McMillan Island
| Native name: Sqwàlets | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Location | Lower Fraser River, Lower Mainland, British Columbia |
| Coordinates | 49°11′N 122°34′W / 49.183°N 122.567°W |
| Area | 1.78 km2 (0.69 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
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Canada
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| Province | British Columbia |
| Largest settlement | McMillan Island Indian Reserve No. 6 (pop. 63) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 63 (2006) |
| Pop. density | 38 /km2 (98 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Kwantlen |
McMillan Island is an island in the Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada, also known as McMillan Slough..
McMillan Island is located in the lower Fraser River, north of Fort Langley and south of Maple Ridge, and separated from the former by Bedford Channel. It has a total land area of 1.78 square kilometres.
It is composed primarily of settled silt and debris from the Fraser River and shaped by the erosive power of the river. Geologically it was (10000 years ago) a peninsula on the shore of what is now Maple Ridge. Erosion wore down the peninsula until it became an island, although one much larger than the current McMillan Island. Once there was a channel worn between this large island and the mainland, the water flow slowed and silt and debris settled on the south side of the island, eventually connecting it to what is now Fort Langley. The water eventually broke a small section of the original island off, resulting in the current McMillan Island.
There is a bridge across the Bedford Channel to the island along Glover Road, the main road through both Fort Langley and McMillan Island. There are several docks on the island, including the docks from the former Albion Ferry. There are very few buildings on the island. Those that are there include approximately 22 dwellings and the Kwantlen Nation's Band Office.
The island is a part of the Kwantlen First Nation's traditional territory. This reserve is the location of their main village which relocated here once Fort Langley was built, partly to dominate trade with the fort and also for protection from attack under the shelter of the fort's guns. Their former main village was at Qayqyat, or Kikait, opposite New Westminster on the Fraser's southeast bank there, at a location also known as Brownsville in today's Bridgeview neighbourhood of the City of Surrey.
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