FORT LANGLEY

FORT LANGLEY
Is a subdivision and part of the township of Langley and community all of its own, located about 40 kilometers northeast of Vancouver in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. It is named after Thomas Langley, a former official and employee of the Hudson’s Bay Company. In 1839, a new post was built 5 kilometers up from the Fraser River and was first known as Derby, closer to suitable farmland. When the original fort was destroyed by a massive fire in 1840, it was replaced and relocated close to the present site. When British Columbia was declared a colony in 1858, Fort Langley quickly became a starting point for miners heading towards the goldfields in the Interior, like Barkerville, Yale and Quesnel Forks. The fort remained in business until 1886, and from that time it became a prerequisite post producing agricultural products as well as cured salmon. In 1955, the British Columbia government declared the site as a National Historic Park and several buildings were reconstructed and in the 1990s, The Greater Vancouver Regional District and the government of the Township of Langley built a fort-to-fort trail linking the historic Park with the old site at Derby. Today, the village of Fort Langley caters to tourists mainly because of its antique shops, sidewalk cafes, 2 museums and many historic buildings. The town is also fast becoming as major commercial filming location for movies, commercials and TV shows partly due to its intriguing town hall that is colored yellow that has featured so many times during the filming developments.

FORT LANGLEY’S POPULATION: 2,865

NORTH VANCOUVER

NORTH VANCOUVER
Is a waterfront city and district municipality that occupies the lower slopes of the North Shores and across downtown Vancouver from Burrard Inlet via the Seabus and Lions Gate Bridge. North Vancouver City was developed in 1900 as a marketable location for commercial activity at the bottom of Lonsdale Avenue. On May 13th of 1907 with a population of about 2,000 people, North Vancouver became incorporated as a city and during the First World War (WWI), it quickly expanded to its present day size when it absorbed and merged the sawmill community of Moodyville, which is located just to the east of both of here and the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Bridge. Shortly thereafter, a village, post office, and school were quickly situated and sprang up. In its early years, North Vancouver City’s main economic activities were ship-building and sawmilling. During the years of the depression, North Vancouver was forced to declared bankruptcy and managed by a commissioner until 1944. Since then the city has lost much as early day historical and industrial character and is considered mostly as a residential suburb of Vancouver and the waterfront has since been revitalized with the addition of the Lonsdale Quay (market, hotel, Translink city bus terminal, and small mini-mall) in 1986. There are 3 main exits that lead travelers to North Vancouver City from the Trans-Canada Highway/Upper Levels Highway; including Lonsdale Avenue Exit (Exit #18), Westview Road exit (Exit #17), and the Lynn Valley Road Exit (Exit #19). North Vancouver is named simply because of its geographical location north of Vancouver via Burrard Inlet and its main economic activities include tourism, light industry and retail services.

NORTH VANCOUVER’S POPULATION: 45,165 (CITY)
NORTH VANCOUVER'S POPULATION: 82,562 (DISTRICT)

DEROCHE

DEROCHE
Is a tiny settlement located on the northern side of the Fraser River, just 19 kilometers east of Mission in the Upper Fraser Valley. Named after Joseph Deroche (1824—1922) a truck driver, who helped haul supplies during the Cariboo Gold Rush of the 1860s, Deroche was first known originally as Derocier. Deroche is also located adjacent to the eastern end of Nicomen Island and at the foot of Nicomen Mountain, which is located immediately across the Fraser River from Chilliwack Mountain. Nearby Nicomen Slough, is home to a winter gathering area for eagles, trumpeter swans, ducks and other waterfowl. In the community, there is a small store, and garage to serve travelers, as well as an elementary school.

DEROCHE’S POPULATION: 72

GROUNDBIRCH

GROUNDBIRCH
Is a small agriculture community that lays on the John Hart Highway (Highway #97) and the now-defunct British Columbia Rail line (BC Rail), 45 kilometers west of Dawson Creek in the Peace River region of British Columbia. Groundbirch only has a general store and a RV Park, but no longer has a wheat elevator to serve local farmers. Groundbirch was first settled in the early 1920s by Ivor Benterud and Ole Martinsen and was formerly known as Stewart Flats.

GROUNDBIRCH’S POPULATION:673

MISSION

MISSION
Is a large district municipality, located on the north side of the Fraser River and on the Lougheed Highway (Highway #7) about 70 kilometers east of Vancouver. Named after St. Mary’s Mission, once the largest and first mission in the Pacific Northwest, established in 1862 on the banks of Fraser River by oblate missionary Leon Fouquet. Operated from 1863 to 1984, the mission was the first school for aboriginals, and it had everything from a gristmill for local farmers and even had its own church. The mission was moved in 1885 further north uphill to make way for the Canadian Pacific Railway to lay and construct tracks. The building and constructing of the new site of the mission was a difficult chore that took over 2 years to complete, however it was eventually finally built in 1885. The remains, of the site, including its cement foundations are still seen today and or on display at the Fraser River Heritage Park, northeast of downtown, but most of the exterior of the building was razed and demolished in 1965 due to years of deterioration. It was 4 years prior students of the mission were moved next-door to a residential school when it became a federally-mandated residential school, where it continued to operate until 1984 making it one of the last residential schools to close in British Columbia. Nestled between the Coast Mountains in the north and the Fraser River in the south, Mission was also chosen as a site in 1954 by Benedictine monks for their new Monastic Retreat Center, the Westminster Abbey seminary of Christ the King, which is a remarkable church with a tower of 10 bells, and 64 stained-glass windows, the Abbey is located on a hillside above town and provides people who seek solitude, prayer and comfort. Once inhabited by the Sto:lo First Nations, Mission was an important stopping place and junction point for trappers, loggers and settlers where it remains to this very day. Economies in Mission which is known for its fertile soil and mild and pleasant climate year-round include dairy farming, agriculture, as well as logging. Many residents work in Vancouver as well as the surround area do so by commuting and using the West Coast Express, a public transit train which takes approximately 45 minutes to Vancouver. Mission was incorporated as a district on November 1969, after being previously and municipally known as a town, village and was even an original district in its early days and due to its massive increase in population and that many residential complexes are being developed over the past few decades, it has been rumored in the future that Mission will eventually be known officially as a city. Highway #11 is a highway that connects Mission and the Lougheed Highway and travels south via the Mission Bridge, 12 kilometers to Abbotsford and 5 more kilometers south towards the Canada/United States border crossing at the tiny Washington State hamlet of Sumas. The district is served by 2 main communities, Mission City (where most of the downtown is located in, as well as a historic post office that dates back to 1935), and Hatzic in addition to 4 smaller neighborhoods, Steelhead, Ruskin, Stave Falls and Silverdale. Mission is a proud sister city to that of Oyama, a town of about 20,000 residents, located in Shizuoka, a prefecture in Japan.


MISSION’S POPULATION: 30,519

BLAKEBURN

BLAKEBURN
Is ghost town, perched on Granite Creek, just north of Princeton. Blakeburn was a mining town that was established in 1911, by owners W.J. Blake Wilson and Pat Burns, who was a former Canadian senator and meat-packer for the P. Burns & Company Limited, a meat company. The mine was famous for its aerial tramway that carried coal to the railhead at the nearby community of Coalmont. The mine also had turbulent times particularly in August of 1930 when an explosion in the mine killed 45 men and is known as British Columbia’s worst mining disasters, a plaque in Coalmont tells this story. The mine closed in 1940 due to fluctuating and dwindling production and because many residents decided to move away to other mining communities near and far. In order to get into Blakeburn, travel along a Forest Service Road from Granite City, which is another ghost town in its own right, and you’ll find several buildings in ruins, including an old bathhouse, washhouse, school and even the old terminal that housed the tramway line, which is basically an old and large block of concrete that is still standing as of today.

FAIRMONT HOT SPRINGS

FAIRMONT HOT SPRINGS
Is a small community, located in the Columbia Valley, 139 kilometers south of Golden along Highway #95 between the Columbia and Windermere Lakes. The community and its hot springs were first used by various First Nations groups, long before a settler by the name of George Geary became the first European to settle in the area in 1887. When Sam Brewer bought the place a few years later, Fairmont Hot Springs quickly became a rest spot for the stage coaches that transported people up and down the Columbia Valley. Tourist and other different varieties of traveler facilities were set up at the springs in 1909, 5 years before the First World War (WWI) started. Fairmont Hot Springs is not only known for its famous hot springs, but is known as a retirement and vacationer community because of its three golf courses used mainly for people from various nearby cities like Revelstoke, Cranbrook as well as major Alberta city of Calgary who want to take a nice relaxing vacation from the pressures of living in a city environment. The community is also home to a small airport facility that offers private and public jets including Boeing 737s. Fairmont Hot Springs has plans to develop condominiums, many residential subdivisions, and an Alpine Ski Village for a nearby ski hill in time before the end of 2009 as well as renovate and expand the nearby ski hill. Fairmont Hot Springs is unincorporated despite its notoriety as a tourism community and is named after a log house hotel located within a half mile from the hot springs’ source, that was built in the late 1920s.

FAIRMONT HOT SPRINGS’ POPULATION: 489

TELKWA

TELKWA

Is a small district municipality, located where the Telkwa and Bulkley Rivers meet, 15 kilometers south of Smithers on the Yellowhead Highway (Highway #16). Telkwa was once a thriving town very rich in coalmine deposits, and even though these have since closed, there have been some rambling that they maybe opened in the future. The history of Telkwa dates back to the 1860s, when the Collins Overland Telegraph line was constructed to further north. Until World War 1 (WWI), Telkwa was the main commercial center for the entire the Bulkley Valley, which is when the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was constructed which in turn, shifted growth and expansion north to Smithers. Telkwa has several historical sites including St. Stephen’s Anglican Church which was built in 1910 from wood donated from Telkwa’s first sawmill, and its bell tower and lich gate were added in 1921. The lich gate is significant because a coffin is placed there commemorating the first-ever burial service in the church’s history. Telkwa is an outdoor enthusiasts haven as there several parks in the vicinity of the town; Tyhee Provincial Park, just 5 minutes northeast of town, this scenic park offers swimming and hiking opportunities during the summer months and ice fishing on the lake and cross-country skiing during the cold, winter months. Another great thing about Telkwa is that there is a demolition derby and barbeque that happens here every Labor Day Weekend in Telkwa well as Winterfest, a winter celebration that is home to dogsled races, wagon rides, snow sculptures, cross-country skiing, candlelight skiing, and much more winter fun. Telkwa is known to be British Columbia’s smallest municipality and its name comes derives from a Carrier First Nations word meaning “where the rivers meet”.

TELKWA’S POPULATION: 1,295

SMITHERS

SMITHERS
Is a town, located on the Yellowhead Highway (Highway #16), about halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert in the Bulkley Valley. Before Smithers was even lively as a community, it was home to the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, who were the original first settlers. Smithers was built as a Grand Trunk Pacific station (later the Canadian National Railway). In 1913, it was later made into a railway’s division point and is named after a former chairman of the Railway as well as London banker; Sir Alfred Waldron Smithers (1850-1924). Today, the community of Smithers relies on tourism, logging, dairy farming, agriculture and mining as its economic activities. Smithers is center among four different mountain ranges; The Skeena, Bulkley, Telkwa, and the Rocher Deboule. Hudson’s Bay Mountain (2,621 meters), which dramatically looms right over the town to the west, is a prime and popular destination for tourists and for people who love the outdoors, as a skiing and hiking area. In 1967, Smithers was officially incorporated as a town. Every June, The community is also home to large music festival that has attracted musicians from all over the music industry including acts such as Spirit of the West and the Bare-naked Ladies.

SMITHERS' POPULATION: 5,217

DOG CREEK

DOG CREEK
Is a small back road community, east of the Fraser River about 80 kilometers south of Williams Lake and just east of the Gang Ranch in the Cariboo Chilcotin. A Shuswap (Secwepemc) village used to run here, although other First Nations people continue to live here in nearby Canoe Creek (Sexqeltqin). The earliest white settlers arrived in the Dog Creek Valley arrived around the 1850’s and Dog Creek soon grew as a result. Dog Creek House, a hotel founded J.S. Place, A Dog Creek pioneer and many members of the Place family, burned in 1966.

DOG CREEK’S POPULATION: 157

TOPLEY

TOPLEY

Is a tiny and unincorporated junction community, 51 kilometers west of Burns Lake in northwestern British Columbia in the Bulkley Valley. The community is named after an early first settler by the name of William J. Topley. It is here that a highway (Highway #118) leads 50 kilometers to the former copper mining community of Granisle; now a retirement community, as well as an outdoor recreation center for 177 kilometer-long Babine Lake, a popular lake with fisherman especially with salmon, kokanee, char, and trout. Topley today has a store, gas station and small elementary school but is unincorporated.

TOPLEY'S POPULATION: 118

ANAHAM

ANAHAM
Is a First Nations (Tl’etinqox) reserve and ranching settlement, 98 kilometers west of Williams Lake and 14 kilometers east of Alexis Creek on Highway #20, in the Chilcotin area of British Columbia. It is a Tsilhqot’in band community with a store, small gas station, as well as a few ranches near the surrounding area. It was formed in the mid 1800s during the fur trading days, when people living in the timber and lakes environment decided to move to the grassy, flat meadows of the eastern limits of the Chilcotin. Anaham is not far from both the Ts’il?os, and Nazko Lakes Provincial Parks, which are within a combined total of 30 kilometers within each other (known as its English term as Mount Tatlow, Ts’il?os is pronounced sigh-loss and the “?’’ in the word represents a glottal stop). Anaham is considered one of the Chilcotin’s largest First Nations reserves and is named after an Anaham band leader in the 1860s and is not to be confused with Anahim Lake, which is 218 kilometers, about a good 2 hours drive, west of here. This community is sometimes referred to as Anaham’s Flat and the word Tl’etinqox means “the river flats” in the Chilcotin language referring to nearby Anaham Creek.  

ANAHAM'S POPULATION: 1,445

KLEENA KLEENE

KLEENA KLEENE
Is a tiny First Nations settlement and recreationasl community in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia along Highway #20 and where the Klinaklini River flows into Knight Inlet. Pat McClinchy, Frank Render and Sam Colwell were the first settlers to arrive in the early-1900s, while James MacKill opened a resort at One Eye Lake, southwest of here. In recent years, Kleena Kleene has become a departure point for float plane transportation into the nearby artea's remote lakes and rivers including Nimpo Lake which prides itself at being the "Floatplane Capital of Canada". Kleena Kleena is a base for sightseeing wirth nearby lakes rivers, and mountains to explore and view, especially with Mount Waddington, British Columbia third highest mountain as the province's largest provincial park in Tweedsmuir. Kleena Kleene’s main economic activity is based entirely on ranching and means “eulachon grease” in Kwakwala language. Several books from the area tell the story of the history of the community and its ranching heritage including the history of several ranches including that of Dane and Clearwater Lake Ranches. The area of where Kleena Kleene is located is where the Klinaklini River, the Homathko River as well as the Chilcotin River share the same stretch of Chilcotin Plateau.

KLEENA KLEENE’S POPULATION: 93

JADE CITY

JADE CITY

Is a small tourist attraction spot on the road and a tiny first nations reserve located on the Stewart-Cassiar Highway (Highway #37), near the turnoff to the abandoned and ghost town of Cassiar, 115 kilometers north of Dease Lake. Jade City is made up of two seasonal jade stores that straddled along the Stewart-Cassiar Highway that are only open during the peak summer months, when tourism season kicks in. The stores offer jade mined through the Cassiar Mountains, as well as asbestos, and gold. Jade City is a haven for campers and wilderness lovers alike, with several mountains, lakes and park to explore. Jade City has some highway services and is named after the large outcrops of jade that are mined throughout the Cassiar Mountains.

JADE CITY’S POPULATION: 12

ANYOX

ANYOX

Is a ghost town and pretty much largely abandoned and in ruins located just southeast of Stewart on the shores of Observatory Inlet in the remote confines of Northwest British Columbia. Kind of like other British Columbia ghost towns like Phoenix and Cassiar, Anyox was a small company-owned mining town that was completely reiled on mining of copper and other minerals. In the early 1900s, Anyox grew to a population of about 3,000 residents as rich deposits of copper and other valuable metals were found and mined at the nearby mountains. The mine was owned by the Granby Company which operated the copper mines in Granisle as well as both the mines in Grand Forks and Phoenix. However, Anyox’s heyday was short-lived as forest fires in 1923 almost completely wiped out the entire community, but the town was soon rebuilt and work at the mine until the early-1930s, when the mines were played out and the workers left and in 1935 the min was completely shut down and Anyox became a ghost town in the process. Some old buildings from the community’s early days still exist, but are in very poor and reduced condition. In the 1940s operations were taken place to remove some of the steel and machinery from the town’s mine and a forest fire a second time, shortly thereafter, destroyed most of the remaining buildings. Anyox is from a Tsimshian word for “hidden water” where Anyox Creek flows into nearby Granby Bay where the mine was located nearby.

PORT MOODY

PORT MOODY

Is a city located on the northwest end of Burrard Inlet 15 kilometers east of downtown Vancouver. It is named after Richard Moody, a commander of the Royal Engineers, who coincidentally cut a trail from New Westminster in 1859 to the head of the inlet as a safeguard against a violent assault from the south. In 1879, Port Moody was announced as the Canadian Pacific Railway’s (CPR) western terminus of the new Trans-Continental Rail line, which in 1886 the first passenger train in British Columbia’s history arrived in 1886. Since the railways decision to put the end of track down the inlet to Vancouver, Port Moody has grown less than anticipated, but since World War 2 (WWII), it has grown into a residential suburb of Vancouver. Port Moody was incorporated as a city in March of 1913 and its main industries include that of the Oil and Gas Industry (at the neighbourhood of IOCO), sawmilling, chemical plants, wine-making, and an active waterfront that handles deep-sea bulk carriers. The West Coast Express train uses the existing Canadian Pacific Railway line to connect it to Vancouver, and bringing the residents of Port Moody that work in Vancouver, a 30 minute trip to work every day. Port Moody is bordered on the west by Burnaby, the east by Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, the south by the Fraser River, and on the north by North Vancouver as well as the unincorporated towns of Anmore and Belcarra. Port Moody is the smallest of the 3 cities that make up the Tri-Cities area known as the Tri-Cities (cities of Port Moody, Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam).

PORT MOODY’S POPULATION: 27,512

MICA CREEK

MICA CREEK

Is a small community located on the northern side of Highway #23 and at the confluence of Mica Creek and the mighty Columbia River, 148 kilometers north of Revelstoke. Mica Creek’s (earlier known as Mica) originality came from the days of the Big Bend Gold Rush of the 1860s when it was an important boomtown for gold miners to either Fort Kamloops or east towards Alberta. Present-day Mica Creek was founded and used as a base of operations for BC Hydro’s construction for a hydroelectric power project at nearby Mica Dam in the 1960s and 1970s. After it was constructed in 1973, Mica Creek peaked to a population of about 4,000 people and had a swimming pool, ski lodge, church, banks, grocery store, high school, fire hall, police station, and post office. During the early 1980s, the population suddenly reduced most of the buildings that housed these important amenities were either bulldozed or shut down but most are still maintained in order provide accommodation for tourists who want to heli-ski or camp in the area. Mica Creek was moved to its existing location 500 meters from Columbia River to accommodate flooding which created Mica Dam’s reservoir; Revelstoke Dam. In 2005, the townsite became unincorporated after briefly being a village since it was born and is named after flakes of mica minerals that are found floating in the creek’s waters.

MICA CREEK’S POPULATION: 34

USK

USK

Is a tiny, unincorporated community nestled on the Skeena River, 20 kilometers northeast of Terrace. The community started out as a Grand Trunk Pacific Railway station in 1912. The Yellowhead Highway (Highway #16) passes by the community side of the Skeena River. The train does not stop in Usk anymore, however the community has survived thanks to maintaining its link with the outside world via a cable reaction ferry that goes across the river towards the main highway. Usk is named after either the birthplace of David Lloyd George or is the Tsimshian word for “stink”.

USK'S POPULATION: 34

OYAMA

OYAMA
Is a small community that sprawls on a narrow body of water separating the lakes of Wood and Kalamalka, 16 kilometers north of Kelowna and east of Okanagan Lake and just off Highway #97. Oyama is one of 4 main communities that make up the district municipality of Lake Country (Winfield, Carr’s Landing, and Okanagan Center are the other three). Oyama takes its name from Japanese Prince Iwao Oyama (1842-1916), also a Japanese field Marshall, captor of Port Arthur in the first Sino-Japanese War and commander in Manchuria in the Russo-Japanese War. The first post office in Oyama opened in 1906.

OYAMA’S POPULATION: 1,644

FARMINGTON

FARMINGTON

Is a unincorporated settlement, located about a 22 kilometer drive northwest of Dawson Creek in the flatlands of the region that makes up the region that is the Peace River. Just towards the north of here is the locality of a old and preserved unique wooden bridge housed on the old Alaska Highway and the Kiskatinaw River near Kiskatinaw Provincial Park. The bridge was constructed 1942-43 and is known as the highway’s last original wooden tressel bridges. The main economic activities in Farmington are tourism and agriculture. There are some services in Farmington including a gas station, small grocery store, and Farmington Fairways golf course.

FARMINGTON’S POPULATION: 79

DUNCAN

DUNCAN
Is a small-sized city, situated in the Cowichan Valley on the east side of Vancouver Island located approximately halfway between Nanaimo and Victoria. William Chalmers Duncan, settled o n 40 hectares of land near Cowichan Bay in 1964, most of it now occupies the downtown core of Duncan. Duncan is nicknamed “the city of Totems” due to the fact that totem poles have erected all over the city and have been since 1985. Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway built a station in Duncan in 1887 and a post office first opened in 1908 and was first known as Alderlea. Duncan bloomed between 1898 and 1908, because of a flurry of mining activity at Mount Sicker, a mountain located nearby. Duncan became a city on March 4, 1912 when it separated from the nearby district of North Cowichan. Agriculture and logging are the local mainstays of Duncan’s economy. Duncan is also home to the world’s largest hockey stick, which is perched on a front entrance of a hockey rink located in downtown.

DUNCAN’S POPULATION: 4,583

BRACKENDALE

BRACKENDALE

Is a small and unincorporated community on the Squamish River, 10 kilometers north of Squamish off of Highway #99. Brackendale’s history dates back to the early 1900s, and before World War One (WWI), when hop farming and logging was made important. Brackendale’s name refers to Thomas Hirst Bracken, who was Brackendale’s first postmaster from 1906-1912, as well as Brackendale’s first hotel owner and operator. Brackendale is infamous every February for its annual congregation of bald eagles who feed on salmon in the Squamish River and because of this, a 6 square kilometer-long provincial reserve was created to protect the environment of the eagles’ habitat. Tourism and logging are important to the economy and since Brackendale is located off of Highway #99, it can be approachable via Depot Road, a side road that goes from Squamish’s industrial area to the community.

BRACKENDALE’S POPULATION: 1,178

HOSMER

HOSMER

Is a small settlement located in the Elk River Valley, 11 kilometers north of Fernie in southeastern British Columbia. Together, with its subsidiary partner; the Canadian Coal Company, the Canadian Pacific Railway began mining coal in Hosmer in 1908, but due to poor-quality coal, the mine was shutdown in 1914, dealing the community a major blow. Hosmer today is unincorporated and relies heavily on tourism as its main economic mainstay. It is named after Charles Hosmer, a former executive of the Canadian Pacific Railway as well as one of the founders who founded the West Kootenay Power and Light Company. Mount Hosmer (1,970 meters above sea level), is a mountain located just adjacent to the community, is a favorite hotspot for hikers and unique in a way, as it is a upside-down mountain, where the youngest of the rock formation is at the bottom and the oldest part of the formation is at the top.

HOSMER’S POPULATION: 129

TROUT LAKE CITY

TROUT LAKE CITY

Is a very small and tiny settlement, located 60 kilometers southeast of Revelstoke at the north end of a lake of the same name. During the 1890s, gold and silver was discovered in the Lardeau Valley and thus putting Trout Lake City on the map. It boomed during this time and soon had a bank, a small hospital, skating rink, several hotels, had its newspaper and had a population of about 2,000 residents. In 1902, the Arrowhead and Kootenay Railway arrived at the south end of the lake and the town also had its own steamboat service that operated for almost 2 decades from 1902 to 1921. However, the town’s fame and heyday was short-lived has metal prices fell and the gold and silver mines dropped during the mid-1900s and in the process causing the mines to shut down for good. Today, Trout Lake is only home to a handful of residents remaining, mainly summer cabin owners, who decide to get away for a nice relaxing time. Trout Lake is also a minor tourism and recreation community with a gas station café and small coffee shop. Trout Lake is named after nearby Trout Mountain which is turn is reportedly named after a military officer with the last name Trout, who worked in the mines.

TROUT LAKE’S POPULATION: 56

KINCOLITH

KINCOLITH

Is a small community in the Nass Valley and near the Alaskan Panhandle, 80 kilometers north of Prince Rupert. It is one of 4 communities that make up the Nisga’a Nation, the others being New Aiyansh, Canyon City, and Greenville. It was founded prominently in 1867 by Christian missionaries, who came from the river by raft to settle in the area and wished to live apart from the other villages upriver. A little over a decade later, a school, church and houses were soon built as a result. In order to ease and prevent power outages and feel isolated from the outside world, a 28-kilometer stretch of road (now Highway #113 AKA the Nisga’a Highway) was built from here to nearby Greenville (Laxqalts’ap) in 2003. Before this road was put in place, Kincolith was only accessible by either boat or plane, which meant helicopters would be flown in to fix the outages and that residents of Kincolith would not have electricity as long as 3 weeks. Kincolith is known in Nisga’a language as Gincolx and means “place of skulls” and legend as it that once natives were attacked by other nearby nations, they fought back and won, they placed and hung their attackers’ skulls on sticks and in the process, lining them up along the riverbank as a warning. Even though, Kincolith is extremely remote and is unincorporated, the forest industry, fishing and tourism are the community’s major mainstays of the economy.

KINCOLITH’S (GINCOLX) POPULATION: 341

LISTER

LISTER

Is a small and rural community located just 6 kilometers south of Creston in the rolling hills of the Creston Valley and just north of Canada/United States border. It was founded as Camp Lister and named after colonel Fred Lister, who later became a local Member of Legislature Assembly (MLA). During the First World War (WWI), Lister was the site of soldier training and passage settlement. Lister today is a agriculture and farming community and is basically a bedroom community as well as suburb for residents who are mostly employed and work in Creston.

LISTER’S POPULATION: 1,126

NORTH BEND

NORTH BEND

In the Fraser Canyon, 68 kilometers northwest of Hope across the Fraser River from Boston Bar, North Bend is a small community and a former Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) divisional point between Kamloops and Vancouver. The community was originally known as Yankee Flats, but takes its present name because of the railway’s stretch north of Hope is referred to as the railway’s “north bend”. A hotel, Fraser Canyon House opened in 1886 and operated until 1935 when it was replaced by a new hotel which operated until the late 1970s. North Bend had its own unique aerial ferry, which operated from 1940-1986 and transported more than 2,000,000 vehicles and 6,000,000 people over the Fraser River on a crossing that only took 3 minutes. In 1986, it was replaced by the 0.8 kilometer-long Cog Harrington Bridge linking the community with Boston Bar. The hamlet is the gateway to several lakes including Nahatlatch and Francis Lakes, they are located less than an hour from North Bend.

NORTH BEND’S POPULATION: 133

TERRACE

TERRACE

Is a city, located in the Skeena Valley, 140 kilometers east of Prince Rupert. Terrace was created in 1910 when the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway arrived and because of this, a townsite was laid out at the confluence of the Kitsumkalum and Skeena Rivers. The community was named by George Little, a settler who named it after the terraced (benched) land along the Skeena River which was formed by a series of glaciations in the last Ice Age about 1,000 years ago. Terrace was incorporated as a city on December 31st, 1927 and was actually developed and constructed as a sawmill town. In the 1950s, Terrace boomed as a service center for the construction of the new community of Kitimat, located 60 kilometers south on Highway #37. The city’s location has made Terrace, one of the fast-growing cities in northern British Columbia, as well as a important transportation hub with the junction of the Yellowhead Highway (Highway #16), the Stewart-Cassiar Highway (Highway #37), in addition to the Nisga’a Highway (Highway #113). Tourism and forestry are the main industries, and its main attraction is the Riverboat Days, a family fun event that celebrates the city’s heritage as well as its ties with the Skeena River. Terrace has adopted the Kermode Bear as its main municipal symbol.

TERRACE’S POPULATION: 12,779

ALERT BAY

ALERT BAY

Is a small community ,located on Cormorant Island an island off northeast coast of Vancouver Island about 300 kilometers north of Vancouver. It history dates back to when it was a seasonal gathering place for the Namgis (Nimpkish) First Nations people. A.W. Huson and his associated partners established a store and saltery for preserving salmon in 1870. They also encouraged and recommended Reverend A.J. Hall to move his mission from Fort Rupert (near where Port Hardy presently sits), in order to push and promote First Nations’ Labour force to inhabit near the saltery. in 1880, he arrived and the Namgis moved their village from the mouth of the Nimpkish River and shortly afterward Alert Bay began booming with a hospital, sawmill, residential school, as well as a small salmon cannery. Alert Bay’s population declined during the decade of the 1960s and 1970s because of rapid growth of other Vancouver Island communities such as Campbell River, Nanaimo and Port Hardy. Tourism plays a huge part in Alert Bay’s economy as well as commercial fishing and serves as the only community on Cormorant Island. It gets its name from HMS Alert which a British Royal Navy warship vessel that took on a naval survey of the coast in the 1860s. There is museum that tells the story of Alert Bay’s history and the world’s tallest totem pole (53 meters tall) is located here. Alert Bay is incorporated and does have services for travelers despite being somewhat of a remote community, and that fact that it has a population of less than 600 residents.

ALERT BAY’S POPULATION: 584

93 MILE HOUSE

93 MILE HOUSE

Is a unincorporated settlement located just 11 kilometers south of 100 Mile House at the junction of where Highway #97 meets Highway #24, a highway that goes 97-kilometers through communities such as Lone Butte and Bridge Lake to its eastern terminus at the community at Little Fort. 93 Mile House’s history dates back to the Cariboo Gold Rush of the 1860s, when a roadhouse was built to serve travelers that were heading up to the Cariboo Goldfields at Barkerville. Its name is a reference to its distance from Lillooet along the Cariboo Wagon Road. Light industry and log-home building are the community’s only benefactors of the economy. 93 Mile House is unincorporated with no services for travelers.

93 MILE HOUSE’S POPULATION: 86

ALKALI LAKE

ALKALI LAKE

Is a small unincorporated First Nations community, located south of Williams Lake on the Fraser River Plateau, just north of both Dog Creek and the historic Gang Ranch. Alkali Lake became important as a way station for various trails that were used for a route to the Cariboo goldfields at Barkerville. Alkali Lake is the First Nations government of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) people and is known in Shuswap language as Esketemc, a subgroup of the Secwepemc people. Alkali Lake is home the one of the Canada’s longest-serving and one its first cattle ranches, and is located right on the lake and itself is home to a bird sanctuary which in turn, residents can see one of British Columbia’s rarest-seen birds, the White Pelican. Alkali Lake today, relies on ranching, and some form of tourism as its main economic activities and is named after large outcrops of Alkali on a large hillside that overlooks the community as well as the lake. The lake itself does not have any traces of Alkali in it.

ALKALI LAKE’S POPULATION: 363

KITCHENER

KITCHENER

is a tiny and unincorporated settlement near the Goat River in the Eastern confines of the Kootenay region of British Columbia about 15 kilometers east of Creston. The townsite started out in 1899 and was surveyed by Earl Kitchener, a British Imperial war hero and who the town is named after. Although logging, the forest industry and mining are important to the town’s local economy, it is mainly a residential community for residents, who drive the 15 kilometers to Creston for work.

KITCHENER’S POPULATION: 218

HEFFLEY CREEK

HEFFLEY CREEK

Is a small community located just 26 kilometers north of Kamloops along the Yellowhead Highway (Highway #5). It is bordered on the west by the North Thompson River, the east by Sun Peaks Ski Resort, the north by Vinsulla and to the south by the Kamloops neighborhood of Rayleigh. It is named after Adam Heffley a pioneer settler whom unsuccessfully brought 2 dozen camels to British Columbia and used them as pack animals during the Cariboo Gold Rush. A sawmill was established at Heffley Creek in 1951 and in the 1970s it added a small plywood plant and once employed as much as 300 people by the time the 20th century ended when it was eventually sold to Tolko Industries. Heffley Creek today as a school, a privately-owned gas station, community hall, and small general store and its main economic benefactors and industries include that of agriculture and logging. Even though it is its own community, most residents of Heffley Creek work in Kamloops.

HEFFLEY CREEK’S POPULATION: 848

GOLD RIVER

GOLD RIVER

Is a small town, located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, just 12 kilometers from the head of Muchalat Inlet. It began in 1955, when a company by the name of Tahsis Company, established a logging camp. In 1968, it moved to its present-day location when the company built and constructed a pulp mill on the original location which was built as as a joint enterprise of the Tahsis Company and the Canadian International Paper Company (CIP). It was built and planned carefully with all amenities to house the entire mill’s employees and was incorporated in August of 1965. For 30 years during the mill flourished, Gold River had a peak population of about 2,500 residents, and even had its own newsprint mill built in 1989. By the end of the 20th century, the mill produced pulp for markets throughout the world until in 1998 when it was bought by Bowater, a Greenville, South Carolina-based pulp and paper company, who in 1998 closed the mill and some residents who worked in the mill were forced to relocate to other communities who rely on the pulp and paper industry. Gold River has since survived with tourism and sports-fishing as its main economic strongholds especially with its scenic lakes, rivers, mountains, and forests to explore. A road was constructed from here to Campbell River in 1958.

GOLD RIVER’S POPULATION: 1,362

KERSLEY

KERSLEY

Is a unincorporated community, 100 kilometers north of Williams Lake along the Cariboo Highway (Highway #97). Kersley is named after Charles Kersley, an early rancher, who supplied harvest products to men working in the Cariboo goldfields and also pre-empted land in Kersley in 1867. Today, Kersley is a rural farming and agricultural settlement.

KERSLEY'S POPULATION: 376

KITCHENER

KITCHENER

is a tiny and unincorporated settlement near the Goat River in the Eastern confines of the Kootenay region of British Columbia about 15 kilometers east of Creston. The townsite started out in 1899 and was surveyed by Earl Kitchener, a British Imperial war hero and who the town is named after. Although logging, the forest industry and mining are important to the town’s local economy, it is mainly a residential community for residents, who drive the 15 kilometers to Creston for work.

KITCHENER’S POPULATION: 218

ANMORE

ANMORE

Is a suburban and rural village that sprawls on the north side of Burrard Inlet on the eastern outskirts of Vancouver and just adjacent and nearby to Port Moody. It was incorporated in 1987 and is named after original and local homesteader F.J. Lancaster after his wife Annie and daughter Leonore to make Annore, in which the locals modified the name into Anmore, shortly afterward. Anmore’s city hall used to house legendary newspaperwoman; Ma Murray and her husband George. Buntzen Lake is popular recreation and swimming area as well as being used to power two hydroelectric stations that are located on nearby Indian Arm. Tourism and the oil and gas industry (including a oil refinery at IOCO) are the main mainstays of Anmore’s economy.

ANMORE’S POPULATION: 1,992

AVOLA

AVOLA

Is a small unincorporated settlement, located 68 kilometers northeast of Clearwater on the Yellowhead Highway (Highway #5). The community is home to the Log Inn, and is known by locals, as “the largest and friendliest pub in town” is a watering hole for loggers, rail workers and residents from the valley. The old schoolhouse is now home for to the Avola library. Avola is absolutlely worth taking pictures of as it near the banks of the North Thompson The community games it name from a Sicilian village.  

AVOLA'S POPULATION: 160

CANIM LAKE

CANIM LAKE

Is a small unincorporated community and first nations reserve, 38 kilometers east of 100 Mile House in the South Cariboo region of British Columbia. The community is the gateway approach to many resorts including Mahood Falls and Canim Beach. The lake itself is very large about 37 kilometers long and is home to many fish including “laker” or char and also it touches the western end of Wells Grey Provincial Park. The community has many activities including horseback riding, bird-watching, fishing, and water activities, like water-skiing and tubing. The Shuswap (Secwepemc) First Nation has a base in the community and the name Canim is a Chinook Jargon trade language term for “canoe”.  

CANIM LAKE'S POPULATION: 492 

PORT ESSINGTON

PORT ESSINGTON

Is a former salmon cannery and forestry community, located at the junction of the Skeena and Ecstall Rivers. It was established as a campsite and homebase for the Kitsumkalum, Kitselas, and Tsimshian First Nations, who knew it as Spokeshute or Spukshut which meant “autumn camping place” in Tsimshian language. In 1871, a fur trader by the name of Robert Cunningham (1835-1905), a Irish-born entrepreneur, founded Port Essington established a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post which in turn, developed into a small village. In its heyday and glory, Port Essington was once home to 12 salmon canneries and even had its own sawmill and was even a stopover point for steamboats operating on the Skeena River, but was only accessible by anything that travels over water and had only wooden streets. Port Essington also flourished during many fishing periods and boasted hotels, restaurants, stores, had its own red light district. Between 1906 and 1910, The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was constructed on the north of the river and brought massive economic activity and had peak population of 2,000 residents. However, the town’s life died when the railway chose Prince Rupert as its main terminus and basically abandoned the community of Port Essington. Fires in both 1961 and 1965 destroyed the last buildings and as of today only charred fragments remain of the community of Port Essington.

HUDSON’S HOPE

HUDSON’S HOPE

Is a small district municipality located beside the Peace River in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, 90 kilometers west of Fort St. John. In 1805, A jumping-off spot for the Northwest Company’s expansion across the mountains into the Interior of British Columbia was established and created by Simon Fraser and was located at the head of a portage trail running west around the sometimes unstable and tumultuous Peace River and in the process attracted several series of fur traders and gold prospectors to the area. Before the First World War (WWI), homesteaders as well as settlers began pre-empting land for a townsite and during the 1960s, Hudson’s Hope began booming as a center of construction for a new nearby dam. The dam, known by locals as the William Andrew Cecil (W.A.C. for short) Bennett Dam began producing power in 1968 and is capable of producing and generating about 2,800 megawatts of electricity at peak capacity. In addition the dam also created the Williston Lake Reservoir, British Columbia’s largest body of fresh water. The location for this dam is located 19 kilometers west from here. The details on how Hudson’s Hope got its present-day name are sketchy but one theory is that it comes from Hudson’s derived from the Hudson’s Bay Company and hope which is actually Scottish for a small enclosed valley. Hudson’s Hope was incorporated as an actual district municipality in 1965 and is known to be the third-oldest community. Not only does the dam contribute to the local economy but so does timber logging and agriculture. Hudson’s Hope official slogan is Land of Dinosaurs and Dams. 

HUDSON’S HOPE’S POPULATION: 1,012

DECKER LAKE

DECKER LAKE

Is a settlement located 8 kilometers northwest of Burns Lake along Highway #16 (Yellowhead Highway), near the geographical center of British Columbia. It started out in 1913, when a post office was established to serve the gangs from the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and is named after a foreman from the Collins Overland Telegraph party that passed through here in 1866. During the mid-1920s, Sivert “Bull River Slim” Anderson, and 3 of his partners set up a substantial operational here that cut ties with the Canadian National Railway. Today Decker Lake is unincorporated, with tourism being the only benefactor for the economy.

OOTISCHENIA

OOTISCHENIA

is a small village located just east of the city limits of Castlegar in the southeast corner of British Columbia. Ootischenia was founded as a Doukhobour colony for immigrants who came from Russia to take part in farming and other agricultural activities just before the First World War (WWI), a small cemetery on private property and a Doukhobour Museum in downtown Castlegar reflects this era of time. Today, Ootischenia basically serves as a suburb of Castlegar with the location of Castlegar’s two golf courses as well as the Castlegar Airport which serves daily flights to Calgary, Kelowna and Vancouver. The name Ootischenia means “Valley of Consolation” in Russian.

OOTISCHENIA’S POPULATION: 856

WALHACHIN

WALHACHIN

Is a small hamlet located on the South shore of the Thompson River near the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway #1), 10 kilometers west of Kamloops Lake west of Kamloops. In its heyday, the community was founded by the English and referred to many residents as “Canada’s Camelot”. Today’s community only boasts an approximately population of 100 and its name means “land of the round rock” in Nlaka’pamux (Thompson Indian) language. With an annual rainfall less than of 20 centimeters annually, Walhachin holds the distinction of being one of the driest places of all of British Columbia. Back in the day, many residents lived in fine homes with stone with high ceiling and large fireplaces and by this time Walhachin had a hotel, a Laundromat, a skating rink, a swimming pool, and a polo field. By the early 1900s, however, Walhachin’s population began to decline as the residents had problems irrigating the orchards due to absolutely no water supply, caused by a major drought, and decided to build a flume that would carry water from the mountains to the irrigation ditches, but this proved to be too much and by 1914 there were only 300 residents and to make matters even more worse, many of the male residents fought during World War 2 (WWII), putting the entire community of Walhachin into virtual abandonment.  

WALHACHIN’S POPULATION: 104

SAANICH

SAANICH

Is a district municipality, perched on Vancouver Island just north of Victoria, British Columbia’s capital city and part of Greater Victoria. Saanich’s history dates back to thousands of years ago when the Saanich First Nation arrived, but it was not until the 1840s that the Hudson’s Bay Company arrived in the process non-native settlement began. in 1852, Kenneth Mackenzie, who came over from Scotland on a boat and established farm for the Puget Sound Agriculture Company as well as the Craigflower School (formally known as Maple Point School), which is Western Canada’s oldest surviving school. Between the 1996 and 2001 censuses, Saanich has achieved a growth rate of 2.2% and is one of Vancouver Island’s most densely-populated communities with a rate of 1,002.2 people per square kilometer. Like most other communities near Victoria like Oak Bay and Langford, Saanich is mostly a residential suburb of Victoria and consists of many neighborhoods including Gordon Head, Ten Mile Point, Queenswood and Prospect Lake. Saanich was incorporated on March 1st of 1906 and relies mostly on tourism as its main economic benefactor and contributor.

SAANICH’S POPULATION: 108,265   

BUFFALO CREEK

BUFFALO CREEK

Is a rural and tiny settlement, 15 kilometers northeast of 100 Mile House on the road to Canim Lake in the south Cariboo region of British Columbia. A school opened here in 1923 and a post office in 1934. The community is used as a gateway to the recreation areas of Canim Lake, Ruth Lake as well as the western gateway to Wells Grey Provincial Park. There was also a seasonal garden shop in the nearby subdivision/community of Gateway until it closed a few years ago. Buffalo Creek takes its name from team of ox used by a freighter on the Old Cariboo Wagon Road. Today’s version of the community relies strictly on agriculture and ranching. Despite being abandoned, neglected and not having any activity in it for several years, the post office remained standing until May of 2009, when a forest fire greedily destoyed and consumed the entire building and in the process leveling it completely leaving only charred remains.

BUFFALO CREEK AND GATEWAY’S POPULATION (COMBO): 636  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

INVERMERE

INVERMERE

Is a small town located in Eastern British Columbia, 120 kilometers north of Cranbrook along Highway #95. Invermere is a major recreation town with home to several golf courses, downhill skiing at Panorama Ski Resort and on top of that, Invermere is also home to 2 major developed Hot Springs at Fairmont and Radium. Inveremere’s weather is protected from the severity of inclement weather and effects of arctic by scenic Mount Nelson, which towers over the community and is part of the Rocky Mountains making Inveremere’s climate is semi-arid and temperate and has cold winters and warm and comfortable summers. Invermere’s history dates back to the early 1800s when David Thompson traveled up the Columbia River to Windermere Lake and built a trading post near modern day Invermere and naming it Kootenae House. Invermere today has a wide range of services for travelers, unique shops, and is a holiday paradise for people who want to escape the pressures of everyday life. Invermere is the largest incorporated British Columbia community that begins with the letter “I”.

INVERMERE’S POPULATION: 3,002

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

HAGENSBORG

HAGENSBORG

Is a small and unincorporated community, located 22 kilometers east of Bella Coola, along Highway #20 in the heart of the Chilcotin region of British Columbia. A townsite was laid out in 1894, when a group of Norwegian colonists, who came from Minnesota and built a road from Bella Coola in addition to laying out land for agriculture and building a church and school. Hagensborg’s post office was established in 1900 and is located a few kilometers up the Bella Coola Valley. The settlement takes its name from Hagen B. Christiansen who owned a store and post office during Hagenborg’s early times. The word “Borg” is Norwegian for fortified place of where chiefs used to live. Tourism and little forestry make up Hagensborg’s economy. The Bella Coola Airport, which belongs, to the community of Bella Coola, is located in Hagensborg. There are some services in the community including a full-service grocery store/ gas station, hotels, as well as a bed and breakfast.    

HAGENSBORG’S POPULATION: 606
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

RED PASS

RED PASS

Is a tiny settlement and junction point on the Canadian National Railway, just 63 kilometers west of Jasper Alberta and just east of Tete Jaune Cache along Highway #16 (Yellowhead Highway). During the 1920s, it started out as a small hunting and fishing community and later had a school and a police station that later served as a headquarters building for Mount Robson Provincial Park. During Red Pass’ heyday it had a peak population of about 500 residents.  Red Pass was originally surveyed with its streets running parallel to the railway with one of them being present-day Yellowhead Highway. During the Second World War (WWII) and 1942, Red Pass was home to a small Japanese Internment Camp when Japanese Canadians were relocated after the attack of Pearl Harbour. Today, Red Pass is basically abandoned and is named after a red-colored mountain summit found nearby. A museum in Valemount, about an hour south, relives the history of the railway as well as the area.        

FANNY BAY

FANNY BAY

is a small Oceanside community located about 83 kilometers on the east coast of Vancouver Island and along the Island Highway (Highway #19A). Fanny Bay’s history dates back to 1792 when sea captain George Vancouver first sailed the waters surrounding the vicinity of Vancouver Island. Packs of California and Stellar sea lions often flock to either Fanny Bay’s main government dock or the Brico. This dock is used for fisherman who fish mainly for cod, salmon and other fish. The Brico, meanwhile is a old vessel was used as a homebase for the British Columbia Telephone Company (formerly BC Tel, now TELUS Communications) to repair and lay telephone cables and during the 1990s, it was used mainly as a seafood restaurant. The origin of Fanny Bay’s name is a mystery and is somewhat unknown sopme legend has it that it honors a wife of a former British Naval officer as well as former native woman who drowned while swimming near the bay. Fanny Bay is unincorporated and strictly relies on oyster and commercial fishing, in addition to tourism.

FANNY BAY’S POPULATION: 744

ZEBALLOS

ZEBALLOS

Is a small deep-sea port community located on the delta of Zeballos Inlet, an arm of Nootka Sound on the Western Coast of Vancouver Island. It appeared unexpectedly in 1936-1936 due to a gold rush and the opening of several mines. During the gold rush, $13,000,000 worth of gold bricks was shipped out of Zeballos and because of this (even though it varies) the population grew to about 5,000 people. During World War (WWII), Zeballos began to lose many of the mine’s employees The last gold mine was shut down in 1948 and the community was just about to become a ghost town when an iron mine opened in 1962 and operated until 1969 when that too shut down. Since then, Zeballos still survives and is now a small logging community as well as been named from Ciriaco Cevallos, one of Spanish naval officers who founded Zeballos Inlet in 1791. Following the demise of the Kootenay region mining community of Zincton in the1930s, Zeballos is the only community in British Columbia that starts with “z”, that is still in existence Zeballos wasn’t linked with other communities on Western Vancouver Island until 1970 when a small road was built, linking the community with small towns, such as Port McNeill and Woss. 

ZEBALLOS’ POPULATION: 232

SISKA FLAT

SISKA FLAT

Is a tiny and unincorporated First Nations community in the Fraser Canyon, 12 kilometers south of Lytton. Because of deep and narrow terrain and being impossible to occupy the same bank of the Fraser River, Siska is where the Canadian National Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway cross from one bank of the Fraser River to the other. Back in the Second World War (WWII), these bridges were considered a big, national transportation junction, so much so it made security guards watch it very closely. Siska is one of 11 Nlaka’pamux First Nations communities, and its where several artists are becoming well known for their sculptures in high quality soapstone made from ancient rock quarries deep into Siska’s customary mountain colonies, this is just many of pieces of artwork are on display at the Siska Art Gallery, which is located just west off of the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway #1). Siska Flat is sometimes referred to sometimes simply as Siska and the name comes from a first nations word meaning “uncle” in reference to the nearby bridges.  

SISKA FLAT'S POPULATION: 74