Usk, British Columbia
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Usk is an unincorporated community in the Skeena region of west central
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. The
Usk Ferry The Usk Ferry operates on the Skeena River at Usk, British Columbia, Usk in the Skeena Country, Skeena region of west central British Columbia, Canada. The vessel employs reaction ferry propulsion and cable ferry guidance. Off British Columbia Hig ...
connects the two parts of the hamlet that straddle the
Skeena River The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (after the Fraser River). Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose na ...
. Just off BC Highway 16, the locality is by road about west of
Smithers Smithers is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Middle English term "smyther", referring to a metalsmith, and is thus related to the common occupational surname Smith. The name Smither is related. People * Alan Smithers (born 1938) ...
and northeast of
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 ...
.


Name origin

Dominic Daniel Joseph Dempsey Loftus, who was the superintendent for the
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, a Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National ...
(GTP) tracklaying in the area, assigned the name. He is believed to have been originally from the
River Usk The River Usk (; ) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it flows north int ...
area of Wales. The earliest newspaper mention of the name is July 1912. Interestingly, the
Kettle Valley Railway The Kettle Valley Railway was a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) that operated across southern British Columbia, west of Midway running to Rock Creek, then north to Myra Canyon, down to Penticton over to Princeton, Coalmont, B ...
chose the same name for a new station a few years later, before a change to Jellicoe after a couple of years.


Railway

Where Usk is defined as about mile 119.2 westward, the railway tunnels of the Kitselas Canyon are at miles 121.9 (), 122.1 (), 122.3 (), and 122.8 (). In mid-January 1912, the temporary tunnel terminal ceased to exist when the GTP rail head from
Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 ( O.S.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...
advanced through the tunnels, then past mile 107 (Usk), reaching mile 115 eastward by month end. In 1912, the standard-design Plan 100‐152 (Bohi's Type E) station building was erected. A converted bunkhouse was the later replacement. During the 1936 flood, about of water covered the
Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
(CN) track and only the upper part of the station was visible. Nearly of railway track was washed out. In 1948, five cars of a westbound passenger train derailed. In 1951, a fire totally destroyed the rail bridge about west. In 1974, the rail bridge washed out. Months later, a worker was fatally crushed by logs while unloading a
boxcar A boxcar is the North American (Association of American Railroads, AAR) and South Australian Railways term for a Railroad car#Freight cars, railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simpl ...
. In 1976, a freight train wreck occurred one mile west. Hegstad, about east of Usk, is a siding built in 1983. In 1995, the little white passenger waiting room closed, and the building was advertised for sale the following year. A trackside signpost marks the Usk flag stop for
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 The Jasper–Prince Rupert train (formerly the ''Skeena'' and ''Panorama'', now known as Trains 5/6, sometimes called ''The Rupert Rocket'') is a Canadian passenger train service operated by Via Rail between Jasper, Alberta, Prince George, Britis ...
.


Earlier community

Prior to the railway, the Usk area was not permanently settled. Many residents to the southwest, who no longer had a riverboat service, gravitated to Usk, the nearest station. Dick Lowrie obtained a pre-emption, part of which later became the townsite. In 1915, a government telegraph office opened. Around that time, a store and small hotel existed on the northwest shore. James L. Bethurem was the inaugural postmaster 1916–1947. He also was the mining recorder and ran the general store. In 1918, the school opened. In 1921, the townsite was surveyed. The existence of a jail indicates a police post. In 1923, a two-room schoolhouse was erected on the bench north of the townsite. About this time, the Shackleton Hotel was established. An upgrading of transmission lines led to the closure of the government telegraph office in 1924. An enlargement to the general store created a public hall on the upper level in 1925. The school lost half of the pupils in 1927, when Hanson Lumber and Timber transferred its Usk and Terrace operations to Smithers. In the late 1920s, a church was built for use by any Christian denomination. A fire in 1931 destroyed the power plant, woodshed and tool house of the Shackleton Hotel. Neither hotel appears to have operated much beyond this time. The 1936 flood breached the railway embankment, which separated the town from river, sending a flow through the main streets. Water damage destroyed the Marsh Memorial Church. Although not as severe as 1936, the 1948 flood prompted a mass evacuation to higher ground. In 1950, the population was about 70. The next year, a fire totally destroyed the general store. During the 1950s, the place was often referred to in humorous contexts owing to its small size, not unlike
Spuzzum Spuzzum is an Unincorporated area#Canada, unincorporated community in the lower Fraser Canyon area of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The place is on the west shore of the Fraser River and north shore of Spuzzum Creek. The locality, on Bri ...
. In 1961, the school closed. The general store operated into the early 1960s. In 1967, the post office closed, a fire destroyed the gas station, and Terrace Christian Reformed Church built the Usk Pioneer Chapel as a one-third replica of the Marsh Memorial Church, which had stood across the river. In the late 1980s, the population was 128. The community hall remained in use until the early 1990s.


Forestry

In the mid-1910s, a sawmill existed on the northwest shore. In the late 1910s, two more sawmills were established. In 1920 two mills closed. An
aerial tramway An aerial tramway, aerial tram, sky tram, cable car or aerial cablecar, aerial cableway, ropeway, téléphérique (French), or Seilbahn (German) is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary cables for support, with a third movin ...
spanning the river carried lumber from the main sawmill on the southeast side. In 1923, this mill moved about one mile eastward but closed in the late 1920s. In 1941 W.R. Adams and J. Lee Bethurem erected a sawmill which burned down the following year. The rebuilt mill ultimately became the Adams Lumber Co but closed in 1959, when a highway realignment required the property. In 2014, a memorial to loggers, who lost their lives while working in the forests, was dedicated. The carving of a logger stands in the foreground.


Mining

The discovery of gold in the Cordillera claims on Kitselas Mountain attracted a great influx of prospectors. From 1914, the Cordillera was shipping out ore. After a decade of development work, the venture was abandoned. The adjoining Lucky Strike proved equally unsuccessful. However, numerous claims continued to be staked. In 1921, the Kleanza Co prospected on Kleanza Mountain. Columario Gold Mines Ltd later began production on these claims, which proved unprofitable. Exploratory work on the Nicholson Creek mine continued until the 1940s.


Main roads

In 1929, the Terrace–Usk highway opened. During 1931–1941, a series of stretches were built on the Usk– Cedarvale road. which included replacing sections washed out by the 1936 flood. Completion of this section opened the Prince Rupert–Prince George highway in 1944, primarily to military traffic. In 1958, Western Coach Lines inaugurated a Prince Rupert–Prince George bus service, which included a scheduled stop at Usk. The next year, the company withdrew the service. In 1960, Prince Coach Lines assumed the Prince Rupert–Prince George route. In 1966, Canadian Coachways bought the company. Usk was a scheduled stop at least during the 1960s. In 1968–69, the Usk–Kitwanga reconstruction was completed with the exception of three bridges and some gravelling and paving. In 1970,
Greyhound Canada Greyhound Canada Transportation ULC (Greyhound Canada) was an intercity coach service that began as a local British Columbia bus line in the early 1920s, expanded across most of Canada, and became a subsidiary of the American Greyhound Lines in ...
purchased Canadian Coachways.


Later community

In 2007, a municipal councillor from
Usk Usk () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks the ancient cr ...
, Wales made a three-day tour of the area. In 2022, a fire started by vandals extensively damaged the Usk Pioneer Chapel. Flood alerts and evacuation orders continue to regularly occur. The remote community has about 20 residents. The Usk RV Park has 19 sites for visitors.


Maps

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Footnotes


References

*{{cite thesis , url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/831/1.0055733/2 , last=Stortz , first=Paul James , title=The Rural School Problem in British Columbia in the 1920s , year=1988 , type=MA , website=library.ubc.ca Populated places in the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Skeena Country Grand Trunk Pacific Railway stations Canadian National Railway stations in British Columbia Via Rail stations in British Columbia