Fort St. James Explained

Fort St. James
Official Name:District of Fort St. James[1]
Settlement Type:District municipality
Mapsize:220px
Pushpin Map:British Columbia#Canada
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:British Columbia
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Omineca Country
Subdivision Type3:Regional district
Subdivision Name3:Regional District of Bulkley Nechako
Leader Title:Governing body
Leader Name:Municipal Council
Leader Title1:Mayor
Leader Name1:Martin Elphee
Established Title:Founded
Established Date:1806
Established Title2:Incorporated
Established Date2:1952
Area Total Km2:23.47
Population As Of:2016
Population Total:1,598
Population Density Km2:72.0
Timezone:PST
Utc Offset:−8
Timezone Dst:PDT
Utc Offset Dst:−7
Coordinates:54.4431°N -124.2542°W
Elevation M:700
Postal Code Type:Postal code span
Postal Code:V0J 1P0
Area Code:+250, +778
Blank Name:Highways
Blank Info:27
Blank1 Name:Waterways
Blank1 Info:Stuart Lake, Stuart River, Necoslie River, Nahounli Creek

Fort St. James is a district municipality and former fur trading post in northern central British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the south-eastern shore of Stuart Lake in the Omineca Country, at the northern terminus of Highway 27, which connects to Highway 16 at Vanderhoof.

It is home to the John Prince Research Forest which features abundant wildlife.[2] This community celebrated its bicentennial in 2016 and is incorporated as a district municipality.

Fort St. James National Historic Site

Founded by the North West Company explorer and fur trader Simon Fraser in 1806, it came under the management of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821 with the forced merger of the two battling fur companies. Also known historically as Stuart Lake Post, it is one of British Columbia's oldest permanent European settlements and was the administrative centre for the Hudson's Bay Company's New Caledonia fur district. The fort, rebuilt four times, continued as an important trading post well into the twentieth century. Now the fort is a National Historic Site of Canada with some buildings dating to the 1880s.

History

As part of his commission from the North West Company, Fraser and his assistants John Stuart and James McDougall explored potential river routes to the Pacific Ocean from 1805 through 1808. Explorations in the Winter of 1805-06 by McDougall resulted in the discovery of Carrier's Lake, now known as Stuart Lake. In the heart of territory inhabited by the Carrier or Dakelh First Nation, this proved to be a lucrative locale for fur trading and so a post – Fort St. James – was built on its shore in 1806. In 1821, the fort came under the control of the Hudson's Bay Company, when the North West Company merged with it. It subsequently became the administrative headquarters of the company's vast New Caledonia District.

The fur trade was slow to take root in the area, since the economy of the Dakelh people had been based on the fishery, rather than on trapping. In addition, there were customary and ceremonial restrictions which placed obstacles in the way of an efficient fur economy. Nonetheless, eventually the post became profitable, and continued to function until its closure in 1952.

The community is located on the south-eastern shore of Stuart Lake, at the head of the Stuart River. Both the lake and the river are named for Fraser's assistant John Stuart, who would later become head of the New Caledonia District of the North West Company.

Climate

Fort St. James is located in the sub-boreal spruce zone of British Columbia, a sub-division of the hemiboreal climatic zone. It is characterised by severe, snowy winters and short, warm summers. The region is rich in wildlife. Under the Köppen climate classification Fort St. James is classified as a humid continental climate (Dfb).

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Fort St. James had a population of 1,386 living in 586 of its 671 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,598. With a land area of, it had a population density of in 2021.[3]

About one quarter of the population of the greater Fort St. James area identify as being of First Nations origin[4] The town is surrounded by numerous, small First Nations communities and Indian reserves, including Pinchie, Tachie, and Nak'azdli.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Fort St. James had the highest proportion of South Asians of any municipality in Canada, forming approximately 22% of the total population as per the 1991 census.[5] The South Asian community of Fort St. James was composed mostly of Punjabis of the Sikh faith. Gursikh Temple, the local gurdwara, was built in 1981. The Sikh population of Fort St. James declined from 435 in 1991 (21.6% of the municipality's 2,015 residents)[6] to 20 in 2021 (1.5% of the municipality's 1,330 residents),[7] as many Sikhs moved to Greater Vancouver.[8] The Gursikh Temple was donated to the Victory Christian Church in 2013.[9] [8]

Panethnic
group! colspan="2"
2021[10] 2016[11] 2011[12] 2006[13] 2001[14] 1996[15] 1991[16] [17] 1986[18] [19] [20] 1981[21]
European9258901,0559901,1951,3201,2251,1851,390
Indigenous300555445160500295265425455
South Asian256075165200405435335345
Other358550403025903545
Total responses1,3301,5801,6351,3551,9252,0452,0151,9802,235
Total population1,3861,5981,6911,3551,9272,0462,0581,9832,284
Religious group! colspan="2"
2021201120011991
Christian3957759701,065
Sikh2050200435
Muslim20000
Buddhist100100
Hindu0000
Jewish0000
Other religion205500
Irreligious855755 760510
Total responses1,3301,630 1,925 2,015

Notable people

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address . British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development . . 2 November 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140713004716/http://www.cscd.gov.bc.ca/lgd/infra/library/Name%20Incorp%202011.xls . 13 July 2014 .
  2. Web site: John Prince Research Forest.
  3. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia . . 9 February 2022 . 20 February 2022.
  4. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/Profil01ab/Details/details1.cfm?SEARCH=BEGINS&ID=13233&PSGC=59&SGC=5951013&DataType=1&LANG=E&Province=59&PlaceName=Fort%20St%2E%20James&CMA=&CSDNAME=Fort%20St%2E%20James&A=&TypeNameE=District%20Municipality&Prov= Community Profile, Statistics Canada, 2001 Canadian census
  5. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2019-03-29 . 1991 Census Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions - Part B . 2023-01-11 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  6. Web site: Data tables, 1991 Census. Statistics Canada. 10 January 2023.
  7. Web site: Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Fort St. James, District municipality (DM) British Columbia . Statistics Canada. 10 January 2023.
  8. Web site: Gursikh Temple- Fort St. James. World Gurudwaras. 10 January 2023.
  9. Web site: Sikh Temple sale in limbo . Caledonia Courier . 11 August 2020 . 13 October 2012.
  10. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2022-10-26 . Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  11. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2021-10-27 . Census Profile, 2016 Census . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  12. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2015-11-27 . NHS Profile . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  13. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2019-08-20 . 2006 Community Profiles . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  14. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2019-07-02 . 2001 Community Profiles . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  15. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2019-06-04 . Electronic Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1996 Census . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  16. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2019-03-29 . 1991 Census Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions - Part B . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  17. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2019-03-29 . Data tables, 1991 Census Population by Ethnic Origin (24), Showing Single and Multiple Origins (2) - Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  18. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2019-06-27. Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part A . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  19. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2019-06-27. Data tables, 1986 Census Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1986 Census - Part B . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  20. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2013-04-03. Canada's aboriginal population by census subdivisions from the 1986 Census of Canada . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  21. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2020-05-26 . Data tables, 1981 Census Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1981 Census - Part B . 2023-02-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
  22. Web site: Dylan Playfair . IMDb . 18 August 2021.