Finlay Forks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Finlay Forks, British Columbia
Former settlement
Finlay Forks Location in British Columbia
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Land District	Cariboo
Regional District	Fraser-Fort George
Geographic Region	Omineca Mountains
Area code(s)	250, 778

Finlay Forks is a historic place in British Columbia, Canada. It's where the Finlay River and Parsnip River meet. This spot was also known as Finlay Junction. Today, much of the original settlement is underwater, beneath Williston Lake. The area was named after John Finlay, an early explorer. You can reach the area from Mackenzie using the Parsnip West FSR road.

Finlay Forks: A Historic Meeting Place

Finlay Forks was a very important spot for travel and trade. It was a meeting point for rivers and trails. This made it a key location for explorers, traders, and settlers.

Early Explorers and Trails

The first European explorers to pass through Finlay Forks were Alexander Mackenzie in 1793. Later, Simon Fraser followed in 1805.

For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples used trails through these valleys. During the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800s, the Canadian government looked for safe land routes to the Yukon. One important trail, surveyed by Inspector J.D. Moodie, passed right by Finlay Forks. Many gold seekers used this trail. People also came through this area on their way to other gold rushes.

Getting Around by Water

Boats regularly traveled between Summit Lake and Hudson's Hope. They used the Crooked River, the Parsnip River, Finlay Forks, and the Peace River. However, if the water levels were too low, boats could not travel as often.

The area around Finlay Forks was also considered for building the W. A. C. Bennett Dam. Engineers found a huge crack in the ground, which made it impossible to build the dam right at the Forks. The dam was eventually built elsewhere.

By 1969, the new Williston Lake reservoir was mostly full. This large lake could be dangerous due to high waves and floating logs. The area at Finlay Forks was especially tricky because winds could come from any direction.

Road and Rail Connections

There were many ideas to connect Finlay Forks with roads and railways. In 1913, the Premier of British Columbia imagined a railway route to Alaska passing through the Forks.

Later, in the 1930s, Finlay Forks was considered for the Alaska Highway. This road would have connected Prince George to Finlay Forks. However, building this road was very difficult and took a long time.

By 1965, an access road from Highway 97 finally reached the settlement. This helped connect Finlay Forks to other areas.

Life in the Community

Finlay Forks started as an important Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post in 1813. It grew into a small settlement.

In 1913, two general stores opened. Residents even tried to rename the place 'Finparpea', combining parts of the river names. However, World War I stopped this plan. By 1915, about 35 settlers lived there. The Sekani First Nation also established a reserve nearby. William Fox was the first postmaster, handling mail deliveries a few times a year.

During the 1920s, the community had about 12 people. There were a few cabins and a place for visitors to stay. Louis Peterson and Alan McKinnon were important storekeepers and fur traders. They also served as postmasters. An annual fur auction was held here, attracting many trappers and buyers.

By the 1950s, only a few non-Indigenous people lived there. Roy and Marge McDougall ran the trading post and offered lodging. Marge also helped with first aid for the Sekani people and travelers. They farmed the land and Marge was postmaster for many years. They left the area in the early 1960s, and the post office closed in 1959.

A school operated in Finlay Forks from 1968 to 1971. It had two classrooms in portable buildings and served about 20-27 students. After it closed, the buildings were moved away.

In the late 1960s, a coffee shop and general store opened. Later, Bill Bloor ran the general store.

Mail and Communication

Getting mail and communicating with Prince George was slow. Mail often took a long, roundabout route. Residents asked for a more direct way to send mail, especially in the summer.

Sometimes, for elections, ballot boxes had to be parachuted from planes because the rivers were frozen. It could take weeks for a ballot box to reach its destination.

In 1936, a shortwave radio station opened, improving communication. The next year, United Air Transport started a monthly passenger, freight, and mail service by plane. This made a big difference, turning a 40-day boat trip into a five-day flight for postal inspectors.

By the 1950s, planes delivered mail about nine times a year. However, the radio station closed, and the community's two-way radio depended on good weather. Sometimes, bad weather meant Santa's plane was delayed, or several months of newspapers arrived all at once.

Later, Pacific Western Airlines provided irregular service. Sometimes, even the ballot box traveled by helicopter! In 1995, a small plane crashed near Finlay Bay, but everyone was safe. The water aerodrome (a place for seaplanes) was later closed.

Mining and Farming Efforts

There was a lot of mining activity in the mountains and rivers around Finlay Forks. People hoped that farming would also grow in the area. In 1929, Larry Canty bought a large amount of land for farming. However, the lack of railways and good roads made it hard for mining and farming to succeed. When the W. A. C. Bennett Dam was planned, it was clear that many mining and industrial areas would be flooded.

Forestry and Logging

By the 1910s, the British Columbia forestry department had a base at Finlay Forks. This base helped with fire protection. After World War II, a forest ranger station operated there. In the mid-1960s, logging companies started cutting down trees in the valleys that would be flooded by the dam.

Many temporary sawmills started operating. Companies like Carrier Lumber and Cattermole Timber used new methods, like cutting trees on the ice. Some sawmills were destroyed by fires.

The rising waters from the dam created huge logjams and partly submerged trees. Two tugboat companies and about 25 logging contractors worked together to salvage (save) the timber. This was one of the biggest timber salvage operations in North America. Finlay Navigation had a base at the Forks, and Carrier Lumber had a sawmill. By 1971, it became too expensive to salvage more timber. Carrier Lumber moved all its operations from Finlay Forks to Mackenzie. Sadly, one operator died in an accident while working with a logging machine.