Campbell River is a city in the Sayward Land District of British Columbia, Canada, on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the 50th parallel north along the important Inside Passage shipping route.

These newcomers became infamous as raiders of the Coast Salish peoples farther south, who are known to history as the Euclataws (also spelled Yucultas), a variant on the Laich-kwil-tach, Lekwiltok or Legwildok, which is their name for themselves.

The captain and his botanist, Mr Archibald Menzies, encountered a small tribe of 350 natives who spoke the Salish language.

A Laich-kwil-tach war party, heavily armed with European rifles, paddled south from Johnstone Strait in the middle of the 19th century and were in control of the area when HMS Plumper came through on a cartography mission under Captain George Henry Richards around 1859.

The formation of the Campbell River Tyee Club in 1924, over concern regarding over-fishing of the salmon stocks, served to popularize the area among fishermen.

Painter's Lodge attracted clientèle from Hollywood and regular patrons included Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.

In its original conception, it would have been the last leg of the transcontinental railway, which had been proposed to run down Bute Inlet after crossing the British Columbia Interior, connecting to Vancouver Island just north of Campbell River at Seymour Narrows.

It is thought that the river and the city may have been named for Dr. Samuel Campbell, who was assistant surgeon aboard HMS Plumper from 1857 to 1861.

[11] In the winter months, occasional Arctic bursts from the interior of British Columbia can make their way to the coast, bringing temperatures below freezing.

As of 2012, the focus of business is directed towards aquaculture, agrifoods, clean energy development, construction, creative industries, forestry, fishing,[25] health care, international education, mining, technology and tourism.

[7] There have been many cases of former mill employees moving away to other places with higher demands for a similar labour force, particularly Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Campbell River has recently developed a new international program accepting students from Germany, Austria, and various other countries across Europe, South America, and Asia.

[citation needed] Since 1983, Campbell River has been a sister or twinned city of Ishikari, Hokkaido, Japan.