PKOLS - Mt Douglas - Virtual Reward 3.0 Virtual Cache

Mount Douglas (SENĆOŦEN: pq̕áls or PKOLS, usually referred to as Mount Doug by locals) is a prominent, 225 m (738 ft) hill in Saanich, Greater Victoria, British Columbia. It is located in Mount Douglas Park in the municipality of Saanich on the ancestral lands of the Saanich and Songhees people.

The aboriginal Saanich and Songhees people called the mountain PKOLS [pq̕áls], meaning "White Head" in SENĆOŦEN dialect. This mountain was a culturally significant gathering and meeting place of the SENĆOŦEN and Lekwungen peoples, a site for ceremonies and sharing important news.

In the mid-nineteenth century, it was called Cedar Hill, and was home to logging operations. Local mills supplied the growing city of Victoria, including the original Hudson's Bay Company fort, transporting lumber south along present day Cedar Hill Road. It was brought under protected status in 1889. Finding no cedars on the hill called "Cedar Hill," Captain Henry Kellett renamed it "Mount Douglas," as recorded in the Fort Victoria Journal by Roderick Finlayson. Although this informal renaming occurred in Douglas' lifetime (it was given the appellation "Mount" in order to honour the governor's status), the name "Mt. Douglas" was not officially adopted until 1910.

In 2013, an effort was started to reestablish its aboriginal name. The Reclaim PKOLS movement has appealed to the BC Geographical Names Office for a formal name change. There has yet to be an approval of this petition.