Gitsegukla (also variants of Kitsegeucla or Skeena Crossing) 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 place is on the southeast side of 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 ...
adjacent to the Kitseguecla River mouth. On
BC Highway 16, the locality is by road about northwest 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
In the
Gitxsan
Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan and Kitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people of" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory enco ...
language, Gitsegukla means the "people living under the precipice" or more specifically under the "Segukla" or "sharp-pointed" mountain, a reference to the characteristics of Kitseguecla Mountain. By the 1890s, the
Kitseguecla River name was well established.
The name Skeena Crossing alluded to the railway bridge construction. The earliest newspaper references were June 1910 to Skeena crossing and October 1910 to Skeena Crossing, a
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...
stop.
First Nations
First Nations
First nations are indigenous settlers or bands.
First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to:
Indigenous groups
*List of Indigenous peoples
*First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
have inhabited the area for over six thousand years.
During the
Omineca Gold Rush
The Omineca Gold Rush was a gold rush in British Columbia, Canada, in the Omineca Country, Omineca region of the Northern Interior of the province. Gold was first discovered there in 1861, but the rush did not begin until late in 1869 with the disc ...
the Skeena River became a supply route for miners and traders to the northern interior. Kitsegukla, which was one of the seven Gitxsan winter villages, lay in a small canyon a short distance below the present village. About a dozen
longhouse
A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America.
Many were built from lumber, timber and ...
s accommodated the village of 250–300 people. In early June 1872, a party in two canoes carrying both European and indigenous occupants failed to fully extinguish their camp fire at an adjacent site. The resulting blaze destroyed 12
totem pole
Totem poles () are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large t ...
s, the longhouses, and the contents. Beside the cultural loss, the monetary value was estimated at $6,000.
During the preceding period, seven Gitxsan members had drowned while carrying freight for a
Hazelton merchant in their canoes. These combined events prompted a Gitsegukla blockade of the river. Consequently, the merchant paid compensation for the drownings. A few weeks after the fire, the blockade was lifted on the understanding that the government would compensate for the fire loss. When a settlement did not appear imminent, the Gitsegukla again closed the river to freight traffic.
A delegation of five Gitsegukla chiefs travelled to
Metlakatla to meet
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
Trutch, who arrived aboard the
HMS ''Scout'' in early August. Trutch warned the chiefs not to repeat such blockades and made what he considered a $600
ex gratia
(; also spelled ''ex-gratia'') is Latin for "by favor", and is most often used in a legal context. When something has been done ''ex gratia'', it has been done voluntarily, out of kindness or grace. In law, an ''ex gratia payment'' is a payment ...
payment. Subsequently, the community moved slightly upriver to the second village.
In 1885, when
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
missionary Rev. W.H. Pierce came, he was loaned a building for a residence, church services, and a day school. The next year, a new building was erected for this purpose. During the 1889–90 winter, the Christians relocated upriver to form a new village in what became the Carnaby area. The village was called New Kitzegucla.
In 1892, most returned to the former village. In 1895, the remainder returned and Rev. Pierce left for the coast. A series of missionaries then filled the Kitzegucla posting. A few families moved downriver to the village at Andimaul, where the
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
ministered. The Methodist Church, which became part of the United Church, ran the federal government-funded Kitsegukla First Nations school 1897–1985.
The second village lost many houses in the 1914 flood and every structure in the 1936 flood, which prompted the move to the current higher site.
In 1921, a new schoolhouse was erected.
Around 1933, a new church building was erected at Gitsegucla.
Jean Virginia (Ginny) Sampare, an eighteen-year old female, was last seen near the overpass in October 1971.
In 2021, the population on the reserve was 444.
The community lies on the Gitsegukla Indian Reserve No. 1. The Gitsegukla Elementary School (grades K–7) infuses the BC curriculum with Gitxsan culture. The United church building remains standing. The community possesses neither a gas station nor convenience store.
Steamboats and ferries
In fall 1906, the small
sternwheeler
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...
''Pheasant'' steamed up the Skeena to two spots to blast out rocks hindering navigation. On encountering low water when returning downstream, the vessel became wrecked upon protruding rocks. The location was Redrock Canyon near the later railway bridge.
The powerful outflow of the Kitseguecla River forms the long Jackman's Eddy in the Kitseguecla Rapids. The swift white water of the rapids has been one of the more challenging parts of the Skeena River.
Foley, Welch and Stewart (FW&S), 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) prime contractor, operated a fleet on the Skeena, during the navigation season, which closed for five or six months over the winter.
In February 1911, a ferry charter across the Skeena was tendered. The
cable ferry
A cable ferry (including the types chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...
operated until the bridge was completed. The fare to cross was 50 cents.
When the 1912 river season commenced, only the FW&S ''Omineca'' was needed for the run from the crossing to
Sealey
Sealey is a variation of the English and Anglo-Irish surname Sealy.
Notable persons with the name include:
* Alan Sealey (1942–1996), English footballer
* Ben Sealey (1899–1963), Barbadian cricketer
* Joan Sealey (died 1996), Trinidadian ...
.
Skeena Crossing bridge and railway construction
In July 1911, the western
abutment
An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end that provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...
of the bridge was finished. That October, work commenced on the
pier
A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
s. The substructure comprises the abutments and two concrete piers in the river and one on land.
In March 1912, the eastward advance of 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 ...
reached the bridge. That June, a scheduled Prince Rupert–Skeena Crossing service replaced construction trains from
Vanarsdol.
In early July the
superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships.
Aboard ships and large boats
On water craft, the superstruct ...
was complete and the rail head proceeded an additional eastward. Built by the Canadian Bridge Company, the length is and the height above the river is .
About a week later, an intoxicated man fell from the bridge and assumedly drowned.
That September, the GTP telegraph and freight office moved to Sealey.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the former hotel housed the troops who guarded the bridge.
Road passengers and freight
A stage ran to the
Hazelton area during wintertime. Immediately upstream of the bridge construction, 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 ...
was installed across the Skeena in March 1912, similar to the one at
Kitselas Canyon. At that time, stables were built to house about 100 horses for hauling wagons to the Hazelton area. That year, passengers completed their journey by either ferrying across the Skeena and taking a stage to Hazelton or boarding a steamboat.
Heavy rains in 1934 undermined the highway bridge over the Kitsequecla River, rendering it unsafe. In 1938–39, the structure was replaced.
In 1958, Western Coach Lines inaugurated a Prince Rupert–Prince George bus service, which included a scheduled stop at Skeena Crossing.
The current passenger transit providers for Gitsegukla are BC Bus North and
BC Transit
BC Transit is a provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation responsible for coordinating the delivery of public transportation within British Columbia, Canada, outside Greater Vancouver. BC Transit is headquartered in Victoria, Bri ...
.
Railway operations
By 1914, the place was a unofficial flag stop.
The development of several claims on Rocher Déboulé Mountain prompted the province to build an winding road to Skeena Crossing. Although
way freights stopped at that location, the GTP refused to construct a siding and station. In response to complaints, the Railway Commission ordered the GTP in 1916 to install a siding and small station within 30 days.
In 1987, 20 cars of a coal train derailed.
General community
Byron Robert Jones
was a merchant at least from 1912. He was the inaugural postmaster 1914–1917.
Comprising about 20 guest rooms, his hotel was completed in May 1914 and a liquor licence application lodged for the Copper Tavern that August. The official opening was soon afterward. At the time, the settlement only had a few houses.
The hotel was considered one of the finer establishments in Western Canada.
The Chalcopyrite newspaper published from June to November that year.
In 1920, the contents of the Copper Tavern were auctioned. Under new management, the tavern may have operated into the late 1920s.
A general store with gas bar existed immediately southwest of the railway bridge on Skeena Crossing Rd (former highway) at least until the 1980s.
Maps
*
*
*
Footnotes
References
*
* {{cite web , url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcbooks/1.0377179#p60z-5r0f:%22Kitzegucla%22 , last= Pierce , first=William Henry , title=From potlatch to pulpit: being the autobiography of the Rev. William Henry Pierce, native missionary to the Indian tribes of the northwest coast of British Columbia , year=1933 , publisher=Vancouver Bindery , website=library.ubc.ca
Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia
Gitxsan
Skeena Country
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway stations
Canadian National Railway stations in British Columbia
Via Rail stations in British Columbia