The name Chilliwack is an Anglicized version of a Halq’eméylem word Ts’elxwéyeqw meaning “going back upstream; backwater; as far as you can go with a canoe” (Carlson, 2001) and/or “as far as you can go with a paddle before having to switch to a pole” (Denman, 2008).
Chilliwack also refers to a group of First Nations Peoples, the Ts’elxwéyeqw, as well as the river in the area by the same name (Chilliwack River).
Alternate spellings:
Chilliwhack (Township of); Ts’elxwéyeqw; Chillwayhook, Chil-whey-uk, Chilwayook, Silawack.
References:
- Carlson, K. (2001). A Stó:lō Coast Salish Historical Atlas. Chilliwack, B.C.: Stó:lō Nation.
- Denman, R. (2007). The Chilliwack Story. Chilliwack, B.C.: Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society
Photo caption: Picture postcard view of businesses along Yale Road West, as seen from Five Corners. [Chilliwack Museum and Archives photograph P1998 1 17].