Day 53 Hazelton BC

What started as an early afternoon rest stop shortly after reaching Route 16 today finds us parked at the “Totem Pole Capital of the World”, the First Nation village of Ksan campground for the night.

We left Stewart mid morning for a nice drive down the rest of the Cassiar Highway. Our destination for the day was to be Smithers, a community undergoing severe flooding from the Skeena River when we were through this area in early June so we veered to the east to Dawson City as our northbound route.

Ksan has served as the hub of a trade route up the Skeena River for over 7,000 years as the coastal tribes canoed up the river for trade with the Gitksan and Wetsuwet'en peoples who have always lived here at the junction of the Skeena and Bulkley rivers.

Their totem filled villages were joined by the settlement of Hazelton in 1866 which soon became a terminus for sternwheelers bringing people and freight up from the coast.We became so engrossed in the area that the beautiful campground next to the Ksan Historical Village seemed a perfect place to spend the evening and allow an afternoon of browsing.

The tour started with a guided tour of the village that featured presentations of the longhouses, family culture, and the celebrations held on special occasions.

Several tall totems adorned the exterior of the buildings and we were very impressed with the entire project.

We also checked out nearby Old Hazelton which has restored several blocks along the Skeena River to represent the riverboat days when it was the commercial center of NW British Columbia. Hazelton, Old Hazelton, and New Hazelton are located 180 miles east of Prince Rupert and are known as the Hazeltons.

We will head for Prince George tomorrow.