08-012: Fort St. John – From Fur Trade to Farming

By Mr. Bert Bowes Dec. 16, 1930The real history of Fort St. John starts in 1805 as a fur trading post on the North Pine River. After one or two moves to other locations, the last site of Fort St. John on the river below the town was chosen in 1870. It is a very pretty spot and most tourists visit it. Two fur companies had posts — Revillon Freres and Lampson & Hubbard. In 1898 the rush to the Yukon passed about two miles from the present site of St. John, by way of the old Dunvegan trail. By 1912 families had started to move in and by 1916 there were several white women in the country. Mr. Finch started the first store on the hill at the present site as early as 1921. This was followed by several others until in 1923 the Hudson Bay abandoned the post by the river and moved to the site at Fish Creek, the Indian Reserve being north of this.

Naturally, trapping was the means of livelihood for the majority, and trappers who have become progressive farmers, still yearn over the prices.

A telegraph line came in, in 1915. In 1919 Fort St. John had another source of excitement — gold was found in the river. Dredging outfits were sent in, but the silt was too fine to be handled and the gold was not in sufficient quantities to make it profitable.

Farming at first meant a garden and a patch of green feed. Today there are several places with three hundred to four hundred acres in crop.

The first school was in Mr. Holland’s house, in 1919. Today there are ten schools in the district.

The Anglican Church started a hospital in 1923 but there were insufficient people to maintain it. However, today we have a Red Cross Hospital and nurse, a doctor, a dentist and the new Catholic Hospital, which is fully modern and should be ready before spring.

Although there have been settlers the last sixteen years, it is only three years since the real trek started. Today St. John District has over three thousand inhabitants.