Toad River, originally Toad's River Post, is a highway service community in northern

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, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, located at historic Mile 422 on Highway 97, the Alaska Highway, near the confluence of the

Toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...

and Racing Rivers. The community primarily serves travelers and tourists with a highway maintenance station; a lodge with a restaurant, campground and gas station; a public telephone and a private 3000 foot airstrip. The Toad River Lodge boasts a "world famous" collection of over 10,000 hats (2016) thumbtacked to the ceiling, many of them donated by passersby on the Alaska Highway. Two miles north, The Poplars Campground offers camping, and motel rooms during the summer months (2011).

Name

The community name derives from the nearby river of the same name that lies close to the Alaska Highway a few miles past the airstrip. The name derives historically from Hudson's Bay Company employees using the Liard River to reach the Northern

Interior of British Columbia , settlement_type = Region of British Columbia , image_skyline = , nickname = "The Interior" , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subd ...

. It is likely a name given by Robert Campbell on his trips up river to Fort Halkett and Dease Lake during the 1830s. A Hudson's Bay trading post was established here in 1867, with a postmaster in service from 1868 to 1878, but the site was reported abandoned by the

Geological Survey of Canada The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC; french: Commission géologique du Canada (CGC)) is a Canadian federal government agency responsible for performing geological surveys of the country, developing Canada's natural resources and protecting the e ...

in 1890. The name was well established by the time R.G. McConnell of the Canadian Geological Survey passed the mouth of Toad River entering the Liard River in 1887. He wrote "and Toad River, which comes in from the south through a deep gloomy valley four miles farther down (''from the Crow River mentioned previously in the text''). Two miles below Toad River, on the opposite side, is situated Toad River post, which was abandoned when the post on the Nelson was established." (ref. Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada, Annual Report 1888-89, report by R.G. McConnell, 1891, pages 40D-41D) The river has its origin in a series of lakes which lie to the south of the Alaska Highway near historic Mile 446. The Toad River canyon between the community and the Liard River is a nasty piece of water even for jet boats with experienced pilots (private communication with D.Coulson, 2007). Much closer to the community lies

Toad River Hot Springs Provincial Park Toad River Hot Springs Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. The hotsprings is located on the lefthand bank of the Toad River, outside of the Racing River outflow. Access is via hiking, river boat, horseback, or heli ...

Schools

There is a public school in Toad River serving, as of May 2016, 10 students in grades 2 through 9, staffed by one teacher, an educational assistant, a secretary based in Fort Nelson and a circuit riding principal.

References

{{reflist Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Liard Country Populated places in the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Hudson's Bay Company trading posts