about pemberton

Photo by Dave SteersIncorporated in 1956, the Village of Pemberton is a 30-minute drive north of the Resort Municipality of Whistler on Highway 99.  Located 8000' below the rugged peak of Mount Currie, the Village is the hub for the Pemberton Valley area and home to just under 2300 residents.

Before European settlers, the greater Pemberton Valley area was the traditional territory of First Nations peoples of the Interior Salish tribe.  Today, Pemberton's closest neighbouring community, Mount Currie, is the administrative seat of the Lil'wat Nation and their governing body, the Mount Currie Band Council.

Named for Joseph Despard Pemberton, a Surveyor General for the Hudson's Bay Company in the 1850's, "Port Pemberton" first appeared on a map in 1859. One of the supply stops that sprung up to service the influx of gold seekers, Port Pemberton was originally situated at the north end of Lillooet Lake where travelers would dock to continue their journey overland to present-day Lillooet.

A Move to Farmlands

Photo by Dave SteersBy the early 1880's as gold fever dwindled, more and more people chose to settle away from the original site of Port Pemberton and on the rich farm lands of the Pemberton Valley.  Accordingly, the Village site shifted to the present day location to better service the agriculturally-based population.

The first passenger train rolled through Pemberton in 1914, further opening the area to settlers and trade.  Throughout its history, agriculture and forestry have been the mainstays of the local economy.  The Pemberton Valley is know for its seed potatoes, and is affectionately referred to as "Spud Valley" by locals.  In 1967, this area became the first commercial seed potato area in the world to grow virus-free seed potatoes.

Travel in and out of Pemberton was largely regulated by the railway until 1975, when southern highway access was punched through from Whistler.  North of Pemberton, the Duffey Lake road was paved in the late 1980's and completed the last section of a scenic automotive route called the Coast Mountain Circle Tour.  Pemberton had become a gateway to the interior of the province rather than an out-of-the-way destination.  With this improved accessibility, road traffic increased and a new industry began to evolve in Pemberton: tourism.

BC's Fastest Growing Community

As the fastest growing community in BC (BC Statistics, 2005) the Village has seen many changes in a short period of time.  Agriculture and forestry are still important aspects of local economy, but tourism and its related services employ the highest percentages of residents: accommodation and food services at 24.3%, followed by arts, entertainment and recreation at 13.3%, and retail trade, also representing 13.3% of the total labour force (2001 Census).  Comparatively,  forestry and logging employs 1.8% of Village residents.  The Village of Pemberton encompasses an area of approximately six (6) square kilometers.

QUICK LINKS

Full list of Community Organizations

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

The name "Pemberton" comes from Joseph Despard Pemberton, born near Dublin, Ireland, in 1821.  On December 9th, 1850, at the age of 29, Pemberton wrote to The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) seeking employment as a Surveyor and Engineer.  In January of the following year, his employment was accepted:

"The certificates of Mr. J.D. Pemberton having been taken into consideration, it was ordered that he be engaged as Surveyor for Vancouver's Island at an annual salary of 400 pounds for a term of three years…It is understood that he shall make himself generally useful to Mr. [James] Douglas in all colonization business." The Hudson's Bay Company Minutes of January 22, 1851

June 24th, 1851, Joseph Despard Pemberton took up residence at Fort Victoria to commence his HBC appointment as Colonial Engineer, Surveyor for Vancouver's Island, a position he held until 1859 when he was promoted to Surveyor General.  Pemberton explored the Cowichan and Naniamo areas, oversaw construction of roads and bridges, and developed town sites in the lower Fraser Valley.

Pemberton was a member of the first House of Assembly of Vancouver Island from 1856 to 1859, and in 1866 was elected to the first Legislative Council of the united colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia.

Educated as an engineer and mathematician, Pemberton was also an author and collector of books.  In 1860 he published "Facts and Figures Relating to Vancouver Island and British Columbia: Showing What to Expect and How to Get There", which was aimed at Europeans considering immigrating to the area.  Pemberton also gained the distinction of owning the largest personal library in B.C., estimated as high as 30,000 volumes. Often inscribed by Pemberton, copies of books he owned still surface occasionally in antiquarian bookstores.

Pemberton died in Oak Bay (near Victoria) on November 11, 1893 at the age of 72.  This researcher could find no evidence that Pemberton had in fact ever visited the village named in his honour.

Read more about Joseph Pemberton on the Royal Engineers website.

DID YOU SAY PORT PEMBERTON?

The settlement of "Port Pemberton", originally at the north end of Lillooet Lake, first appeared on a map of a portion of British Columbia compiled from the surveys and explorations of the Royal navy and Royal engineers in 1859.  By 1862 the "Port" had been dropped and both Epner's "Map of the Gold Regions of British Columbia" and Trutch's 1871 map of British Columbia clearly show "Pemberton" at the north end of Lillooet Lake.

Last Updated on Wednesday, August 25, 2010