Fort St. James, British Columbia
A Community Rich with Culture, History, and Outdoor Adventure
Population 1,598
Fort St. James is a community rich in culture and history. Located along the shores of Stuart Lake in north central British Columbia, the land has long been home to the Dakelh First Nations people, which include the Nak’azdli, Yekooche, Binche, Tl’azt’en, and Takla Lake First Nations. More than twenty ancient Dakelh pictographs can still be seen from the waters along the north shore of Stuart Lake. Today, the lake also provides opportunities for swimming, fishing, water skiing, camping in the summer and snowmobiling, ice fishing, ice sailing, and dog sledding in the winter months.
The Fort St. James National Historic Site, established by the North West Company in 1806, provides an opportunity for visitors to step back in time and learn more about the community’s history as an early fur trading outpost. The site includes Canada’s largest collection of original wooden buildings from the fur trade era. The Fort St. James National Historic Site is open May-September. Afternoon tea is served on Sundays in the Officer’s House and each day just before noon visitors can experience one of the fort’s famous chicken races.
Hampton Lumber acquired the sawmill and timber tenure from Conifex, Inc. in Fort St. James in November 2019 and built a new sawmill on the site. The new operation, Fort St. James Forest Products, entered the commissioning phase in late 2022.