About Lytton
Location
The Village of Lytton is in Nlaka’pamux Territory, in the B.C. Interior. It sits at the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser rivers, where Highway 12 connects with the Trans-Canada Highway.
Lytton is surrounded by forests of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, sagebrush and rabbitbrush, and soapberry and saskatoon bushes. The hills are rich with wildlife (deer, bighorn sheep, black bears, coyotes) and the rivers are rich with salmon.
The Coast, Cascade, and Clear mountain ranges meet here, and the dry climate contributes to the intense summer heat that Lytton is known for.
History
Lytton is one of the longest continuously inhabited communities in North America. The Nlaka‘pamux have lived here for ten thousand years, since the end of the last glacial period, their culture thriving in the area’s natural abundance. Before colonization, the village was called Tl’kemtsin.
The first documented arrival of Europeans in Lytton was in 1808, when Simon Fraser and a small group of explorers arrived at the confluence. In 1858, Hudson’s Bay Company buildings were moved to Tl’kemtsin and Governor James Douglas renamed the settlement after Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the secretary of state for the colonies.
The village of Lytton was an important staging point during the fur trade, the Cariboo Gold Rush, and the construction of the Cariboo Wagon Road, Canadian Pacific Railway, and Canadian National Railway. Its history weaves together the stories of Chinese, Italian, British, and other European settlers, and the Nlaka’pamux.
For most of the 20th century, Lytton was a bustling hub on the route from Vancouver to the Interior. When the Coquihalla Highway opened in 1986, traffic diminished and many businesses closed. Then, with the closure of the town’s biggest employer, Lytton Lumber, in 2007, the population of the village decreased substantially. Still, Lytton remained a vibrant small town with a rich heritage and strong sense of community.
The 2021 Lytton fire
On June 30, 2021, one day after experiencing the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada, a fire tore through Lytton and the surrounding area. Most of the village, including the entire downtown core, was destroyed. Two people died, residents were scattered, and our lives changed forever.
Recovery has been slow and challenging at times, but the Village of Lytton is focused on moving forward. One day soon, we will have a thriving community again.
Population
Before the fire, the Village of Lytton had a population of 210, according to the 2021 Statistics Canada Census. The majority of these residents were displaced by the fire.
Approximately 2,500 people live in the surrounding regional district and the neighbouring Nlaka’pamux communities of Lytton First Nation, Skuppah, Siska, Kanaka Bar (T’eqt’aqtn’mux), and Nicomen.
Local government
The Village of Lytton, which incorporated in 1945, is the local government. The Village is responsible for providing municipal services such as water, wastewater treatment, and public utilities; planning, building and development; bylaws and enforcement; fire rescue; legislative services; financial services; recreation and parks; and communications.
The Village Council consists of an elected mayor and four councillors who serve a four-year term.
