Native People of the Columbia River Valley
The Shuswap tribe occupied the Columbia River region, one of six principal tribes living the plateau area in British Columbia's interior, along with the Lillooet (Lillooet River Valley), Thompson First Nation (Fraser River Valley), Okanagan (Okanagan River Valley), Chilcotin (upper Fraser, Blackwater Valleys), and the Tahltan (Upper Stikine River.) Culture in these valleys between the Rocky Mountains and the coastal ranges thrived in the varied environments; the arid southern section, the salmon-rich central interior forests and the northern abundance of deer, caribou and moose. Also, the Kootenay Nation lived in the headwaters section of the Columbia. The Chinook people, established as traders, lived along the Columbia from British Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Various government activities have affected the native people of British Columbia, including The Royal Proclamation of 1763 (acknowledging aboriginal land ownership) and The Oregon Treaty of 1846 which set the U.S./Canada border at the 49th parallel - dividing a unified native people. Many took up residence in the U.S. Fort Colville reserve, leaving behind increasingly disturbing situations with the new settlers and industrial development, as well as a way of life they had led for centuries before European contact.

Cultural periods of the interior British Columbia include:

Early Period - bow and arrow use, stemmed points indicate big-game hunting.
Middle Period - microblade technology, salmon fishing.
Late Period - two lifestyles emerge, Interior Salish and Athapaskan

During the Late Period, interior peoples used notched and stemmed atlatl points as weapons; many were made of basalt, a volcanic rock. Artifacts from various sites include polished, long nephrite adze blades, jade chisels and knives, some made from the translucent green nephrite sources along the Fraser River. Art created includes amulets, figures of animals and people, stone bowls, pictographs and baskets. Evidence exists to suggest that war was part of the interior peoples' lives, including clubs of stone, whalebone and antler. The Athapaskan speaking Chilcotin from the north appear to have moved south, and may have had conflicts with the Salish speaking people in the south; a devastating volcanic eruption about 1,400 years ago in the Yukon basin may have facilitated the Chilcotin movement.

Heritage Activities in the Columbia River Valley Region
• In Canyon Creek, 30 kilometres north of Parson, visitors can pan for gold in the small community of Nicholson.

• Visit the Nakusp and District Museum, located in Nakusp on the eastern shore of Arrow Lake. The museum holds over 3,000 antiques, photographs and unique artifacts, including pictures of the settlements that were flooded along the Lakes during dam-building in the 1960's. Visitors can learn about late 1800's days when paddlewheelers travelled the Lakes region.

• The Ghost Town of Sandon, located 8 kilometres east of New Denver, was an incorporated city with a population of 5,000 during the 1892 regional mining boom, a town known as the Monte Carlo of Canada, once served by two railways, with 28 saloons, an opera house, 29 hotels, 2 newspapers and several gambling halls and brothels. The town is now a restored historic site that attracts thousands of visitors each year.

• Information about the history of Golden - mountain pass exploration, river travel and railroad building - is alive at the Golden Museum; also near Golden - the Rafter J. Frontier Village, complete with native and cowboy artifacts.

• At Invermere, visit the Pynelogs Cultural Centre for feature exhibits, shows, concerts and weekly events.

• The community of Revelstoke (located on Highway 1) has been known as a mountain paradise for many decades. Area heritage is on display in several places, including The Last Spike memorial at Craigellachie, the Revelstoke Railway Museum, the Rogers Pass Centre, The Revelstoke Museum, The Firehall Museum and the B.C. Interior Forestry Museum. The Forestry Museum annually hosts "Timber Days" a world-class competition featuring chopping, sawing and pole climbing (early July.)

• In Castlegar, heritage attractions include the Doukhobor Village Museum, the Castlegar Museum and Zuckerberg Island Heritage Park - human and natural history of the Columbia River Valley.