In the midst of its course, as with most other tributaries of the Fraser in this region, it cuts through benchlands formed by old lake beds via a steep canyon.
On one of those benchlands is the Keatley Creek Archaeological Site, which was once a large riverside housepit (quiggly hole or kekuli) village.
Of great antiquity like X̱á:ytem in the Fraser Valley, the site is among the most important in Canada and has been exhaustively studied and documented by archaeologists.
What caused the demise of the village's society is as yet unknown, though a landslide blocking the Fraser near Texas Creek, south of Lillooet, may have critically destroyed the local indigenous fishery.
Alternative theories put emphasis on relative over-population and resource over-exploitation in the context of climate change.