Fort St. John

Fort St. John is in the Peace Country and Northern Rockies and is the second-largest settlement along the Alaska Highway. The city of 20,000 people (2016) is in northeastern British Columbia, approximately south of Fort Nelson and  north of Dawson Creek. Fort St. John is the oldest European-established settlement in present-day British Columbia.

Understand
Fort St. John is a retail, service and industrial centre. The province's oil and gas industry is centred in the city. Forestry has become more important to the city since the opening of an oriented strand board plant in 2005. Much wood of the is exported to the United States. Agriculture has been the mainstay of the economy servicing and providing a market for the upland prairies.



History
Over the years the community has been moved a number of times for varying economic reasons. The present location is thought to be its sixth. The original trading post built in the area was named Rocky Mountain House (not to be confused with the modern Alberta town by that name). It was established one year after Sir Alexander Mackenzie explored the area in 1793. One of a series of forts along the Peace River constructed to service the fur trade, it was southwest of the present site of Fort St. John. The Dunneza and Sikanni First Nations used it as a trading post. It was also used as a supply depot for further expeditions into the territory. The fort closed in 1805. Fort d'Epinette was built in 1806 by the North West Company. It was renamed Fort St. John in 1821 following the purchase of the North West Company by the Hudson's Bay Company. This fort was about 500 m downstream from the mouth of the Beatton River, which at that time was known as the Pine River (d'epinette in French). It was shut down in 1823. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1958.

After a lapse of nearly 40 years, Fort St. John was reopened in 1860 on the south side of the Peace River, directly south of the present community. It was moved in 1872 by Francis Work Beatton directly across the river. This community lasted until 1925 when the river ceased to be the main avenue of transportation and the fort was moved closer to where settlers were establishing homesteads. The new town was constructed at Fish Creek, northwest of the present community, on the new trail to Fort Nelson. It did not shut down until 1975. In 1928, C.M. Finch moved his general store to two quarters of land where he also built a government building to house the land, telegraph and post offices. The present site for the town was firmly established after he donated 5 acres (20,000 m²) for a Roman Catholic Church and additional land for a hospital.

Climate
Fort St. John, on the upland prairies north of the Peace River, experiences a cold humid continental climate (close to subarctic), with cold winters and warm summers. Although winters can be frigid, the area has milder winters than much of the rest of Canada (especially considering its relatively northerly latitude) due to the influence of the nearby Rocky Mountains. They tend to block Arctic air masses coming in from the north/northwest, although they can certainly still penetrate the area. Fort St. John uses Mountain Standard Time all year (same as Pacific Daylight Time in summer), and because of its northerly latitude experiences short daylight hours in winter and long daylight hours in summer.

Fort St. John is one of the sunniest places in the province, especially in winter and spring.

By bus

 * Between Prince George and Fort St. John twice per week with stops in Mackenzie, Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, and Taylor. Travel time to Fort St. John from Dawson Creek is 1 hour and from Prince George is 8 hours. Fare is $48.
 * Between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson once per week with stops in Taylor and Fort St. John. Travel time to Fort St. John from Dawson Creek is 1 hour and from Fort Nelson is 5.25 hours. Fare is $49.
 * Between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson once per week with stops in Taylor and Fort St. John. Travel time to Fort St. John from Dawson Creek is 1 hour and from Fort Nelson is 5.25 hours. Fare is $49.

By car
Highways serving Fort St John:


 * Highway 29 - Terminates just north of Fort St. John after traveling northeast from Chetwynd via Hudson Hope
 * Highway 97 (Alaska Highway) - Fort St. John can be reached by driving north from Dawson Creek or south from Fort Nelson

Airport

 * Flights to Fort St. John from Vancouver take 1.75 hours.
 * Flights to Fort St. John from Vancouver take 1.75 hours.

Airlines
Canadian airlines traveling to Fort St. John:



Get around
Within the city the streets are laid out in a grid pattern. The main streets are the north-south 100 Street and the east-west 100 Avenue.

Go next

 * Visit Sikanni Chief Falls Protected Area for a view of this 30 m high falls on the way to Fort Nelson. See listing under Fort Nelson.
 * Visit W.A.C. Bennett Dam Visitor Centre, one of the world's largest earth-fill structures on the way to Chetwynd. See listing under Chetwynd.