Telegraph Creek is a small community located off Highway 37 in northern

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 ...

at the confluence of the Stikine River and Telegraph Creek. The only permanent settlement on the Stikine River, it is home to approximately 250 members of Tahltan First Nation and non-native residents. The town offers basic services, including Anglican and Catholic churches, a general store, a post office, a clinic with several nurses on-call around the clock, two

Royal Canadian Mounted Police 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 ...

officers, and a K-9 school. Steep river banks and rocky gorges form the terraced nature of the geography. The community includes Telegraph Creek Indian Reserve No. 6, Telegraph Creek Indian Reserve No. 6A, and Guhthe Tah Indian Reserve No. 12 which are under the governance of the Tahltan First Nation of Telegraph Creek. Stikine Indian Reserve No. 7, which is one mile west (downstream) and on the opposite side of the Stikine River, is under the governance of the Iskut First Nation of the settlement of Iskut, which is on the river of the same name. The two bands together comprise the Tahltan Nation. Tahltan (or Nahanni) refers to a Northern Athabaskan people that live around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake and Iskut.

History

The Stikine region is the traditional home of the Tahltan people, who have lived there for generations. The modern history of the Telegraph Creek and Dease Lake area dates back to the 1860s and 1870s with the Stikine and Cassiar Gold Rushes. Telegraph Creek witnessed the discovery of gold by prospectors on the Stikine River in the 1860s and was the head of navigation. In 1866, the construction of the Russian-American Telegraph line to 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 ...

gave Telegraph Creek its name. As early as 10,000 years ago, the Tahltan people used

obsidian Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...

from the Mount Edziza volcanic complex to make

tool A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by animals, animals use simple tools, only human bei ...

s and

weapon A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...

s for trading material. This is the main source of obsidian found in northwestern British Columbia. In 1874, Nellie Cashman, nicknamed "the Angel of Cassiar", opened a boarding house for miners in Telegraph Creek during the Cassiar gold rush. Author Edward Hoagland wrote extensively about Telegraph Creek in his 1969 book ''Notes from the Century Before: A Journal from British Columbia'' in which he reveals the presence of a high level of ghost activities.

Recreation

Telegraph and its surrounding areas are known for their hiking, riverboating, camping, hunting and fishing. There are organized tours lasting from half a day to several days. The area surrounding Telegraph Creek holds five British Columbia Provincial parks: * Stikine River Provincial Park and Mount Edziza Provincial Park (both located near Telegraph Creek) *

Great Glacier Provincial Park Great Glacier Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Stikine Country region of British Columbia, Canada. It was established on January 25, 2001 to protect Great Glacier and the surrounding mountainous terrain. The park lies in the tradition ...

( to the southwest) *

Choquette Hot Springs Provincial Park Choquette Hot Springs Provincial Park is a provincial park located in the Stikine Country region of British Columbia, Canada. It was established on January 25, 2001, to protect Stikine River Hot Springs, the largest hot springs on the Canadian s ...

(southwest of Telegraph Creek) * Border Lake Provincial Park ( to the south)

Access

The road between Dease Lake, BC and Telegraph Creek is beautiful but rough, with of gravel, steep gradients (up to 20%), narrow passages along canyon walls with no guardrails, and sharp-angled switchbacks. Only the first stretch is paved. Telegraph Creek Road (also called Hwy. 51) should be driven with caution and awareness; it is suitable for most vehicles but is not recommended for large RVs and travel trailers. One source indicates that "the road is prone to washouts and rock slides". At times when the road is closed, the government of BC provides warnings on its www.DriveBC.ca Web site.{{cite web , url=https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021TRAN0056-000727 , title=Telegraph Creek Road west of Dease Lake closed until further notice , date=April 15, 2021 , work=Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, BC, access-date=21 January 2021 , quote= The community can also be reached by water, via the Stikine River from Alaska and by air.

Notable people from Telegraph Creek

* Dempsey Bob, carver * Dale Campbell, carver

References

External links