In 1879, the Village of Hazelton became the interior post for the Hudson's Bay Company and the trading centre for the Upper Skeena Valley and Bulkley Valley. Unlike their other posts on the coast which could be easily accessed by sailing ships, transporting supplies to the post at Hazelton proved very difficult. As no roads or railway existed yet in the valley, the only route to the village was the Skeena River herself.
From Hazelton to the sea the distance is 180 miles with an 800 foot drop in elevation, making the river very swift, with turbulent rapids, canyons and sharp bends. These characteristics gave the Skeena the reputation of the most difficult river to navigate in North America. After using native canoe flotillas for many years, it was discovered that a sternwheeler, which is flat-bottomed and can bob like a duck, was well suited for the constantly changing waters of the Skeena. Since the sternwheelers could only navigate as far as Hazelton, the village became their upper terminus on the Skeena River and a base for many pack trains.
Once the supplies arrived at Hazelton, the bulk of them were distributed among the respective stores in the area. Consignees would then purchase the goods and transport them to isolated mines, homesteads and new settlements by way of pack trains. These pack trains would travel into the north and east over rugged terrain until they reached their destination. In the wintertime when the mighty Skeena was unnavigable and the pack trains could not travel through heavy snow, teams of dogs were utilized to transport supplies and mail.
This system of transporting supplies to Hazelton and the surrounding valley operated for twenty years until the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, which later became the Canadian National Railway, was completed in 1913. This web site describes these pioneers, the sternwheelers and the packers, and their trials and triumphs in the settlement of the Hazelton area.
Sternwheelers
Pack Trains
Area Map
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