New Hazelton

New Hazelton is a small town in the North Coast-Nechako region of British Columbia. Together with the neighbouring communities of Hazelton and South Hazelton, the communities are known as "The Hazeltons".

Understand
New Hazelton is one of the "Three Hazeltons", the other two being the original "Old" Hazelton, to the northwest very near to the confluence of the Skeena and Bulkley Rivers, and South Hazelton located  to the west. New Hazelton is the service and commerce centre for the Kispiox Valley, which includes several first nation communities as well as residents of Hazelton and South Hazelton. The population of this area is approximately 6,500 people.



History
Hazelton is one of the oldest settlements in northern British Columbia; its European settlement dates back to 1866 when the Collins Overland telegraph went through. Hazelton was the original gateway and staging area for the Omineca Gold Rush of 1869-73. Besides the hunt for riches, there was one other important reason to visit: it had the only proper hospital for hundreds of miles in any direction. One of its other, less appreciated, distinctions was in having dozens of roaming, foraging and howling sled dogs, as nearly everyone had their own team and many were allowed to run free. Transportation options got better in 1891 when the Hudson's Bay Company’s sternwheeler Caledonia arrived from Port Essington. Being the head of navigation on the Skeena, Hazelton was to play host to more than a dozen sternwheelers throughout the next 22 years.

Two Mile was a community two miles out of Hazelton. During the gold rush and rail construction, it was home to a stopping house and a prosperous red-light district.

Soon after 1868 Thomas Hankin, father of Constance Cox marked out a town site at confluence of the Skeena River and the Bulkley River. He named it Hazelton because of the large number of hazelnuts ripening at the time.

When it was announced in 1903 that the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway would be coming through near Hazelton, another flurry of excitement erupted and hundreds of settlers poured into the district, buying whatever land they could get a hold of. Everyone was certain there was a fortune to be made and Hazelton was widely advertised as the "Spokane of Canada". What made Hazelton even more attractive was her mines, the Silver Standard, and the Rocher de Boule. In 1911, two rival town-sites, Robert Kelly’s New Hazelton and the Grand Trunk Pacific’s South Hazelton, both came into existence and competed to sell the most lots. Thus, the original Hazelton was called "Old" and together they became known as the "Three Hazeltons". Where the railway station would be built was an issue for many years until both South Hazelton and New Hazelton received one.

By car
New Hazelton is on the Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway), 1½ hours east of Terrace, 3 hours east of Prince Rupert, and 5 hours west of Prince George. The area is in the northern mountains so extra precautions should be taken during the winter.

Get around
From New Hazelton, Hazelton is 6 km to the northwest along Churchill Road (also known as Highway 62, which is unsigned), while South Hazelton is 5 km to the west along Highway 16.


 * Operates a bus route three days per week between Smithers and Kispiox via New Hazelton.
 * Operates a bus route three days per week (not on days travelling to Smithers) between Terrace and Kispiox via New Hazelton and Kitwanga.
 * Operates a bus route three days per week (not on days travelling to Smithers) between Terrace and Kispiox via New Hazelton and Kitwanga.