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All Canada British Columbia White Rock The Great White Rock

The Great White Rock

Bird dung painted this huge boulder which in turn inspired the name of a city.

White Rock, British Columbia

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weej
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The Great White Rock   Wikipedia
Visitors can even climb on the Great White Rock.   Submitted by weej
  John King / Atlas Obscura User
Arial Beach View of White Rock   wildwomenwander / Atlas Obscura User
White Rock Pier - Canada’s Longest Pier (on the beach at White Rock)   wildwomenwander / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The City of White Rock, British Colombia is named after a single, giant boulder that was left behind on the shores of Semiahmoo Bay thousands of years ago.

This 486-ton granite stone was likely delivered to the shore by a breakaway piece of glacier that must have beached on the coast and melted to reveal the hitchhiking rock. Not naturally white, historically the boulder was often covered in terrific amounts of seabird excrement which made the stone stand out so much from the surrounding landscape that sailors could use it as a beacon. In the modern era the city of White Rock regularly paints the stone white lest their namesake lose its meaning. The regularly painted surface no longer signals ships, but now serves as a beacon to local graffiti artists. 

The Great White Rock did not just inspire the modern city founders but was also the subject in some of the folklore of the local Salish tribes who lived in the area before the current urban growth. 

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Rocks Folklore Geology

Know Before You Go

The rock is easy to see, sitting on the shore about 200 metres east of the White Rock Pier.

Community Contributors

Added By

weej

Edited By

wildwomenwander, John King

  • wildwomenwander
  • John King

Published

August 10, 2012

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  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rock,_British_Columbia
The Great White Rock
Marine Drive
White Rock, British Columbia, V4B 1E2
Canada
49.019863, -122.802551
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Nearby Places

1001 Steps Park

Surrey, British Columbia

miles away

Faerie Village of Redwood Park

Surrey, British Columbia

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of British Columbia

British Columbia

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1001 Steps Park

Surrey, British Columbia

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of British Columbia

British Columbia

Canada

Places 135
Stories 22

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