White Rock Legend
About White Rock
White Rock is a city located in southwestern British Columbia. It is located on the northern bank of Semiahmoo Bay, just southeast of Vancouver, near the entrance to the Strait of Georgia. The city is named after a massive white rock that, according to Indian belief, was flung across the water by the son of a sea deity from Vancouver Island.
Early seafarers utilized the rock as a guidance tool. White Rock, Washington, is a Pacific port of entry that is part of the Vancouver metropolitan region. The location, which was developed in 1905, quickly became a popular holiday destination.
The Legend of P’Quals (the White Rock)
from Grand Chief Bernard Charles
Long before European settlers and explorers came to the Salish Sea, people lived here in a totally different era. People at this time were at one with nature and possessed a variety of spiritual abilities.
A sea-being and his son guarded the Salish Sea. The tribes that lived near the sea's coasts had an abundance of food. One of those tribes was the Cowichan people and their leader.
The chief's daughter was swimming in the water one day. At first sight, the sea-kid beings arose to the surface and fell in love with her. The couple hoped for their parents' approval, but their parents forbade them from marrying.
The young man was adamant about keeping his love at whatever cost.
"I shall toss this stone across the sea!" he declared to his T/ále (love).
We shall make our home wherever it falls." He tossed the stone into the water and watched it grow.
The young guy swam after the large boulder with his new wife in his arms. This massive stone washed up on the shores of Semiahmoo Bay, sixty miles distant. The couple elected to live here, and the stone is now known as P'Quals.
This story, combined with knowledge of the granite as a glacial deposit, corresponds to the oral histories of the Se mi ah ma people as flood survivors.