Telegraph Creek, British Columbia

Telegraph Creek is a small community located off Highway 37 in Northern British Columbia. The only permanent settlement on the Stikine River, it is home to approximately 350 members of the Tahltan First Nation, as well as another 50 white settlers, the majority of whom came to the village in the late 1960's and early 1970's. The town offers basic services, including Anglican and Catholic churches, two general stores, a post office, a clinic with several nurses on-call around the clock, two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, and a k-12 school. The commercial heart of the village is the Riversong Cafe, Lodge and General Store, which sits on the banks of the River, housed in the original Hudson's Bay Company building. Steep river banks and rocky gorges form the terraced nature of the geography, and the location is stunning in every season.

Tahltan (or Nohanni) refers to a Northern Athabaskan people that live around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake and Iskut.

Access

The road to Telegraph Creek is beautiful but rough, with 150km (93 mi) of gravel, steep gradients (up to 20%), narrow passages along canyon walls with no guardrails, and sharp-angled switchbacks. This road is not suitable for a trailer. The community can also be reached by water and air.

History

The Stikine region is the traditional home of the Tahltan tribe, who have lived there for generations. The modern history of the Telegraph Creek and Dease Lake area dates back a century to the Klondike Gold Rush era. 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 an overland telegraph line to Yukon gave Telegraph Creek its name.

As early as 10,000 years ago, the Tahltan people used obsidian from the Mount Edziza volcanic complex to make tools and weapons for trading material. This is the main source of obsidian found in northwestern British Columbia. [ [http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibits/journeys/english/mountain_1_4a.html Journey & Transformations: British Columbia Landscapes] Retrieved on 2007-10-13] [ [http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/volcanoes/cat/feature_edziza_e.php Catalogue of Canadian volcanoes - Stikine Volcanic Belt: Mount Edziza] Retrieved on 2007-10-13]

Recreation

Telegraph and its surrounding areas are known for their hiking, riverboating, camping, hunting and fishing. There are organised 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 in Telegraph Creek)
*Great Glacier Provincial Park (100km to the southwest)
*Choquette Hot Springs Provincial Park (south of Telegraph Creek)
*Border Lake Provincial Park (180km to the south)

Notable people from Telegraph Creek

* Dempsey Bob, carver
* Dale Campbell, carver

ee also

*Telegraph Creek Airport
*Telegraph Creek Water Aerodrome

References

External links

* [http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/?townID=3675 British Columbia.com] - Telegraph Creek

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