28 British Columbia Women’s Institutes

History of the
Bulkley-Jweedsmur District

From the most westerly (and the newest) Institute at South Hazelton,
we follow the Canadian National Railway, which has left Prince Rupert on
the west coast, as far as Burns Lake, and find most of our Institutes dotted
along the way, Glenwood, Quick, ‘Telkwa, Houston, ‘Topley, Forestdale and
Rose Lake, a distance of some 145 miles. ‘Then leaving the railroad, we travel
15 miles south by road to the W.I. at Francois Lake, across the ferry, and 15
miles further on by road, we find Tatalrose, W. I., at the other end of
our district. If we are so inclined, we might like to drive another 25 miles
to Ootsa Lake and look across to ‘Tweedsmuir Park to the south of us.

The area is dotted with numerous lakes (the east end of our district
is aptly named the Lakes District) and one finds the highway and railway
running for most part parallel with rivers and lakes, most prominent
being the Bulkley River. There are small ranges of mountains along the
way and the glaciers at Smithers. A good percentage of the area is forest
with natural or cleared open fields sprinkled throughout.

Winters are long, snowfall usually heavy and temperature may drop to
60° below zero, but is more likely to hover around zero. Even so, sunshine
is general, and thaws not unusual but when the snow comes, usually in
December, but often earlier, it is here till spring, which comes late, seeding
taking place any time up to June. Growth is quick and normal year’s
harvest is plentiful. Parts of the area are subject to summer frosts, so
many of us rely on the more hardy fruits, vegetables and grains.

Probably the earliest settlers came through on the trail of ‘98, the
famous trek to the Yukon, some coming by pack train from Quesnel, but
the first official report of the area was made by A. L. Poudrier in 1892.
At the turn of the century, the building of the Yukon telegraph line
brought an influx of settlers, many coming up the coast by boat to Port
Essington, by river boat up the Skeena to Hazelton and from thence
further inland by pack horses. Others came by pack horse from Bella
Coola. Some of these earliest settlers grew hay to winter the government
pack horses used in building the telegraph line, and did trapping during
the winter.

The first land in the district was cultivated around 1903, and bountiful
crops of hardy vegetables, grains and grasses were grown. ‘To these were
later added the more tender vegetables and small fruits where prevailing
temperatures permitted. Farmers later found a ready market for their
excellent grade of timothy seed. Farmers recognized the value of the rich,
natural hay ranges, and beef cattle raising became a major livelihood, and
to a lesser degree, sheep raising. Farming still flourishes but, in a forest
area, logging has inevitably become one of the major industries, the first
sawmill having been brought in in 1906.