The Legends of Copper Island | Shuswap Lake

We are grateful to reside and responsibly recreate on Unceded Secwepemcúl'ecw Territory.

Copper Island at sunset | Photo: SBS

Copper Island is one of the pride and joys of our Shuswap life. She is our only Island and she does it with enormous grace. She provides us with endless summer fun, a gathering place on the water, and a place to teach our kids how to respect and learn properly how to enjoy jumping off the rocks. The surrounding waters range from 140-170 feet and what lies beneath this beauty is what legends are made of, literally.

The Legends…..

Did you know that there is a rare lily that is said to only bloom on Copper Island? Or the tale of the mermaids? How did Copper Island get its name?
How about the intriguing legend of Ta’Lana the sleeping bear or that Copper Island was once prospected to mine?

Copper Island is a diverse ecosystem, with dry grasslands on the south side to moss laden cedar forests on the north.
Shuswap Adventure Girl

How did Copper Island get its Name?

In the traditional Secwepemctsin language, the name for Copper Island is Cemete’tkwe.
The English name for the island comes from the copper color of the rock, which is clearly visible.

After reading a column in the Shuswap Chronicles, I was intrigued to learn that there once was an effort to mine the island for its copper ore. Prospects for mining Copper Island were thankfully stopped in mid-track, and it was never mined.

Efforts to protect the island started in 1945; in 1956, it was turned into a park, and by 1993 the island was added to Shuswap Provincial Park, and the “25 hectares of foreshore surrounding the island” became protected as well.

Source: Jim Copperman, article “Exploring Copper Island,” Shuswap Passion.

By winter, Copper Island often lights up with the evening sun, revealing her beautiful colors.
Shuswap Adventure Girl

By summer, the island is a mecca for boaters and cliff jumpers. As somewhat of a summertime amenity, lots of great times are had at Copper Island by visitors and locals.
Shuswap Adventure Girl

The Legend of the Mermaids

Have you ever heard the legend of the Mermaids under Copper Island?

Not actually Mermaids, they were called Qelmucwetkwe (Kul-a-moo-whot-kwa), meaning water people, and were said to live in the caves and rocks under the water in Copper Island.

In George Dawson’s 1888 diary, legend says, “They consisted of creatures with heads like human beings and tails like fish, long hair, and about twice the size of a man.”

These creatures originally apparently lived up at Adams Lake in a cave, but eventually, one went down the river to Kamloops, and the other one went to Copper Island.

When the water was low, we swam into some exposed cave-like holes in the rock just for fun, only to find them come to a shallow end. I personally choose to romanticize the legend to my little kids and forget the descriptive part of the creatures not to scare them!

Copper Island seen from the North Shuswap
Photo Credit: Rosemary Howard Photography

Ta’Lana, the Keeper of the Lake

Have you heard of the legend of the sleeping bear at Copper Island? One of our favorite and probably most noted legends is Ta’Lana, the great bear that is said to sleep in a huge cave under the island.

Ta’Lana is known as the “Keeper of the Lake.”
On a clear day, when the lake is calm, take a photo of Copper Island from Blind Bay road. Turn your photo counterclockwise. The reflection of the island in the lake is said to reveal Ta’Lana’s face.
In the traditional Secwepemctsin language, the name for Copper Island is Cemete’tkwe, while kenkéknem, means bear.

This photo is from the dentist office in Sorrento by: Mary (Stewart) Gilbert,
Turn counter clockwise and it is said to reveal Ta’Lanas face in the reflection.

A Rare Blooming Beauty

Here’s an interesting fact about Copper Island…..
In mid-July, for a very short time, Copper Island is home to the RARE Sagebrush Mariposa Lily.
A gorgeous mauve and white flower. It is native to only a very small part of Southern B.C., and we’ve yet to see it anywhere else in the Shuswap but on the Island! It loves dry, sagebrush slopes hence why Copper Island is home to these rare beauties.

Copper Island has quite a diversity of ecosystems. The north side being a mossy, cedar-filled, mushroomy forest to the hot and dry grasslands on the south side are where the Sagebrush Mariposa Lily blooms.

You can actually eat the bulbs raw or cooked but recreate responsibly, and please don’t pick.
Catch it if you can! The bloom time is short!

The rare Sagebrush Mariposa Lily blooms on Copper Island.
Photo credit: Michelle Bertness DuFrene