Youbou, British Columbia
Village of Youbou | |
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Village | |
Coordinates: 48°52′N 124°12′W / 48.867°N 124.200°W | |
Country | ![]() |
Province | ![]() |
Government | |
• Regional District Director | Pat Weaver |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 966[1] |
Time zone | PST |
Postal code | V0R 3E1 |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Youbou%27s_welcome_sign.jpg/220px-Youbou%27s_welcome_sign.jpg)
Youbou (/ˈjuːboʊ/, YOO-boh) is a community located on the north shore of Cowichan Lake, west of Duncan and a 15-minute (13 km) drive west of the community of Lake Cowichan, Canada. The former mill town on Vancouver Island provides a public beach and extensive recreational opportunities, including fishing, boating, and hiking.
Youbou is named after two employees of the Empire Lumber Company which operated the first sawmill there. Mr. Yount was the general manager and Mr. Bouton was the president.[2]: 302
Youbou is one of several towns in the Cowichan Valley with significant South Asian Canadian (primarily Sikh-Canadian) community history for over 130 years, gaining notoriety in the forestry industry at local sawmills from the early 20th century until the 1980s.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Census Profile
- ^ Akrigg, G.P.V.; Akrigg, Helen B. (1986), British Columbia Place Names (3rd, 1997 ed.), Vancouver: UBC Press, ISBN 0-7748-0636-2
- ^ "A glimpse into the rich Sikh history in Cowichan".
For more than 130 years, the Cowichan Valley has attracted Sikh immigrants, mostly from the Punjab region of Northern India. The Sikh history in Cowichan is rich, and goes well beyond the story of the former village of Paldi and its temple, which this year celebrated its centenarian. And the community remains strong today, though much has changed over the years... In the '70s and '80s, the Sikh community strongholds were at the mill towns around Cowichan Lake — Honeymoon Bay, Mesachie Lake and Youbou.