The Cassiar Country, also referred to simply as the Cassiar, is a historical geographic region of the
Canadian province of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. The Cassiar is located in the northwest portion of British Columbia, just to the northeast of the
Stikine Country, while to the south is the
Omineca Country
The Omineca Country, also called the Omineca District or the Omineca, is a historical geographic region of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, roughly defined by the basin of the Omineca River but including areas to the south which allowed ...
. The area is noted for the Cassiar gold rush of the 1870s, when
Laketon became its unofficial capital. The ghost town of
Cassiar is also located in the Cassiar region.
Collins Telegraph Line
In the early 1860s,
Perry Collins Perry McDonough Collins (1813–1900)
timeline at frontiers.loc.gov[Corday Mackay]
Western Union
The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company cha ...
Telegraph to build a
telegraph line
Electrical telegraphs were point-to-point text messaging systems, primarily used from the 1840s until the late 20th century. It was the first electrical telecommunications system and the most widely used of a number of early messaging systems ...
from
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
through British Columbia and
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
and across the
Bering Strait to Russia and ultimately
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
.
The line was begun in 1865 at
New Westminster
New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capi ...
, and continued as far as the
Skeena River
The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (after the Fraser River). Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose n ...
in 1866, but then the project was abandoned as the
transatlantic line was built first, making the Collins line redundant. Despite the fact that the Collins line would not be completed, surveyors had created a primitive route from
Quesnel to the newly established settlement of
Telegraph Creek
Telegraph Creek is a small community located off Highway 37 in northern British Columbia at the confluence of the Stikine River and Telegraph Creek. The only permanent settlement on the Stikine River, it is home to approximately 250 members of ...
, thus opening up the northern districts of British Columbia for determined and hardy travelers.
Cassiar Gold Rush
In the 1870s a gold rush occurred in the region, based at
McDame Creek McDame Creek is a creek in Cassiar Land District of British Columbia, Canada. The creek flows southeast into Dease River and is south of Good Hope Lake. The creek was discovered in 1874 by a prospector named Harry McDame. McDame Creek was mined ...
and at
Thibert Creek Thibert Creek is a creek located in the Cassiar Country region of British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse ...
, a tributary of
Dease Creek
Dease Creek is a creek located in the Stikine Region of British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography ...
. In 1874, more than a million dollars' worth of gold was taken from the region and in 1877, one prospector found the largest
gold nugget
:''"Gold nugget" may also refer to the catfish Baryancistrus xanthellus or the mango cultivar Gold Nugget.''
A gold nugget is a naturally occurring piece of native gold. Watercourses often concentrate nuggets and finer gold in placers. Nuggets ...
ever recorded in British Columbia: a 72-ounce gold nugget, mined from McDame Creek.
Much as the Stikine Country had been affected by the rush on the
Stikine River
The Stikine River is a major river in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States. It drains a large, remote upland area known as the Stikine Country east of the Coast Mountains. Flowing west and south f ...
, the Cassiar Gold Rush caused the government to show an interest in the area and
John R Adams
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
was appointed as government agent for the Cassiar region in 1873, and was followed by Judge
J.H. Sullivan who became the region's
gold commissioner.
Laketon, also known as
Dease Town became the unofficial capital of the Cassiar and at the height of the rush it had five stores, four hotels, two cafes and its own newspaper. Other gold rush towns were
Porter Landing and
Defot. However, by the 1880s most of the gold had been recovered and nearly all of the miners left the area, while only few merchants and
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
miners remained behind. The region was also affected by the
Klondike Gold Rush when in 1897–1898, 5000 miners went to the Yukon via the all Canadian route, up the Stikine River to Telegraph Creek and overland to the
Teslin River
The Teslin River is a river in southern Yukon Territory and northwestern British Columbia, Canada, that flows from its source south of Teslin Lake to its confluence with the Yukon River.
During the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896–99, the river beca ...
.
Later years
After the excitement of the gold rushes, the Cassiar was nearly forgotten until the early 1940s when the American
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
built the
Alaska Highway from
Dawson Creek
Dawson Creek is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The municipality of had a population of 12,978 in 2016. Dawson Creek derives its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the community. The creek was named after ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
to
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...
, thus further opening up the area and providing ease of transportation. Small companies began gold mining with heavy equipment. Then, most notably, the early 1950s brought the
Cassiar Asbestos Mine, which operated from 1953 until 1992 and produced the company town of
Cassiar.
See also
*
Cassiar Mountains
*
Stewart-Cassiar Highway
*
Cassiar (electoral district)
*
Nellie Cashman
Ellen Cashman (1845 – 4 January 1925) was an Irish nurse, restaurateur, businesswoman and philanthropist in Arizona, Alaska, British Columbia and Yukon.
Cashman led a rescue party to miners to the Cassiar Country gold mine in the Cassi ...
"Angel of the Cassiar"
References
* ''Cassiar A Jewel in the Wilderness'' Suzanne Leblanc
External links
Cassiar… do you remember?
{{Financial bubbles
Northern Interior of British Columbia