Excerpts from the Interpretive Pamphlet for the Old Kuldo Village Trail

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BC Government agencies responsible for the pamphlet are no longer in operation and the pamphlet is no longer in print. We offer the following excerpts as a public service and to help keep this important historical information available.

Station 1: Climax forest

You are standing in a mature forest...of spruce, subalpine fir and hemlock. Many of the trees are more than 150 years old. Some animals such as the Pileated Woodpecker and the Pine Marten require old growth forests...they depend on these ...components for food and habitat.

Station 2: Riparian Zone

The area from the edge of land you are standing on to the bank on the other side of the stream is called a riparian zone. ...Devil's Club is abundant. The lush vegetation provides food and the forest at the top of the bank provides cover. Although riparian zones occupy only 30% of the landscape...they are used by 85% of the forest animals.

Station 3: Telegraph Trail

...the trail runs along the route of the first overland communication to Dawson City in the Yukon, site of the 1898 Klondike Goldrush. The wire was strung and the trail built... from 1899 - 1902. The trail followed the old Collins Overland Telegraph which was completed to a about 40 km north of Kispiox Village by 1866. (It) ..was intended as a link between North America and Europe across the Bering Sea. It was abandoned before completion in 1866 when a trans-Atlantic underwater cable was successfully laid. ...The Yukon Telegraph line was shut down in 1936.

Station 4: Canal

In the bottom of this natural watercourse, you will see the remnants of a canal that was excavated by the people of Kuldo Village. The canal runs approximately 2 km. It diverted water from False Creek to the village. As the trail loops around the village, you cross the final part of the canal as it cascades down to the Skeena River. Just past Station 7, on your right side, you will see where the canal opened up into a pooling area beside the central part of the village. The Kuldo site was probably chosen for its natural defenses. Although the site was easy to defend, there was no easy access to water - a problem solved with the construction of this canal.

Station 5: Kuldo village

In the forest around the village (and in the village), you will see many depressions in the ground. Some of these craters were used by the Kuldo people for storing food, other larger ones may have been used to hide women and children when the village was under attack. Hundreds of these depressions are found in the village site.

The village was established after Gitxsan people living in the upriver settlement of Gitangasx were raided by their northern neighbours, the Tsetsaut. Seeking a safer location, deeper within Gitxsan territory, (they) established Kuldo. Battles with the Tsetsaut continued. After the murder of two men, the Kuldo people organized for one year then sent a raiding party of more than 100 people to attack the Tsetsaut.

By 1924, most Gitxsan left the old Kuldo site. Some moved to another location further downstream, others joined the Gitxsan villages of Kisgegas and Kispiox. The remains of a small cabin are hidden by grass and shrubs. It was a halfway cabin for men working on the Yukon Telegraph line. ...Main cabins were 32 miles apart...Linemen were stationed year-round at the main cabins. Each lineman was responsible for maintaining 32 miles of telegraph wire - 16 miles up and down the trail from the main cabin.

Station 6: Skeena River

Below is the Skeena River, one of the most productive salmon rivers on the Northwest coast. At the entrance to canyons, spawning fish will often pool together in order to conserve energy...the (Kuldo) people fished at these sites using traps and dipnets.

Station 7: Wildlife

In front of you is a tree used by bears to mark their territory. Notice the shredded bark and claw marks on the trunk. ...Bears use seasonal foods that are abundant in this area - in the spring they feed on roots and lush vegetation...In late summer, berries form an important part of their diet followed by salmon in the fall. You will see signs of moose activity along the trail. Many shrubs, subalpine firs and deciduous trees will have the ends of their branches nipped off...During the winter, the moose are standing on more than a metre of snow when they browse.