Spences Bridge

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title: "Spences Bridge" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["designated-places-in-british-columbia", "unincorporated-settlements-in-british-columbia", "british-columbia-gold-rushes", "ghost-towns-in-british-columbia", "thompson-country", "populated-places-in-the-thompson-nicola-regional-district", "natural-disasters-in-british-columbia"] description: "Community in British Columbia, Canada" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spences_Bridge" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Community in British Columbia, Canada ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
	official_name
motto
image_skyline	File:The Old Spences Bridge (15831100116).jpg
image_caption	The Old Spences Bridge
pushpin_map	Canada British Columbia#Canada
pushpin_label_position
pushpin_map_caption	Location of Spences Bridge
pushpin_mapsize
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Canada
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_name1	British Columbia
subdivision_type2	Regional district
subdivision_name2	Thompson-Nicola
subdivision_name4
established_date3
area_footnotes	(2021)
area_land_km2	0.74
area_blank1_sq_mi
population_as_of	2021
population_footnotes
population_total	76
population_density_km2	102.2
population_density_blank1_sq_mi
timezone	PST
utc_offset	−08:00
timezone_DST	PDT
utc_offset_DST	−07:00
coordinates
elevation_footnotes
elevation_m	228
elevation_ft
::

| official_name = Spences Bridge | other_name = | native_name = | nickname = | settlement_type = | motto = | image_skyline = File:The Old Spences Bridge (15831100116).jpg | imagesize = | image_caption = The Old Spences Bridge | image_flag = | flag_size = | image_seal = | seal_size = | image_shield = | shield_size = | city_logo = | citylogo_size = | image_map = | mapsize = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Canada British Columbia#Canada | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_caption = Location of Spences Bridge | pushpin_mapsize = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Canada | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = British Columbia | subdivision_type2 = Regional district | subdivision_name2 = Thompson-Nicola | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 = | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | leader_title2 = | leader_name2 = | leader_title3 = | leader_name3 = | leader_title4 = | leader_name4 = | established_title = | established_date = | established_title2 = | established_date2 = | established_title3 = | established_date3 = | area_magnitude = | unit_pref = | area_footnotes = (2021) | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = 0.74 | area_water_km2 = | area_total_sq_mi = | area_land_sq_mi = | area_water_sq_mi = | area_water_percent = | area_urban_km2 = | area_urban_sq_mi = | area_metro_km2 = | area_metro_sq_mi = | area_blank1_title = | area_blank1_km2 = | area_blank1_sq_mi = | population_as_of = 2021 | population_footnotes = | population_note = | population_total = 76 | population_density_km2 = 102.2 | population_density_sq_mi = | population_metro = | population_density_metro_km2 = | population_density_metro_sq_mi = | population_urban = | population_density_urban_km2 = | population_density_urban_sq_mi = | population_blank1_title = | population_blank1 = | population_density_blank1_km2 = | population_density_blank1_sq_mi = | timezone = PST | utc_offset = −08:00 | timezone_DST = PDT | utc_offset_DST = −07:00 | coordinates = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 228 | elevation_ft = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code = | blank_name = | blank_info = | blank1_name = | blank1_info = | website = | footnotes = Spences Bridge is a community in the Canadian province of British Columbia, situated 35 km north east of Lytton and 44 km south of Ashcroft. At Spences Bridge the Trans-Canada Highway crosses the Thompson River. In 1892, Spences Bridge's population included 32 people of European ancestry and 130 First Nations people. There were five general stores, three hotels, one Church of England and one school. The principal industries are fruit growing and farming. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 76, a decrease of 23.2 per cent from the 2016 count of 99.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Nlak'pamux_Church_(September_27,_2006).jpg" caption="Nlak'pamux Church"] ::

The Kettle Valley Railway included a spur line stretching from Merritt to Spences Bridge. The rail bed is still intact, along with the original bridges.

This settlement was originally known as Cook's Ferry because from 1862 to 1866 Mortimer Cook operated a ferry for crossing the river. The ferry was replaced by a toll bridge built by Thomas Spence under government contract.

In 1891, the subdistrict of Spences Bridge had a population of 307.

In 1905, one of the worst landslides in BC history hit a First Nations village near Spences Bridge. The village was destroyed and 18 people were killed.

On 1 January 2014, the old Spences Bridge, a one-lane steel truss bridge, was decommissioned and permanently closed to all pedestrian and vehicle traffic after 82 years of service. This was deemed necessary by British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure engineers due to the poor condition of the bridge.

Location

North of Spences Bridge is Ashcroft (44 km) and Cache Creek (50 km). Also north is 100 Mile House (162 km), Williams Lake (254 km), Quesnel (371 km), and Prince George (492 km). South of Spences Bridge is Lytton (35 km), Hope (143 km), and Vancouver (295 km). East of the town is Merritt (65 km) and Kelowna (192 km).

Spences Bridge's location is mountainous, with higher elevations part of the Interior Plateau. The east side of the Fraser here is part of the Clear Range, a mountainous southwards extension of the Fraser Plateau located in the angle of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers. Arthur Seat lies in that range on the west side of Spences Bridge, and was named by pioneer John Murray for Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Climate

Spences Bridge has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk). The climate is very dry and mild by Canadian standards, with an average annual precipitation of just 263.7 mm and low average snowfall of 30.4 cm per year. Winters are short and moderately cold for usually brief periods and sunshine hours are very low for a couple of months, while summers are quite long, hot, sunny and dry – compared to the rest of Canada, albeit with comfortable nights. Like much of the lower-altitude valleys in the Thompson Nicola region, there are more days (on average approx. 40 days per year) when temperature exceeds 32 C than remain below freezing.

Spences Bridge recorded Canada's second highest temperature on June 29, 2021, when it reached 48.6 °C (119.5 °F). The record is second only to Lytton, which recorded 49.6 °C (121.3 °F) on the same day. However, Lytton had 2 weather stations and one of them recorded a temperature 1 °C (1.8 °F) lower than the other at 48.6 °C (119.5 °F). The station that recorded the higher temperature was later deemed to be correct. Otherwise, Spences Bridge would have been tied with Lytton for the highest recorded temperature in Canada.

|location = Spences Bridge Nicola Climate ID: 1167637; coordinates ; elevation: 235 m; 1981–2010 normals |metric first = Y |single line = Y |Jan record high C = 17.0 |Feb record high C = 17.5 |Mar record high C = 24.5 |Apr record high C = 32.0 |May record high C = 38.5 |Jun record high C = 48.6 |Jul record high C = 42.5 |Aug record high C = 40.5 |Sep record high C = 37.5 |Oct record high C = 31.0 |Nov record high C = 21.5 |Dec record high C = 17.5 |year record high C= 48.6 |Jan high C = 0.7 |Feb high C = 5.0 |Mar high C = 12.4 |Apr high C = 17.8 |May high C = 22.3 |Jun high C = 25.9 |Jul high C = 29.6 |Aug high C = 29.7 |Sep high C = 24.2 |Oct high C = 14.7 |Nov high C = 5.9 |Dec high C = 0.1 |year high C = 15.7 |Jan mean C = -2.4 |Feb mean C = 0.8 |Mar mean C = 6.4 |Apr mean C = 11.0 |May mean C = 15.4 |Jun mean C = 19.1 |Jul mean C = 22.1 |Aug mean C = 22.1 |Sep mean C = 17.1 |Oct mean C = 9.5 |Nov mean C = 2.4 |Dec mean C = -2.8 |year mean C = 10.1 |Jan low C = -5.6 |Feb low C = -3.4 |Mar low C = 0.4 |Apr low C = 4.2 |May low C = 8.4 |Jun low C = 12.3 |Jul low C = 14.6 |Aug low C = 14.4 |Sep low C = 10.0 |Oct low C = 4.3 |Nov low C = -1.0 |Dec low C = -5.7 |year low C = 4.4 |Jan record low C = -33.9 |Feb record low C = -32.2 |Mar record low C = -18.9 |Apr record low C = -9.4 |May record low C = -1.1 |Jun record low C = 4.0 |Jul record low C = 6.0 |Aug record low C = 6.0 |Sep record low C = 0.0 |Oct record low C = -19.5 |Nov record low C = -29.0 |Dec record low C = -28.5 |year record low C = -33.9 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 18.8 |Feb precipitation mm = 12.4 |Mar precipitation mm = 12.5 |Apr precipitation mm = 13.8 |May precipitation mm = 25.6 |Jun precipitation mm = 29.6 |Jul precipitation mm = 30.0 |Aug precipitation mm = 22.2 |Sep precipitation mm = 23.5 |Oct precipitation mm = 22.1 |Nov precipitation mm = 26.4 |Dec precipitation mm = 27.0 |year precipitation mm = 263.7 |rain colour = green |Jan rain mm = 10.8 |Feb rain mm = 10.0 |Mar rain mm = 10.3 |Apr rain mm = 13.8 |May rain mm = 25.6 |Jun rain mm = 29.6 |Jul rain mm = 30.0 |Aug rain mm = 22.2 |Sep rain mm = 23.5 |Oct rain mm = 21.7 |Nov rain mm = 21.5 |Dec rain mm = 14.5 |year rain mm = 233.3 |snow colour = green |Jan snow cm = 7.9 |Feb snow cm = 2.4 |Mar snow cm = 2.2 |Apr snow cm = 0.0 |May snow cm = 0.0 |Jun snow cm = 0.0 |Jul snow cm = 0.0 |Aug snow cm = 0.0 |Sep snow cm = 0.0 |Oct snow cm = 0.4 |Nov snow cm = 5.0 |Dec snow cm = 12.5 |year snow cm = 30.4 |unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm |Jan precipitation days = 6.7 |Feb precipitation days = 5.6 |Mar precipitation days = 5.6 |Apr precipitation days = 4.6 |May precipitation days = 6.9 |Jun precipitation days = 7.6 |Jul precipitation days = 6.7 |Aug precipitation days = 5.6 |Sep precipitation days = 6.0 |Oct precipitation days = 6.9 |Nov precipitation days = 9.5 |Dec precipitation days = 7.4 |year precipitation days = 79.0 |unit rain days = 0.2 mm |Jan rain days = 3.4 |Feb rain days = 4.3 |Mar rain days = 5.0 |Apr rain days = 4.6 |May rain days = 6.9 |Jun rain days = 7.6 |Jul rain days = 6.7 |Aug rain days = 5.6 |Sep rain days = 6.0 |Oct rain days = 6.7 |Nov rain days = 8.1 |Dec rain days = 3.8 |year rain days= 68.7 |unit snow days = 0.2 cm |Jan snow days = 3.6 |Feb snow days = 1.4 |Mar snow days = 0.7 |Apr snow days = 0.0 |May snow days = 0.0 |Jun snow days = 0.0 |Jul snow days = 0.0 |Aug snow days = 0.0 |Sep snow days = 0.0 |Oct snow days = 0.2 |Nov snow days = 1.7 |Dec snow days = 4.1 |year snow days = 11.7 |source 1 = Environment and Climate Change Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010

Pioneers of Spences Bridge

• John Murray
• James Teit (ethnographer)
• Archibald Clemes
• Pierre Morens
• Francoise Rey

References

References

1. {{Cite cgndb. JBDIU. Spences Bridge
2. "Worldwide Elevation Finder".
3. "Invest in Spences Bridge - Invest in Thompson-Nicola".
4. (26 April 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table - Spences Bridge, Unincorporated place (UNP) British Columbia [Designated place]".
5. (1986). "British Columbia Place Names". UBC Press.
6. Government of Canada (Department of Agriculture, Census Branch). ''[https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/statcan/CS98-1891-1.pdf Census of Canada, 1890-1891]'', 1893, table 2.
7. (20 February 2019). "Golden Country: The peace of an August day in Spences Bridge in 1905 is shattered". The Ashcrofte-Cache Creeke Journal.
8. "1905 GREAT LANDSLIDE".
9. Bowness, Lisanne. (12 December 2013). "Aging Old Spences Bridge to be permanently closed". Government of British Columbia.
10. [http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/9261.html BC Names/GeoBC entry "Arthur Seat (mountain)"]
11. "Spences Bridge Nicola". [[Environment and Climate Change Canada]].
12. (31 October 2011). "Daily Data Report for January 1875".
13. (31 October 2011). "Daily Data Report for February 1893".
14. (31 October 2011). "Daily Data Report for March 1874".
15. (31 October 2011). "Daily Data Report for April 1875".
16. (31 October 2011). "Daily Data Report for May 1879".
17. "Gold Rush Trail, Then and Now : Spences Bridge".
18. "Vanishing B.C. Morens house (Now Hilltop Gardens)".

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