Kitwanga or Gitwangak is in the
Skeena region of west central
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
. Among the Hazelton and Bulkley Mountain Ranges, the place is on the north shore of 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 na ...
, east of the
Kitwanga River
The Kitwanga River is a tributary of the Skeena River near Hazelton in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, joining that stream at the community of Kitwanga (Gitwangak), which means "people of the place of rabbits".
The river is approximately ...
confluence. On
BC Highway 37, northeast of the junction with
BC Highway 16, the locality is by road about northwest of
Smithers
Smithers is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Middle English term "smyther", referring to a metalsmith, and is thus related to the common occupational surname Smith. The name Smither is related.
People
* Alan Smithers (born 1938) ...
, northeast of
Terrace
Terrace may refer to:
Landforms and construction
* Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river
* Terrace, a street suffix
* Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...
, and southeast of
Stewart.
The Gitwangak Band Council governs the
First Nations
First nations are indigenous settlers or bands.
First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to:
Indigenous groups
*List of Indigenous peoples
*First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
portion. Adjacent to the northeast, the freehold part is an unincorporated community.
Name origin
Meaning "place of rabbits", Gitwangak was formerly called Kitwanga, with variations such as Gitwangar, Kitwangagh, or Kitwangar.
Gitwangak Battle Hill
According to legend, Lutraisuh, daughter of a noble family, was kidnapped by a
Haida
Haida may refer to:
Haida people
Many uses of the word derive from the name of an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America.
* Haida people, an Indigenous ethnic group of North America (Canada)
** Council of the Haida Nati ...
war party. After bearing three sons to a blind chief, she escaped with the surviving third son. The boy, called Nekt, grew up to became a fierce warrior. He killed a
grizzly bear
The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horr ...
, lined the hide with sheets of slate, and created a simple suit of armor. His people built the hilltop stronghold from which they waged war. His enemies regarded Nekt as a mythical bear that could not be killed. His war club was called Strike-Only-Once. Eventually, a shot from the first firearm in the territory killed him.
Designated a national historic site in 1971, the Gitwangak hilltop fort (Ta’awdzep) was burned and abandoned about 1835. Formerly known as Kitwanga Fort, the site was occupied from at least the mid-1700s.
Palisade
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade.
Etymo ...
s surrounded the hilltop stronghold, which enclosed five longhouses. No above ground structures have survived. From here, the Gitwangak people raided settlements along the Skeena River and the coast. Battles were waged to control fishing sites, protect trade routes, and enhance tribal prestige. A defensive measure was a system of logs designed to roll down upon approaching attackers. The location offered a vantage point over the adjacent Kitwankul Trail and the Kitwanga River Valley.
Gitwangak reserve

After abandoning the fort, the inhabitants briefly moved to another village before settling at the present site by the river. The
totem pole
Totem poles () are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large t ...
s, erected between 1840 and 1942, depict the history of the fort. More than 500 photos document their presence from 1899 to the early 1980s. The 1924–1926 restoration project comprised extensive work on both standing and fallen totems. From 1926 to 1942, poles were moved back from the river edge to the centre of the village. During summer 1969, a further restoration project was undertaken. Both deliberately and accidentally, fire has destroyed many examples.
Significant earlier painters who captured the poles were
Emily Carr
Emily Carr (December 13, 1871 – March 2, 1945) was a Canadian artist who was inspired by the monumental art and villages of the First Nations and the landscapes of British Columbia. She also was a vivid writer and chronicler of life in her sur ...
(1912 and 1926) and
George Pepper (1929). A further reproduction appears on a 1930 postage stamp.
Gitwangak is one of six communities that belong to the
Gitxsan
Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan and Kitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people of" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory enco ...
grouping.
Rev. Alfred Edward Price established the Anglican mission, having charge 1889–1911. The church also administered the day school on the reserve 1898–1975. During winter 1887, a
measles
Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...
epidemic broke out, which quickly spread because people travelled for cultural events.
In 1974, the rotted church bell tower was replaced.
In 2009, funding from Northern Development and volunteer labour, enabled extensive renovations to the community hall.
Gitwangak Health and a volunteer fire department serve the community.
In 2021, the second of two suspicious fires destroyed the abandoned St. Paul's Anglican Church, which was built in 1893. The adjacent bell tower was saved despite some fire damage.
Opened in 2023 were a childcare centre providing more than 50 spaces and the two-storey 52-unit Gitwangak Affordable Apartment Complex.
On reserve land at the junction of highways 37 and 16, the Kitwanga
Petro-Canada
Petro-Canada (colloquially known as Petro-Can) is a retail and wholesale marketing brand subsidiary of Suncor Energy. Until 1991, it was a federal Crown corporation (a state-owned enterprise). In August 2009, Petro-Canada merged with Suncor En ...
provides fuel, a minor repair shop, a small restaurant, and a convenience store.
Railway
During the
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National ...
(GTP) construction, camps were established in 1909 at Andimaul. Here,
Foley, Welch and Stewart, the prime contractor, wintered its two
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...
s. During 1910, a constable was assigned, a steam shovel arrived, and a general store opened. Two years later, the latter was the final one to exit Andimaul.
At the beginning of March 1912, the eastward advance of the GTP rail head from
Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 ( O.S.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...
passed through Kitwanga and reached Mile 151. The standard-design Plan 100‐152 (Bohi's Type E) station building
was erected that year.
During the 1920s, the
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
(CN) scheduled a longer stop for passengers to view the totem poles.
In 1928, a locomotive engineer sustained serious injuries to his scalp.
In 1957, a westbound passenger train derailed east of Woodcock. A few months later, a falling boulder killed a
section hand east of Andimaul.
In 1963, a derailment occurred near Kitwanga.
In 1978, Kitwanga was one of several communities between Prince Rupert and the Alberta border, where CN eliminated the agent-operator position.
In 1979, an acting conductor slipped under a
boxcar
A boxcar is the North American (Association of American Railroads, AAR) and South Australian Railways term for a Railroad car#Freight cars, railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simpl ...
during
switching, which caused injuries that required one of his legs to be surgically amputated.
In 1981, the CN Express office shuttered.
Closed in 1985, the station property was relocated back from the tracks. Boarded up and covered with graffiti, the building burned down in 2003.
In 2005, runaway rolling stock struck a locomotive on the main line.
In 2012, a freight train struck a tractor trailer unit at the railway crossing.
A 2019 report investigated the concept of constructing a railway line between Kitwanga and Stewart or at least a transloading facility at Kitwanga.
In 2020, 34 covered
hopper car
A hopper car () or hopper wagon () is a type of railroad freight car that has opening doors or gates on the underside or on the sides to discharge its cargo. They are used to transport loose solid bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, a ...
s, containing wood pellets, on a westbound freight train derailed. A month later, a train clipped the end of a transport trailer at the railway crossing.
The Andimaul passing track is .
A trackside signpost marks the Kitwanga flag stop for
Via Rail
Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada.
As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...
's
Jasper–Prince Rupert train
The Jasper–Prince Rupert train (formerly the ''Skeena'' and ''Panorama'', now known as Trains 5/6, sometimes called ''The Rupert Rocket'') is a Canadian passenger train service operated by Via Rail between Jasper, Alberta, Prince George, Britis ...
.
Main roads
In 1911, the first of the Naas wagon road north toward Stewart was completed.
By the early 1930s, the Kitwanga–
Hazelton road was considered fairly good. A road extended east to
Prince George. To the west, an isolated section existed in the vicinity of Terrace.
In 1944, work was completed at the Prince Rupert end and on the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
–Kitwanga leg, which opened the Prince Rupert–Prince George highway to military traffic.
In 1956–57, Kitwanga–Hazelton was reconstructed to an all-weather highway.
In 1958, Western Coach Lines inaugurated a Prince Rupert–Prince George bus service, which included a scheduled stop at Kitwanga. The next year, the company withdrew the service.
In 1960, when Prince Coach Lines assumed the Prince Rupert–Prince George route, only was paved. In 1966, when Canadian Coachways bought the company, only was still gravel.
In 1963, Woodcock–Kitwanga was completed on the northwest shore, which connected with the existing
Cedarvale–Woodcock road. Using the ferries at the respective ends, this provided an alternative scenic route. The Kitwanga ferry was also popular for motorists wishing to view the totem poles.
In 1970,
Greyhound Canada
Greyhound Canada Transportation ULC (Greyhound Canada) was an intercity coach service that began as a local British Columbia bus line in the early 1920s, expanded across most of Canada, and became a subsidiary of the American Greyhound Lines in ...
purchased Canadian Coachways.
In 1992, when a tanker-trailer crashed though the roadside barrier, of heavy asphalt oil spilled into the Skeena near Andimaul.
Prior to ceasing all intraprovincial services in October 2018, Greyhound had eliminated the Prince Rupert–Prince George run that June.
BC Bus North
BC Bus North is a public intercity bus service created by the Province of British Columbia after Greyhound Canada cancelled all services in British Columbia, leaving the Highway 16 and Highway 97 corridors without passenger transportation opt ...
immediately assumed the route.
The current passenger transit providers are BC Bus North and
BC Transit
BC Transit is a provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation responsible for coordinating the delivery of public transportation within British Columbia, Canada, outside Greater Vancouver. BC Transit is headquartered in Victoria, Bri ...
.
Ferry and bridge
In 1913, a subsidised seasonal cable ferry was installed over the Skeena.
During summer 1921, the ferry did not operate, because of sparse traffic.
In 1923–24, a new
reaction ferry
A reaction ferry is a cable ferry that uses the reaction of the current of a river against a fixed tether to propel the vessel across the water. Such ferries operate faster and more effectively in rivers with strong currents.
Types and modes of ...
was installed.
In 1925–26, new towers and floating landings were built.
In the 1936 flood, the north tower of the ferry crossing moved and the landings were damaged. The ferry operator's residence floated down the river past Cedarvale.
During the 1942 spring runoff, the cable of the new tower under construction had to be cut in order to save the structure.
In 1943, a
RCAF
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canad ...
pilot died when his plane struck the ferry cable.
In 1947–48, a new ferry with steel pontoons was installed.
When a strong gale in 1959 pushed the ferry upstream, the operator and passengers took six hours to pole across the river.
An
ice bridge
An ice bridge is a frozen natural structure formed over seas, bays, rivers or lake surfaces. They facilitate migration of animals or people over a water body that was previously uncrossable by terrestrial animals, including humans. The most signi ...
was used during wintertime and a rowboat during the change of season.

In 1964, floodwaters collapsed both towers and severely damaged the ferry, cancelling service for several years.
Contracts awarded in 1973 for the new bridge were the substructure to Dillingham ($962,387) and steelwork to Canron ($1,072,000). In 1975, the deck was awarded to Ansha Contracting ($429,370). Officially opened that November, the two-lane bridge included ice-pressure measurement equipment on one of the piers. The ferry was discontinued.
Local confrontation
In the early 1920s, First Nations in the Kitwanga Valley ejected government census takers, threatened European settlers, and blocked visitors from passing through the area.
In 1960, when the province
expropriated land for highway widening, the Kitwanga band demanded grossly inflated compensation and the prosecution of the highways minister.
In 1985, CN obtained a BC Supreme Court injunction to stop the band from obstructing the main line. However, access to the industrial park beside the track, which housed maintenance facilities, remained blocked. A sawmill operated within the industrial park. The long disputed land included the railyards, the railway right-of-way, and a industrial park, which the band claimed was improperly transferred to the GTP at the time of railway construction in 1910. In return for lifting the blockade, CN returned an site to the band.
In 1986, a gathering of hereditary chiefs at Kitwanga affirmed their intention to defy federal and provincial fishery laws regarding the protection of endangered fish stocks. Days later, Gitwangak members prevented three federal fisheries officers from entering reserve land to investigate illegal fishing.
In 1990, the band blockaded a sawmill road following concerns over reduced lumber demand, which had resulted in 35 mill layoffs over a five-month period. Periodic highway blockades caused a dramatic drop in tourist traffic on Highway 37 and threatened the mining and forestry industries.
In 1992, the band defied a court order to end a two-week blockade of a logging road. Later that year, when three band members were charged with defying a court injunction, a five-day blockade of the CN rail line ended.
Released in 1994, the 90-minute documentary "Blockade" was filmed over a 15-month period. The subject matter was the ongoing conflict between two histories. Further examples were the Gitwangak blocking the logging crews of a family who had been settlers since the 1930s and a mob forcing seniors from their freehold property.
In 2002, an Edmonton resident was fined $12,000 for illegally importing tainted salmon from Kitwanga, which had been caught using an aboriginal communal licence. Two months later, the Gitxsan of Kitwanga proceeded to sell fish illegally.
In 2013, the CN line was blockaded for a day at Kitwanga.
In 2017, the elected band chief obtained a court order to remove a group of hereditary chiefs and other protesters from the band office.
Forestry
A Kitwanga Lumber Co sawmill existed from the mid to late 1920s.
In the 1930s Roy Doll started a sawmill on his property. In partnership with his brother Leon they created Kitwanga Sawmill and were the main employer through the 1940s and 1950s. In 1960 they sold their interests to Vernon, Lorne, and Alvin Hobenshield who operated as ALV.
In 1963, locally owned Kitwanga Lumber Co established a sawmill.
In 1970, Columbia Cellulose acquired the other Kitwanga mill.
In 1973, the province acquired Columbia Cellulose and created a new company called Canadian Cellulose.
In 1981, the company announced that shift cut backs were not likely at the Kitwanga mill. That year, Canadian Cellulose was renamed BC Timber.
In 1982, the mill only operated in June. Employees rejected a proposal to reopen for 10 weeks to yearend. The installation of new machinery, a government training grant, and the prospect of new markets, facilitated reopening a month later. However, the future remained uncertain.
In 1984, BC Timber was renamed Westar Timber.
The Kitwanga sawmill, which specialized in export products, was able to sell lumber at premium prices. In 1986, Skeena Cellulose, a subsidiary of Repap Industries, bought the Westar assets.
Unable to sell their Kitwanga mill, Repap implemented another period of closure in 1993. Repap purchased a stake in the mill and licences of Kitwanga Lumber Co in 1995 and took full control in 1999. Skeena Cellulose was renamed Repap BC in 1996. The next year, the name reverted to Skeena Cellulose
and the insolvent group ceased operations in June but restarted in October after restructuring. In 2002, NWBC Timber and Pulp bought the group.
During that intermediary period, Skeena received $400 million in various forms of loans from the province,
while Kitwanga and the associated BC mills operated intermittently. In 2002, NWBC demanded wage cuts prior to reopening.
The next year, Skeena Cellulose was renamed New Skeena Forest Products.
In 2004, the company sold the two Kitwanga mills. The next year, the Kitwanga Lumber mill sold again.
The Kitwanga Lumber mill closed in fall 2008 and was purchased by Pacific Bioenergy in 2009. Reopened in June 2011 to provide the raw waste material for a wood pellet plant, production ceased in October, and the company filed for bankruptcy protection in December.
The mill restarted and has operated as Kitwanga Forest Products.
General community
By 1910, settlers had found the valley ideal for potato crops.
Rev. A. E. Price was the inaugural postmaster 1910–1911.
In 1912, North Coast Land established an experimental orchard nearby. Apple trees were planted initially.
In 1915, the first general store opened. Three additional general stores, plus a grocer, followed, signalling a peak in retail outlets, which ended with the establishment of the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
(HBC) store in 1925.
The public cemetery, which appears to have existed by this time, was enlarged in 1939.
In 1927, an
RCMP
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
constable took up residence. In 1929, the RCMP detachment closed.
During the 1950s to 1980s, Doll's service station was the only one in the area. This Esso outlet operated into the early 1990s.
A new, larger post office building opened in 1966.
The three local stores struggled to maintain sufficient funds to cash payroll cheques issued by the two sawmills during the early 1970s. Consequently, the
RBC Hazelton branch introduced a sub-branch at Kitwanga, which opened one day per week in the corner of a general store.
St. Saviour's Anglican church was active until the mid-1970s.
In 1978, the band purchased the vacant HBC store for $1. Near the railway track, the building was eventually demolished.
In 1993, fires destroyed a machine shop and the post office. In 1994, a weekend reunion of past residents was held. In 1996, Kitwanga received house numbering.
Around 2014, an ambulance station was set up in the former Forest Services building. Fundraising has continued with respect to a new building, which will have one bay for an ambulance and another for a firetruck, along with crew quarters and office space.
In 2023, The 37 Grille burned to the ground.
Local infrastructure includes a general store, post office, and two campgrounds.
Public school
In 1921–22, the public school opened.
In 1949–50, the school was enlarged and modernized.
To handle the influx from the closure of the reserve day school, the provincial public school was rebuilt. Comprising four classrooms, an activity room, change rooms, library, and office, the complex opened in November 1975. A further $1,350,000 extension to the school in 1979 introduced grades 8–10.
In 1989, the school celebrated the 10th anniversary of including junior secondary grades.
In 2004, the school reverted to elementary grades only.
Part of
School District 82 Coast Mountains, Kitwanga Elementary has about 70 enrolled students of which most, if not all, are indigenous.
Notable people
*
Jason Haldane, (1971– ), volleyball player, resident.
*
Judith P. Morgan, painter (1930–2016 ), place of birth and resident.
Maps
*
*
See also
*
List of Inland Ferries in British Columbia
Further reading
*
Footnotes
References
*
{{Authority control
Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia
Populated places in the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine
Skeena Country
Gitxsan