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160 million years ago:
Our land was a volcanic chain of tropical islands 800 km west
of San Francisco. The ocean floor moved to the NE and collided
with the North American continent to form BC.
12000 years ago:
Ice-Age glaciers 5000' in depth covered all of our region,
except for the highest mountain peaks. Mammoths browsed on
open hills as ice receded.
8000 years ago:
First Nations people populated the entire region and numbered
in the thousands. They had camps and villages on many lakes
and rivers. Their main food supply was the abundant salmon
that returned in the rivers to spawn.
1805:
First non-native explorers set up fur trading posts at Ft
St James, on Stuart Lake and at Ft Fraser and Fraser Lake
to the east of our region.
1850s: Collins Overland Telegraph was planned to link
San Francisco to Europe via Siberia. It was built to Kispiox
Village, north of Hazelton and was abandoned. Riverboats in
the summer and sled dogs in the winter provided supplies and
mail. Hazelton was the terminus of riverboat travel and the
regional trading centre.
1912: Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was built through
our area enroute from Edmonton to Prince Rupert. Provided
easy access for settlers from around the world. Numerous prospectors
found minerals and small mining operations started.
1950: Small specialized wood harvesting changed to
high-production logging and sawmilling.
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