Quesnel () is a city in the

Cariboo Regional District The Cariboo Regional District spans the Cities and Districts of Quesnel, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, and Wells in the Central Interior of British Columbia. Geography The Cariboo Regional District (CRD) in the Central Interior of BC enc ...

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 ...

, Canada. Located nearly evenly between the cities of Prince George and Williams Lake, it is on the main route to northern British Columbia and the

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

. Quesnel is located at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the

Fraser River The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...

and

Quesnel River The Quesnel River is a major tributary of the Fraser River in the Cariboo District of central British Columbia. It begins at the outflow of Quesnel Lake, at the town of Likely and flows for about northwest to its confluence with the Fraser at ...

. As of 2021, Quesnel's metropolitan area ( census agglomeration) had a population of 23,113 making it one of the largest urban centres between Prince George and

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North Thompson River, North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the ad ...

. Quesnel is a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

to Shiraoi, Japan. Quesnel hosted the 2000 BC Winter Games, a biennial provincial amateur sports competition. To the east of Quesnel is Wells, Barkerville, and Bowron Lake Provincial Park, a popular

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

ing destination in the Cariboo Mountains.

History

Long before the arrival of prospectors during the

Cariboo Gold Rush The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Colony of British Columbia, which later became the Canadian province of British Columbia. The first gold discovery was made at Hills Bar in 1858, followed by more strikes in 1859 on the Horsefly Ri ...

of 1862, 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 ...

peoples, the

Dakelh The Dakelh (pronounced ) or Carrier are a First Nations in Canada, First Nations Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people living a large portion of the British Columbia Interior, Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The Dakel ...

or Southern Carrier, lived off the land around Quesnel, occupying the area from the Bowron Lakes in the east to the upper

Blackwater River A blackwater river is a type of River#Classification, river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. Most major blackwater rivers are in the Amazon Basin and the Southern United States. The term is used in fluvial ...

and Dean River in the west. The Southern Carrier Nation were known among themselves as ‘Uda Ukelh’, meaning ‘people who travel by boat on water early in the morning’. The name "Quesnel" is derived from Jules-Maurice Quesnel, who accompanied Simon Fraser on his journey to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, 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 ...

. Quesnel came to be called 'Quesnelle Mouth' to distinguish it from Quesnel Forks, up river. In 1870, it was shortened to Quesnelle and by 1900, it was spelled the way it is now. Quesnel is located along the gold mining trail known as the Cariboo Wagon Road and supplied nearby Barkerville, the commercial centre of the

. It also marks one end of the Alexander MacKenzie Heritage Trail. Because of its location on the

, it was also an important landing for sternwheelers from 1862 to 1886 and then, from 1909 until 1921. The last sternwheeler on the upper Fraser was Quesnel's own namesake craft, and home town product, the '' Quesnel''. Quesnel was incorporated in 1928.

Geography and climate

Climate

Considering it is located inland and around the

53rd parallel north Following are circles of latitude between the 50th parallel north and the 55th parallel north: 51st parallel north The 51st parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 51 degree (angle), degrees true north, north of the Earth, Earth's equator ...

, Quesnel's

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

( Dfb) is mild by Canadian standards, being subject to marine air flows from the Pacific. Overnight lows are still cool even in summer, but daytime temperatures average above in that season according to

Environment and Climate Change Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; )Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment (). is the department of the Government of Canada res ...

. The highest temperature ever recorded in Quesnel was on 29 June 2021. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 31 December 1927 and 17 January 1950.

Demographics

In the

2021 Canadian census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, whic ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Quesnel had a population of 9,889 living in 4,508 of its 4,766 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 9,879. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. According to the same census, Quesnel had a census agglomeration population of 23,113, which represented a decrease from 23,146 in the 2016 census. The median household income in 2015 for Quesnel was $60,651, which is slightly below the British Columbia provincial average of $69,995. As of 2018, the population of Quesnel is estimated to be a little over 10,000 people living within the city, with roughly 13,000 people living outside the city limits but within the metro area.

Ethnicity

Religion

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Quesnel included: *

Irreligion Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ...

(6,050 persons or 62.5%) *

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

(3,260 persons or 33.7%) *

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

(185 persons or 1.9%) *

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

(70 persons or 0.7%) *

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

(15 persons or 0.2%) * Indigenous Spirituality (10 persons or 0.1%) *Other (90 persons or 0.9%)

Economy

Quesnel is a city known for its forestry, particularly the production of pulp and lumber. Forestry is the single biggest employer in Quesnel. Quesnel is home to a Bleached Chemi-ThermoMechanical Pulp (BCTMP) mill that was built in 1981, and a NBSK ( northern bleached softwood kraft) pulp mill that started production in 1972. The BCTMP mill is currently 100% owned by West Fraser Timber, and the NBSK mill is a 50 / 50 joint venture between West Fraser and Mercer International. There is also a large sawmill, a plywood mill, and a MDF plant all owned and operated by West Fraser Timber. West Fraser started in Quesnel in the 1950s, and is now the largest manufacturer of wood products in North America, with operations also in Europe.

Administration

Quesnel's city government consists of a seven-member council, that is one mayor and six councillors. The current city council, elected in 2022 for a four-year term, is composed of mayor Ron Paul and councillors Scott Elliott, Tony Goulet, Debora McKelvie, Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, Martin Runge, and Mitch Vik.

Education

Quesnel is part of School District 28, which contains several elementary schools, as well as a junior and a senior secondary school (Quesnel Junior High School and Correlieu Senior Secondary School respectively). Also, within the school district is McNaughton Centre which is an Alternate High school. For post secondary education, Quesnel has the

College of New Caledonia A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

and

University of Northern British Columbia The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) is a university serving the northern region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The main campus is located in Prince George, with additional campuses located in Prince Rupert, Terrace, ...

shared campus, which offers several programs, including four year nursing and social work degrees, foundation or apprenticeship-level trades certification, health sciences, human services, academic upgrading, or industry and continuing education courses. The Quesnel CNC Campus also offers students the chance to start arts or sciences degrees and then, transfer to university.

Transportation

Quesnel is served by the Quesnel Airport, with several commercial flights daily to and from

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

. The city has a local transit system provided by

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 ...

Healthcare

Quesnel is served by GR Baker Memorial Hospital. A new emergency section was added to the hospital on 14 April 2023. This increased the overall size of the hospital as well as making it easier for patients to move from building to building.

Tourism

Quesnel's tourism industry is largely based on the city's access to nature, with hunting and guiding outfitters, fishing, hiking, canoeing. The Rocky Mountaineer, a rail-tour train also travels through and stops overnight at Quesnel at the Pacific Great Eastern Railway Station, owned by

BC Rail The British Columbia Railway Company , commonly known as BC Rail, is a railway in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Chartered as a private company in 1912 as the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE), it was acquired by the provincial ...

. Quesnel's history as a gold-rush town is also reflected, as there are over 30 heritage sites around the city. Quesnel is home to the world's largest gold pan, measured at in diameter and weighing , although this is disputed by

Nome, Alaska Nome (; , , also ''Sitŋazuaq'', ''Siqnazuaq'') is a city in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough, Alaska, Unorganized Borough of the US state of Alaska. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula c ...

. As of 2020 the gold pan resides in its new location, one deemed controversial, near the local Visitor Centre and Museum. Quesnel is also the closest city to Barkerville, the largest historic site western North America, and epicentre of the

. Troll Ski Resort, or simply Troll, is located east of the city. Quesnel is also home to Hallis Lake Cross Country Skiing Facility, a network of trails maintained by the Cariboo Ski Touring Club for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. In addition, Ten Mile Lake Provincial Park, Pinnacles Provincial Park, and Dragon Mountain Provincial Park are also located just outside the city. Quesnel Museum is home to numerous artifacts, including Mandy, a " haunted doll" made in the early 20th century that is claimed to have paranormal abilities and eyes that follow visitors around. Mandy appeared on The Montel Williams Show.

Culture

There are twenty-three decorated fire hydrants in the streets of Quesnel. This work was sponsored by the local businesses in the vicinity of the hydrants. Fire Hydrant of Carson Avenue and Kinchant Street in Quesnel, BC (DSCF5303).jpg, "Pilot", Carson Avenue and Kinchant Street Fire Hydrant of McLean Street and Shepherd Avenue in Quesnel, BC (DSCF5227).jpg, "Can Can Girl", McLean Street and Shepherd Avenue Fire hydrant of McLean Street and St Laurent Avenue in Quesnel, BC (DSCF5265).jpg, McLean Street and St Laurent Avenue Fire hydrant of Shepherd Avenue and Kinchant Street in Quesnel, BC (DSCF5068).jpg, "BX Cook", Shepherd Avenue and Kinchant Street Engineer (DSCF5310).jpg, "Engineer", Legion Drive, Cariboo Highway, and Carson Avenue Painted fire hydrant of Barlow Avenue and Vaughan Street in Quesnel, BC (DSCF5031).jpg, "Cyclist", Barlow Avenue and Vaughan Street

Sports

Quesnel is home to the Central Interior Hockey League's Quesnel Kangaroos Senior AA hockey team. The team plays at the West Fraser Centre in Quesnel. The city was formerly home to the Quesnel Millionaires, a

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...

(BCHL) team, before they relocated to

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( ) is a city of about 100,000 people and in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located about east of the City of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley. The enumerated population is 93,203 in the city and 113,767 in the gr ...

as the Chilliwack Chiefs in 2011. Quesnel also has

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

airsoft Airsoft, also known as survival game () in Japan where it was popular, is a team sport, team-based shooting sport, shooting game in which participants eliminate opposing players out of play by shooting them with airsoft pellets, spherical plast ...

and

paintball Paintball is a competitive sport, competitive team sport, team shooting sport in which players eliminate opponents from play by hitting them with spherical dye-filled gelatin capsules called Paintball equipment#Paintballs, paintballs that b ...

, minor

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

ringette Ringette is a winter team sport played on an ice rink using ice hockey skates, straight sticks with drag-tips, and a blue, rubber, pneumatic ring designed for use on ice surfaces. While the sport was originally created exclusively for female c ...

roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leaguesA Roller Derby league is synonymous with an individual club or team in other team sports, as ...

, and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

leagues. A

Mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

skills park is located behind the Arts and Recreation Centre and West Quesnel has a skateboard park known as the Quesnel Skatepark.

Notable people

* Brett Festerling – former

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) player (

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...

and

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...

) * Aaron Gagnon – former NHL player (

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

and Winnipeg Jets) * Bob Gassoff – former NHL player (

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

) * Brad Gassoff – former NHL player (

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

) * Arjun Gill – wrestling gold medallist at the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...

* Rory MacDonald – mixed martial artist currently with

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

division *

Marco Marra Marco Antonio Marra is a distinguished scientist and director of Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre at the BC Cancer Research Centre and professor of medical genetics at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He also serves as UB ...

– professor, medical genetics,

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

* Jim Marsh – former

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

player ( Birmingham Bulls) * Errol Rausse – former NHL player (

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

) * Bob Simpson – former provincial MLA for Cariboo North and former mayor of Quesnel * Tom Stade – comedian

Neighbourhoods and nearby communities

* West Quesnel ** Uplands ** Riverview ** West Riverside *

South Quesnel South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

** Southhills ** Red Bluff ** Dragon Lake ** Rich Bar * North Quesnel * Carson Sub * Johnston Sub Nearby communities, not part of the City of Quesnel, include: * Moose Heights * Ten Mile Lake (also locally referred to as Parkland) * Barlow Creek * West Fraser / Narcosli * Cottonwood * Nazko * Bouchie Lake * Kersley

Images

File:Wooden Bridge Quesnel.jpg, Fraser River walking bridge File:Rotary clock Quesnel.jpg, Looking down St Laurent Ave; Rotary Clock in the foreground File:Bridge over the Quesnel.jpg, Bridge over the Quesnel River File:Quesnel Station.jpg, Quesnel Station File:Quesnel River Bridges.jpg, Quesnel River from Red Bluff.

Sister city

* Shiraoi, Japan

Notes

References

External links

** {{Authority control Cities in British Columbia Populated places on the Fraser River Geography of the Cariboo Populated places in the Cariboo Regional District Hudson's Bay Company trading posts