Burns Lake is a rural

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in the North-western-Central Interior 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, for ...

, Canada, incorporated in 1923. The village had a population of 1,779 as of the 2016 Census. The village is known for its rich

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

heritage, and for its network of

mountain biking Mountain biking 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 and pe ...

trails, which have received acclaim by becoming Canada's first

IMBA IMBA can refer to: * Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria * International Masters of Business Administration * International Mountain Bicycling Association * Imba, a full-stack web programming language * Gaming slang for game imbal ...

Ride Centre. In winter, cross country skiing trails and snowmobile wilderness trails are created. Burns Lake is located in the midst of a large networks of lakes called the Lakes District, with fishing and hunting year round, and water activities in the summer months. There are two First Nations reserves that are part of the town, and another four nearby, making it one of the few communities in the province that have almost equal populations of persons of native or European descent. Local nations include

Wetʼsuwetʼen First Nation The Wetʼsuwetʼen First Nation is a Wetʼsuwetʼen First Nations band located outside of the village of Burns Lake, British Columbia, Canada. It was formerly known as the ''Broman Lake Indian Band'' and is still usually referred to as ''Broma ...

Lake Babine Nation Lake Babine Nation (also Nataotin, Nat'oot'en Nation) is a Babine band government, historically located on the banks of Babine Lake in central British Columbia, Canada. Its main community has been in Woyenne, near Burns Lake, since many of the nat ...

Cheslatta Carrier Nation The Cheslatta Carrier Nation or Cheslatta T'En (pronounced chez-la-ta), of the Dakelh (pronounced ) or Carrier people (Ta-cullies, meaning "people who go upon water", whose traditional lands where originally where the Kitimat Kemano Project I was ...

, Ts'il Kaz Koh First Nation,

Skin Tyee First Nation The Skin Tyee First Nation, also known as the Skin Tyee Indian Band is a First Nations band government located in the Central Interior of British Columbia near François Lake, in the Omineca Country The Omineca Country, also called the Omineca ...

and

Nee-Tahi-Buhn Band The Nee-Tahi-Buhn Band is a First Nation located in the Interior 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 ...

. The town serves as a hub for the local logging, saw-milling, mining and tourist industries. It also serves as the main commercial centre for the surrounding area including

François Lake François Lake in British Columbia is about south of Burns Lake and west of Fraser Lake. The lake is long, making it the second longest natural lake entirely within British Columbia after Babine Lake. Nadina River The Nadina River is a river ...

, Colleymount, Grassy Plains, Rose Lake, Topley, and

Granisle Granisle () is a village on Babine Lake in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, to the north of Topley between Burns Lake and Houston. History The early inhabitants of the area were Carrier Indians, called " Babine" by the ...

. There are three pubs, several cafes and restaurants a selection of stores, hotels and motels, and services including a library and a hospital. It is also the location of the head offices of the

Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako The Regional District of Bulkley–Nechako (RDBN) is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2016 census, the population was 37,896. The area is 73,419.01 square kilometres. The regional district offi ...

History

Burns Lake's first inhabitants were the Carrier First Nations communities that spanned much of the Lakes District and beyond. Burns Lake itself began as a small rest stop for travellers on their way to the Yukon Gold Rush. Many of these travellers spotted opportunity in the rich forestry, fur, and mining opportunities in Burns Lake and the surrounding area. Burns Lake acquired its name after Michael Byrnes, who was an explorer for the Collins Overland Telegraph scheme. Byrnes passed Burns lake in about 1866 while surveying a route from Fort Fraser to Hagwilget. Recent research indicates that Byrnes was also a miner during the Cariboo Gold Rush and had staked a claim on William's Creek earlier, in 1861. On the 1866 trail map of the area, the name 'Byrnes' Lake appears; after 1876 however, the maps indicate it as Burns Lake. Bob Gerow, one of the main founders of Burns Lake, entered into partnership with Jack Seely and Howard Laidlaw to create Burns Lake Trading Company. Together, they built a store/hotel and a sawmill on Gerow Island, which would become the hub of trade for the surrounding area. The Village was incorporated on December 6, 1923. The first Mayor was G. M Gerow. The first newspaper in Burns Lake was called the ''Observer'', published and edited by Sidney Godwin. In the late 1950s, another newspaper, also called the ''Observer'', was operated by Ralph Vipond. It closed in 1961. The town continued to grow throughout the 20th century. Its current industries have become forestry and tourism, though many workers commute to jobs in the mining industry. Burns Lake received nationwide attention on January 20, 2012, when an explosion destroyed Babine Forest Products, a Sawmill, wood mill which was one of the town's primary employers. The village of Burns Lake is infamous within the trucking and commercial transportation industries for its narrow, twisting main road which makes the transportation of large loads to adjacent communities difficult and sometimes impossible. Despite numerous unanswered complaints and appeals, the British Columbia Highway 16 remains throttled. A number of historic buildings still stand including:

The Old Hospital

First built in 1933 by the Women's Missionary Society of the United Church of Canada, the hospital was officially opened by Canada's former Governor General of Canada, Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir. Once the largest and finest public buildings between Prince George and Prince Rupert, it was famous for its fine gardens. It was later occupied by a senior citizens apartment complex, then declared a heritage building in 1982 and redeveloped as an office building by its owner, the Burns Lake Native Development Corporation.

The Bucket of Blood

Located adjacent to the Burns Lake Museum, this square-cut log building is a former fur trade post which later became a gambling den. Due to the nature of gambling, fights broke out in the building, earning its name. It now contains a display of historical artifacts from the life of Craig Wafflehouse, one of the founders of Burns Lake. Bucket of blood

Geography

Climate

Burns Lake has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification, Dfc,) although it is on the borderline of a humid continental climate. It has short warm summers and cold winters. Average winter snowfall is approximately 190 cm (74.8 in). In June 1982 Burns Lake recorded 376.5 hours of sunshine. This is most sunshine ever recorded in British Columbia during the month of June.

Demographics

In the 2021 Canadian census, 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Burns Lake had a population of 1,659 living in 689 of its 765 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 1,779. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Transportation

Burns Lake is located on British Columbia Highway 16, Highway 16. Major commercial airlines fly into Smithers Airport, which is approximately west of Burns Lake, as well as Prince George Airport which is approximately east of Burns Lake. Via Rail's Jasper–Prince Rupert train calls at the Burns Lake station several times per week. BC Bus North, BC Bus has the bus service through the area twice a week. Alternatively, there is a BC Transit bus which operated between Prince George and Smithers throughout the week. A free ferry is available to cross Francois Lake which is directly south of Burns Lake. The ferry is used frequently to get to Grassy Plains.

Education

*Lakes District Secondary School - Public High school Grades 8-12 *Murial Mould Learning Centre - Public Youth Education Centre *William Konkin Elementary School - Public Elementary School Grades K-7 *Decker Lake Elementary School - Public Elementary School Grades K-7 *Grassy Plains Elementary School - Public Elementary School Grades K-10 *Francois Lake Elementary Secondary School - Public Elementary/Secondary School K-7 *College of New Caledonia - Public Adult Learning facility

Culture

Burns Lake is surrounded by a rich First Nations culture. There are six First Nations Groups in the area: * Ts'il Kaz Koh First Nation (Burns Lake Band) *

*Wet'suwet'en First Nation The Lakes District Arts Council holds several arts events every year, bringing in acts from all over the globe with a variety of different types of performances including, music, theatre, and a variety of other performances. Burns Lake hosts annual Performing Arts and Alternative Arts Festivals, drawing talent and audiences from across the region. Burns Lake also hosts an annual Aboriginal Day Celebration (the second largest in the province) which draws people from around the region and an annual Canada Day Celebration, each of which have celebratory parades.

Recreation

Burns Lake has gained world renown from the International Mountain Biking Association for its network of trails on Boer Mountain. The trails, maintained by a volunteer group called the Burns Lake Mountain Biking Association, includes of downhill and of cross country trails. The trails continue to draw mountain bikers from all over the world and are expanding every season. In the winter months cross country skiing is popular at the Omineca Ski Club. Its facilities have hosted several national championships. The facilities include 25 km of groomed trails, four km of which are lit for nighttime skiing. There is also a facility for biathlon skiing. In 2014 The Village of Burns Lake completed work on the Lakeside Multiplex and renovations to the Tom Forsyth Memorial Arena. This facility includes a hockey rink, curling rink, rock climbing gym, a squash/racquetball court, a fitness facility, and multi-use rooms. The facility is located on Spirit Square, a large outdoor park with a playground, a beach, a walking path, outdoor fitness equipment, two tennis courts, and a skateboard park. The 1.9 kilometre Opal Bed Trail leads to an active rock hounding destination, where users can look for precious minerals. Burns Lake is considered to be the gateway to Tweedsmuir North Provincial Park and Protected Area. (The North Park is a wilderness area with no services or supplies; it cannot be accessed by road.) Fly-in tours for sightseeing, hunting and fishing are offered by local outfitters.

Notable residents

* Emily Dickson - Biathlete, competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing * Esther Miller - Cross-country skier, competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics and the 1980 Winter Olympics

References

Community Profile: Burns Lake, British Columbia; Statistics Canada

External links

* {{authority control Bulkley Valley Populated places in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Villages in British Columbia