LEJAC

LEJAC
Is a small first nations settlement inhabited by the Nadleh Whut’en (formally known the Carrier), located about 50 kilometers west of Vanderhoof along the Yellowhead Highway (Highway #16) between the small towns of Fort Fraser and Fraser Lake. From 1922 to 1976, it was the site of a residential school operated by the Roman Catholic Church and had approximately 500 students every year before it closed down. This school still stands as of today but since 1976, the building of the school has since been razed and the land transferred to a local Indian band. Near the school is home to a gravesite of Rose Prince, a devoted Roman Catholic saint, where thousands of many pilgrims near and far are attracted to every July. Lejac is named after a former Oblate Missionary by the name of Father Jean Marie Lejacq, who is said to have founded the mission in Fort St. James in 1873. A sawmill operated by Fraser Lake Sawmills Limited, also a subsidiary of West Fraser Mills Limited, is the main economic employer.

LEJAC’S POPULATION: 23