McIntyre Bluff

McIntyre Bluff, officially called nʕaylintn since 7 August 2015, is a large ridge of rock, made of gneiss,[2] located south of Vaseux Lake between Okanagan Falls and Oliver in British Columbia, Canada. The bluff rises prominently over the surrounding valley and is one of the most well known landmarks in the Okanagan.

McIntyre Bluff (nʕaylintn)
View of McIntyre Bluff from Highway 97
Highest point
Elevation673 m (2,208 ft)
Prominence260 m (850 ft)
Coordinates49°15′17″N 119°32′06″W[1]
Geography
nʕaylintn is located in British Columbia
nʕaylintn
nʕaylintn
Location in British Columbia, Canada.
LocationOkanagan, British Columbia, Canada
Topo mapNTS 82E/5

History

nʕaylintn (pronounced nye-lin-tin) is the traditional nsyilxcen (Okanagan) language place name. First Nations in the area tell a story of a battle centuries ago on top of McIntyre Bluff. An enemy war party from the south (now Washington state) was lured to the top and driven over the cliffs.[3][4]

Pictographs can be found at the base of the cliffs.

McIntyre Bluff is named after Peter McIntyre, one of the Overlanders of 1862 who had also been a guard on the Pony Express in the American West.[1] He was known as an "Indian Fighter". In 1886 he received a land grant beside this great precipice.[5]: 169 

The official name was McIntyre Bluff from 7 October 1954 until 7 August 2015 when it was changed to nʕaylintn per request from Osoyoos Indian Band as part of agreement with British Columbia Ministry of Environment.[1]

Conservation

Most of the bluff is located within White Lake Grasslands Protected Area, which protects the Okanagan dry forests ecosystem located on top of it.

See also

References
  1. "nʕaylintn". BC Geographical Names.
  2. "Geology of the Southern Okanagan Valley Shear Zone" (PDF). Canadian Tectonics Group - Fieldtrip October 2010. 2010. p. 8. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  3. Langford, Dan; Langford, Sandra (2011). Cycling the Kettle Valley Railway. Rocky Mountain Books Ltd. ISBN 9781897522677.
  4. Lindley, Lottie; Lyon, John (2017). Okanagan Grouse Woman: Upper Nicola Narratives. University of Nebraska Press.
  5. Akrigg, G.P.V.; Akrigg, Helen B. (1986), British Columbia Place Names (3rd, 1997 ed.), Vancouver: UBC Press, ISBN 0-7748-0636-2
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