New Hazelton, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
New Hazelton is a community on Highway 16 in northwest British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is situated 133 km (82.6 mi) east of Terrace
Terrace, British Columbia
Terrace is a city on the Skeena River in British Columbia, Canada. The Kitselas people, a tribe of the Tsimshian Nation, have lived in the Terrace area for thousands of years. The community population fell between 2001 and 2006 from 12,109 with a regional population of 19,980 to 11,320 and...
and 68 km (42.3 mi) west of Smithers
Smithers, British Columbia
Smithers is a town located in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, approximately halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert. Smithers is located in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako....
and in 2006 had a population of 627 people. New Hazelton is one of the "Three Hazeltons", the other two being the original "Old" Hazelton
Hazelton, British Columbia
Hazelton is a small town located at the junction of the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers in northern British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1866 and has a population of 293...
located 4 miles to the northwest on the confluence of the Skeena
Skeena River
The Skeena River is the second longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada . The Skeena is an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan - whose names mean "inside the Skeena River" and "people of the Skeena River" respectively, and also during the...
and Bulkley River
Bulkley River
The Bulkley River in British Columbia is a major tributary of the Skeena River. The Bulkley is 257 km long with a drainage basin covering 12,400 km²....
s and South Hazelton, 3 miles to the west.
Economy
New Hazelton is the service and commerce center for the Kispox Valley, which includes several first nation communities as well as residents of South Hazelton and Old HazeltonHazelton, British Columbia
Hazelton is a small town located at the junction of the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers in northern British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1866 and has a population of 293...
. The population of this area is approximately 6500 people. Due to its location on Hwy 16 and CN
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
Rail line, New Hazelton is home to most of the shopping, restaurants, and accommodations in the area.
The New Hazelton railway station
New Hazelton railway station
The New Hazelton railway station is on the Canadian National Railway mainline in New Hazelton, British Columbia. The station is served by Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train.- External links :*...
is served by Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
s Jasper – Prince Rupert train.
Mayor and Council
MayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
: Pieter Weeber
Councilors: Gail Lowry, Janet Wilson, Mike Weeber, Norm Anderson, Braunwyn Henwood, George Burns
Administrator: Brian Fassnidge
Directions
New Hazelton is east of Kitwanga, British ColumbiaKitwanga, British Columbia
Kitwanga or Gitwangax is located where the Kitwanga River runs into the Skeena River in British Columbia. A long-standing village before Contact, the village is within Gitwangak Indian Reserve No...
(48), Terrace, British Columbia
Terrace, British Columbia
Terrace is a city on the Skeena River in British Columbia, Canada. The Kitselas people, a tribe of the Tsimshian Nation, have lived in the Terrace area for thousands of years. The community population fell between 2001 and 2006 from 12,109 with a regional population of 19,980 to 11,320 and...
(139), Kitimat, British Columbia
Kitimat, British Columbia
Kitimat is a coastal city in northwestern British Columbia, in the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine. The Kitimat Valley, which includes the adjacent community of Terrace, is the most populous urban district in Northwest British Columbia...
(197), and Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
(283). New Hazelton is west of Moricetown, British Columbia (33), Smithers, British Columbia
Smithers, British Columbia
Smithers is a town located in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, approximately halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert. Smithers is located in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako....
(64), Telkwa, British Columbia
Telkwa, British Columbia
Telkwa is a village located along British Columbia Highway 16, nearly 15 km southeast of the town of Smithers and 350 km west of the city of Prince George, in northwest British Columbia, Canada....
(81), Houston, British Columbia
Houston, British Columbia
Houston is a forestry, mining and tourism town in the Bulkley Valley of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its urban population is approximately 3600 people, with approximately 2000 in the surrounding rural area. It is known as the "Steelhead Capital" and it has the world's largest...
(130), and Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
(434).
History
In 1911, when the Grand Trunk Pacific RailwayGrand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
was being constructed, there was a surge of interest in Central and Northern British Columbia, especially along the proposed route of the railway. While the Grand Trunk Pacific built many of the towns along the line, others like New Hazelton were purchased and promoted by land speculators, who bought the properties in advance of the railway.
New Hazelton was originally Lot 882 and was purchased by Robert Kelly in 1911. He had chosen the location well, it was close to the Rocher de Boule and Silver Standard mines, both of which were huge potential customers for the railway. The GTP's land commissioner, George Ryley, agreed that Lot 882 was a good location and wanted the railway to have a share in the profits from selling lots in the new townsite. Kelly refused, so Ryley found another property, Lot 851, whose owners were willing to share their profits, providing they were promised a station. Ryley made the deal and the village of South Hazelton was born. When Robert Kelly learned of these new plans, he petitioned the Board of Railway Commissioners to force the GTP to build the station in New Hazelton, which was closer to the mines. The BRC decided in Kelly's favour, particularly after they heard evidence from the miners who said the cost of shipping the ore to South Hazelton would be $4 a ton more than to New Hazelton. The railway, however, ignored the directive and built the station in South Hazelton and continued to sell lots in the townsite.
In 1913, to make his townsite more attractive, Robert Kelly decided to have a bridge built across Bulkley River
Bulkley River
The Bulkley River in British Columbia is a major tributary of the Skeena River. The Bulkley is 257 km long with a drainage basin covering 12,400 km²....
and hired the firm of Craddock and Company to do the work. The bridge was completed that fall, but was very narrow, barely wide enough for a single vehicle. Furthermore, it was 266 feet above the water and had a tendency to sway in the gentlest of breezes. The bridge soon became shunned as even the most courageous and expert drivers felt seasick or damaged their cars while crossing it.
Despite the lack of a station, New Hazelton prospered during rail construction. In 1913, it had 121 buildings and a population of 350 while South Hazelton had one tent and two restaurants. By that summer, the railway relented and built a station at New Hazelton in return for a share of three-seventh of the profits. Robert Kelly also offered the opportunity for the people who had purchased lots in South Hazelton to transfer to New Hazelton, but the railway had no intention of letting South be abandoned entirely and they rejected the offer. South Hazelton survived and though it was never incorporated, in 2006 it had a population of 499 people.
Union Bank robberies of 1913 and 1914
Posse comitatus (common law)
Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...
was swiftly formed to go after them, the bandits got away with $16,000, a great deal of money in those days.
Last Spike (Grand Trunk Pacific Railway)
The Last Spike of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was driven one mile east of Fort Fraser, British Columbia, Canada on April 7, 1914.-History:...
was being driven 180 miles away in Fort Fraser. New Hazelton was a busy little town that morning and excitement was high over the completion of the railroad. Many residents and some visiting dignitaries were planning on taking the train to Fort Fraser to watch the ceremonies associated with the driving of the last spike. John Oliver
John Oliver (politician)
John Oliver was a politician and farmer in British Columbia, Canada.Oliver was involved in local politics when he won a seat in the provincial legislature in the 1900 election, and became leader of the opposition. He lost his seat in the 1909 election...
, who would one day become premier and have the town of Oliver
Oliver, British Columbia
Oliver is a community at the south end of the Okanagan Valley in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, with a population of 4370. The community of Oliver is made up of land governed by three different bodies: the Town of Oliver, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and the...
named after him, was one of the visitors on that historic day. Little did anyone know that an equally historic event was about to happen right there in New Hazelton, one that would be remembered in hundreds of Canadian history books. Luckily, someone was there with a camera. Those pictures would become among the most famous of that era in British Columbia.
At 10:30 that morning seven men walked up the street towards the bank, all of them were wearing long coats, but so many people were out and about that these men went unnoticed. Six of them entered the bank while the seventh stayed in front and pulled a rifle out from underneath his coat and began firing shots up the street and people dashed for cover. Inside the bank, the other six had also drawn rifles and were demanding money from the teller, Robert Bishop. Ray Fenton, the bookkeeper was also behind the counter working on the books. When the robbers demanded the money, Fenton and Bishop weren't able to oblige them. Barrie Tatchell, the bank manager, had not yet arrived and he was the only one who had the combination of the safe. Tatchell was nearby, however, and upon hearing the shots, rushed to the house of Dan "Doc" MacLean, a local minister, who was also a veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
. Dan had guns and know how to use them. Across the street from the bank another resident was getting ready to defend the town: Arizona Smith, who owned the local boarding house, was running for his gun. Tatchell found Dan and Dan grabbed his Lee Enfield rifle and followed Tatchell to the place where they would make their stand, behind a large boulder of silver ore that had been donated to the town by the Silver Standard Mine. Soon the guard in front of the bank had three men firing at him and he called out for assistance to his companions inside. When they came out, two were killed instantly and a third was mortally wounded. The four who were remaining, all of them wounded, fled off into the nearby woods. Dan MacLean and Sperry Cline
Sperry Cline
Sperry Cline, DCM was a frontier policeman and author in British Columbia, Canada.-Early life:Cline was born near St. Thomas, Ontario in the early 1880s. In his teens, he traveled to England and joined the British South Africa Company's cavalry...
got a posse together and caught three of them, the seventh got away. The three wounded bandits were taken to the Hazelton hospital and once they recovered they were brought to trial. Judge Young from Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
came and presided over the proceedings. It came out in court that these were the same men from the first robbery and were therefore already guilty of murder and that the bullets they were using were dumdums, a clear indication that they were willing to commit murder again. Judge Young sentenced them all to twenty years at the provincial penitentiary
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in New Westminster.
Tourist attractions
- 'Ksan'KsanKsan is a historical village and living museum of the Gitxsan people in the Skeena Country of northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located near Hazelton at the confluence of the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers.- See also :...
Historical Village is a Canadian heritage site located right where the Bulkley and Skeena rivers meet. - Hagwilget Canyon BridgeHagwilget Canyon BridgeHagwilget Canyon Bridge is a suspension bridge over the Hagwilget Canyon on the Bulkley River, at the Wet'suwet'en village of Hagwilget, British Columbia. The current bridge was constructed in 1931, and later reinforced in 1990....
is one of North America's highest suspension bridges. - "Totem Pole Capital of the World" - tour the nearby native villages and see over four dozen classic totem poles.
- Steelhead fishing, at the nearby Kispiox River.