Fort Fraser is an unincorporated village of about 500 people, situated near the base of Fraser Mountain, close to the village municipality of Fraser Lake and the

Nechako River The Nechako River (Carrier language, Dakelh: ᘅᐪᙠᗶᑋ) arises on the Nechako Plateau east of the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, and flows north toward Fort Fraser, British Columbia, Fort Fraser, then east ...

. It can be found near the geographical centre of

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, west of Vanderhoof on the Yellowhead Highway. Originally established in 1806 as a

North West Company The North West Company was a Fur trade in Canada, Canadian fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in the regions that later became Western Canada a ...

fur trading The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

post by the explorer Simon Fraser, it is one of present-day British Columbia's oldest permanent European-founded settlements. The area around the community is also recorded as the site of the first land in British Columbia cultivated by non-First Nations people. The original site of the fort is to the west, in Beaumont Provincial Park. In 1911, the fort was relocated to nearby Nadleh Village, and later closed in 1915. The present community is located at the site of the last spike of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, driven on April 7, 1914. Today, Fort Fraser is an active community sustained by both

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

Transportation

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 calls at the Fort Fraser station.

Local events

The Fort Fraser Fall Fair is one of the oldest agricultural fairs in BC. The event has run annually since 1928, on the Labour Day weekend in September.

Local facilities

Local facilities include: * Three churches -

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada. The United Chu ...

, Apostolic Lutheran Church (est. 1928 by St. Mary's Anglican Church), and Church of the Nazarene * Gas station/grocery store * Automotive repair garage, tire sales * Community hall * Post-office * Motel * Laundromat * Visitor information centre

Climate

Directions

Nearby communities of Fort Fraser include: West on Hwy 16 * Fraser Lake - 21 km (13 mi) * Burns Lake - 90 km (56 mi) * Topley - 141 km (88 mi) * Smithers - 234 km (145 mi) *

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 ...

- 437 km (272 mi) * Prince Rupert - 581 km (361 mi) East on Hwy 16 * Vanderhoof - 38 km (24 mi) * Fort St. James - 84 km (52 mi) * Prince George - 134 km (83 mi)

References

External links

Fort Fraser website, maintained by British Columbia School District #91
{{authority control Fort Fraser Populated places in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Nechako Country Fur trade Hudson's Bay Company forts North West Company forts Designated places in British Columbia