Beatton River

The Beatton River is a tributary of the Peace River, flowing generally east, then south through north-eastern British Columbia, Canada. The river rises at Pink Mountain, about 10 km west of the Alaska Highway hamlet of the same name, and flows 240 km generally east, then south, draining into the Peace River just downstream of Fort St. John. The river meanders mostly through the boreal forest and muskeg of the Peace Plain. Its major tributaries are the Doig and Blueberry Rivers.

The area around the river is the homeland of the Dunneza or Beaver First Nation. Archaeologists have found evidence of human habitation in the area dating back at least 10,000 years. The mouth of the Beatton River was the location of modern-day British Columbia's first European settlement, the fur trading post of Fort St. John, established by the North West Company in 1806. As such, the river became an important route for First Nations people in their trading relationship with the Europeans. The present community of Fort St. John is situated to the west of the original site.

The river, originally called the "North Pine" is named for Frank Beatton (1863-1944), the manager of the Hudson's Bay Company post in the early twentieth century, who homesteaded by the river.

External links

* [http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/beatt_riv/nat_cul.htm Beatton River Provincial Park] is located at the confluence of the Beatton and Peace Rivers.
* [http://www.explorenorth.com/library/communities/canada/bl-ftstjohnhistory.htm "The History of Fort St. John"] provides this excellent history of First Nations habitation along the Beatton River.
* [http://www.calverley.ca/Part%2002%20-%20Fur%20Trade/2-023.html "Frank Beatton: The Bridge Between Fur and Farm"] offers insight into the life of the man for whom the river is named, and the transitional history of the region in the early twentieth century.