| CV-18 | Kingfisher Creek | Belted Kingfisher birds have been observed in the area. |
| CV-19 | Coldicutt Creek | Historically known as Coldicutt Creek, this name was derived from Coldicutt Street which recognized Burnaby pioneer Thomas D. Coldicutt who moved to East Burnaby in 1908 and served as Burnaby Councillor from 1910-1911. |
| CV-20 | Lawson Creek | Named to recognize Doreen Lawson who served as Burnaby Councillor for 23 years and who championed the preservation of Burnaby Lake and the City’s watercourses. |
| CV-21 | Skunk Cabbage Creek | The Skunk Cabbage plant is found throughout this area and Burnaby Lake Regional Nature Park. |
| CV-22 | Rayside Creek | This creek is located near Rayside Street, and the old location of Rayside station of the Burnaby Lake interurban trolley line. Rayside was named in 1911 after Arthur G. Ray and Samuel S. Ray, pioneers of the Burnaby Lake District. |
| CV-23 | Thomas Creek | Named after the historic Thomas Street which this waterway forms a major drainage ditch. |
| CV-24 | Turtle Creek | Several turtle species are found throughout Deer Lake Park. |
| CV-25 | Angelo Creek | Named to recognize Burnaby resident Mark Angelo who is an Order of Canada recipient and founder of World Rivers Day. As the Chair of the Rivers Institute of the BC Institute of Technology, he has been instrumental in initiating and promoting many watercourse restoration projects in Burnaby’s Central Valley. |
Fraser River Watershed |
Creek Name | Description |
| FR-1 | Byrne Slough | This historic waterway is the last remaining section of the old Byrne Road ditch constructed for transportation of logs in the 1890s. Byrne Road was named after Pat and Peter Byrne, brothers from Ireland, with Peter serving as Burnaby Councillor from 1894-1905 and Reeve from 1906-1910. |
| FR-2 | Tillicum Slough | This creek was the mouth of an old drainage channel at the foot of Tillicum Street. Tillicum is a “Chinook Jargon” term meaning ‘people’. Chinook Jargon was the historic trade language of the Fraser River and Pacific Northwest and incorporates the language of the Salish First Nations. |
| FR-3 | Swing Bridge Slough | This watercourse runs parallel to the western side of the CNR Railroad tracks and the steel swing bridge constructed in 1930. |
| FR-4 | Sanctuary Slough | Suggested as the area forms a peaceful respite from the urban setting and also a sanctuary for fish and wildlife. |
| FR-5 | Salmon Slough | This slough area provides a natural ecosystem created for fish habitat restoration including salmon enhancement channels. |
| FR-6 | Sturgeon Slough | White Sturgeon fish are found in the lower Fraser River and are a prominent ‘at-risk’ species. |
For more information, contact:
City of Burnaby Planning Department
Email: planning@burnaby.ca
Telephone: 604-294-7400
Fax: 604-294-7220
4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC V5G 1M2
