Hudson's Hope, British Columbia

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Coordinates: 56°01′53.9″N, 121°54′20.6″W

Hudson's Hope
Location of Hudson's Hope within the Peace River Regional District in British Columbia, Canada
Area	927.03 km² (357.9 sq mi)
Population	1,157
Location	56°02′N, 121°59′W
Elevation	671 metres
Incorporation	1965
Province	British Columbia
Regional District	Peace River
MP	Jay Hill
MLA	Richard Neufeld
Mayor	Lenore Harwood
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
Postal code	VOC 1VO
Area Code	250
Official website: District of Hudson's Hope
British Columbia Portal

Hudson's Hope is a small town in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, in the Peace River Rigional District. It covers an area of 927 km² with a population of 1,157 people.^[1] Having been first settled in 1805, it is the third oldest community in the province, although it was not incorporated until 1965. Its main economic support is the nearby W. A. C. Bennett Dam and Peace Canyon Dam, as well as timber logging.

There is debate about the origin of Hudson's Hope's name. One theory derives the word "Hudson's" from the Hudson's Bay Company and "Hope" from the Scottish word "hope" meaning a "small enclosed valley".^[2] Another theory has the name derived from a prospector named Hudson who came to the area searching gold.^[3] The crest uses element that symbolize the town's history, geography, and economy. For example, the water represents the Peace River, the tower represents hydro power, the trees represent forestry, the fields represent farming, and the sunshine represent the extended period of daylight in the summer. The log cabin is included in remembrance of the pioneers who settled in the area. The two mountains are depictions of the nearby Beattie peaks. The shield in the crest is shaped like the footprint of the Hadrosaur which were once common in the area. The crest and flag were designed by a town councillor, Sam Kosolowsky, in the early-1990s. The original slogan on the crest and flag was "Playground of the Peace" but has since changed to "Land of Dinosaurs and Dams".

[edit] History

After Alexander Mackenzie portaged through the area in 1793, Simon Fraser, on behalf of the North West Company, established the Rocky Mountain Portage Fort in 1805. This fort, used as a fur-trading post and rest-stop, was on the north bank of the Peace River, several miles from the current townsite. After the North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company coalition in 1821, the Hudson's Bay Company took control of the fort. However, it was soon abandoned in 1823 after a massacre in Fort St. John. Over fifty years later, in 1875, the fort was re-established by the Hudson's Bay Company twelve miles upstream on southern river bank. A couple years later the fort was moved again. This time it was moved to the present townsite, on the northern river bank. During the nineteenth century, the fort was home to only a few people, but when European or Canadian fur-traders came through the area the Aboriginal people would set up encampments around the fort.

Like elsewhere in B.C.'s Peace River region a wave of settlers came to the region after 1908 when the Federal government opened the Peace River Block mineral staking and in 1912 to homestead claims. The agricultural communities of Beryl Prairie and Lynx Creek were established from these claims. Coal started to be mined in 1923 but its transportation was by ship to a railway was very expensive. However, the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942 created a local demand for the coal. When Hudson’s Hope became connected to the highway system, its vast resources became accessible to outside markets.

One of these resources was hydroelectric energy. The provincial government planned and constructed the W. A. C. Bennett Dam throughout the 1960s. The Hudson's Hope Improvemnent District was incorporated in 1962 to help finance the project. The District Municipality of Hudson's Hope was incorporated in 1965, with a population of 2,700 people, in order to organize and plan settlements for the thousands of workers and their families. When construction was completed in 1967, the two incorporated areas merged.

The dam went online in 1968 after filling its reservoir and the population declined as the dam required less maintenance. The construction of the Peace Canyon Dam, only several kilometers downstream from the Bennett Dam, was constructed very rapidly in the late-1970s and provided a small boost to the town. However, the town continued to lose population throughout the 1980s. Its isolated location never let the town escape its dependence on BC Hydro as the one major employer.

The population level hit a low in 1990 at 1,005 people, but started climbing afterwards. This new growth emanates from two sources: retirees with fond memories of working on the Bennett dam, and families who value the extensive outdoor recreational opportunities in the small isolated town.

[edit] Demographics

Population trend, 1976–2006, BC Stats.^{[4] [5] [6]}

While the community is one of the province's oldest, the first census that included it as a defined subdivision was the 1966 census which recorded 3,068 people. An older report puts the population at less than 100 in 1954.^[7] The thousands of people came to construct the W.A.C. Bennett Dam and simply lived in work camps. When the work camps closed and people left only 1,741 remain in the municipality in 1971. A small rise in the population came in the mid-1970s as the Peace Canyon Dam was being constructed and dinosaur fossils were being discovered. Since then, with no new majopr industries or projects, the population flucuated around 1,100 and 1,300 people with a low of 1,005 in 1990.

According to the 2001 Canadian census, there were 1,039 people living in 415 households, a 7% loss since the 1996 census. A little over the provincial average 56% are married while 25% are single. With 11% of Hudson's Hope residents being foreign-born, and 89% with an English-only mother tongue, the town has few visible minorities. While not counted as visible minorities during the census, 130 people considered themselves to have an Aboriginal identity, about three times the provincial 4% average. Housing is mostly owned with only 7% of the stock being rented, much lower than the 33% provincial average.^[8]

Crime rate in Hudson's Hope, 1995–2004.^[9]

In 2005, the three officer Hudson's Hope Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment reported 102 Criminal Code of Canada offenses, down from 124 in 2004. This translated into a crime rate of 62 Criminal Code offenses per 1,000 people, lower than the provincial rate of 125. In 2004, the only Criminal Code categories which Hudson's Hope had a higher than average reported crime rate was in non-sexual assaults at 14.3 reported cases per 1,000 people (9.9 provincially), sexual assaults at 1.2 (0.88 provincially), impaired driving at 6.2 (3.2 provincially) and cannabis-related crimes at 5.5 (4.2 provincially). All other Criminal Code categories were lower for Hudson's Hope compared to the provincial averages, especially for motor vehicle thefts at only 2.5 per 1,000 people (provincial average was 8.9), thefts from motor vehicles at 1.9 (20.2 provincially), and residential break-and-enters at 1.9 (6.0 provincially).^[9]

[edit] Infrastructure

The road network of Hudson's Hope.

The only paved road through the municipality is British Columbia provincial highway 29 which runs north 60 km (34 mi) from Chetwynd and over the Hudson's Hope Suspension Bridge before running westward along the north bank of the Peace River through the townsite and northeastward through Lynx Creek and Farrel Creek. From the townsite, the W.A.C. Bennett Dam is 22 km (14 mi) west. In total, the district maintains 33 km (20 mi) of paved and 27 km (17 mi) of unpaved roads^[10] with most of the businesses located along the Beattie Road portion of B.C. highway 29. Community facilities and some residential areas are located between Beattie Road and the Peace River and more residential areas are located on hills north of the downtown area.

The Hudson's Hope Airport, 6 km (4 mi) west of town, is a small airport with a 1,585 metres (5,200 ft) long paved runway that handles private and chartered flights. The closest commercial airport, with regularly scheduled flights, is approximately 86 km (53 mi) northeast, near Fort St. John. The closest regional bus stop and rail station is at Chetwynd.

The town's drinking water is drawn from the Peace River, chlorinated and distributed to the residents through 15 km of watermains.^[10] The town's sewage is collected through 8 km of sanitary sewers and processed in a two-cell lagoon.^[10] Electrical power is supplied by BC Hydro and natural gas by Pacific Natural Gas.

[edit] Geography and climate

The District of Hudson's Hope is centered around a townsite on the north side of the Peace River along B.C. highway 29N. The rural communities of Lynx Creek and Farrell Creek, and the farming community of Beryl Prairie, are located north of the main townsite.

The 927 km² municipality includes mountains, lakes, a river, and prairie land. The Peace River originates at the W.A.C. Bennett Dam from the Peace Reach Arm of Williston Lake and flows around the 1,427 m (4,682 ft) Portage Mountain and through the deeply entrenched Dinosaur Lake. The water has a three day retention time here^[11] before going through the Peace Canyon Dam and flowing northeastward under the Hudson's Hope Suspension Bridge, past the townsite, and the rural communities of Lynx Creek and Farrell Creek, and eventually into the Arctic Ocean. The forested foothills of the Rocky Mountains including the 1,230 m (4,035 ft) Two Ridge Mountain and the 2,211 m (7,254 ft) Mount Johnson dominate the area south of the Peace River. The foothills continue north of the river interrupted by a prairie where the farming community of Beryl Prairie developed. The townsite is situated at the junction of BC Highway 29 and Canyon Drive on a 3 km (2 mi) wide, 8 km (5 mi) long flat.

Dinosaur Lake is a deeply entrenched reservoir of the Peace Canyon Dam with a surface area of 805 ha and a volume of 0.216 km³. The oligotrophic lake is fed by 5 tributaries (Gething, Johnson, Moosebar, Starfish and Mogul Creeks), as well as the WAC Bennett Dam. The forest covered mountainsides are covered with aspen and poplar trees. Animals common to the area include moose, bear, deer, sheep, goats and elk. A hatchery annually releases sportsfish, mainly rainbow trout, into the lakes.^[12] Dinosaur tracks and fossils have been discovered in the municipality, including deposits at the bottom of Dinosaur Lake. The ichthyosaur Hudsonelpidia was named after the community when it was first discovered there in the 1960s.

Traditionally, winter had brought very cold winters with lots of snow. However, since the filling of Williston Lake, the largest man-made lake in North America, the winters have been milder. Since the construction of the dam, both the lakes and the river have remained ice-free and isothermal at about 2 to 10 °C (35 to 50 °F).^[11] The municipality has an average growing season of 135 days, the longest in northern B.C.^[3]

[edit] Economy and education

Hudson’s Hope has a predominantly resource-based economy. The community was founded as a trading post but resource extraction, such as logging and farming, developed as sternwheelers and steamships transported commodities along the Peace River. The town’s economy turned towards construction starting in the 1960s with the Bennett Dam followed by the Peace Canyon Dam. Additional staff have been employed with the dams’ museums and tour-related activities. According to the 2001 Canadian census, 20% of the 500 person labour force were employed in utilities, 14% in construction, and 11% in logging. The community has a low poverty rate despite the low participation rate and high unemployment. With males who work full time, full year making twice as much as females, there is a large male-female income gap.^[1][13]

The only school in the municipality is the Hudson's Hope Elementary-Secondary School, administered by School District 60 Peace River North. The school, constructed in 1993, teaches students from kindergarten to grade 12 and has an enrollment of about 220 students.^[14] Northern Lights College offers courses at the Hudson's Hope Learning Centre that focus on the oil and gas industry, as well as adult basic, continuing, and vocational education. The 2001 Census estimated that only 6% of people in Hudson's Hope between 20 and 64 years old graduated from a university, much less than the 24% provincial average and 30% did not graduate from secondary school, 10% higher than the provincial average.^[13]

[edit] Culture and recreation

Chainsaw carvings in Memorial Park

The Hudson's Hope Museum is located in the old Hudson’s Bay Store, built in 1942. It has exhibits on the area’s prehistory (ie. dinosaur fossils, bones and tracks), frontier times (ie. aboriginal, North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company artifacts), and boom times (ie. construction of Bennett and Peace Canyon dams). Both dams have museums and offer tours. The museum at the Bennett Dam focuses on the massive engineering and construction programs to build the reservoir and world's largest earth-filled dam. The museum at the Peace Canyon Dam focuses on the natural history of the area, especially the dinosaur finds that were discovered during construction of the dam.

The town’s thousand people maintain a library, skating arena, curling rink, and an outdoor heated swimming pool. The Hudson's Hope Community Hall is used for theatrical performances, dances, and public meetings. Annual events include a rodeo in June, a fall fair in August, and a torchlight parade in December. The district operates three public parks: Beattie Park with a playground and visitor information centre, Centennial Park with its chainsaw carvings and totem polls, and Memorial Park with tennis courts, swimming pool and toboggan hill. Outside the townsite, the district helps maintains the Beryl Prairie Community Park, and Jamieson Woods Nature Preserve.^[15][16]

Williston Lake, Dinosaur Lake, Cameron Lake and the Peace River are used for canoeing, kayaking, sailing and fishing. In addition to private campgrounds, the district operates four campgrounds. King Gething Park and Alwin Holland Park, both named after 1920s-30s pioneers, are fully-serviced campgrounds and RV parks on the north bank of the Peace River, west of the townsite. Dinosaur Lake Campground near the Peace Canyon dam and Cameron Lake Campground near North Cameron Lake were both taken over by the district in 1989 from the province.^[17]

[edit] Government and politics

Dual purpose building: town hall and fire station

The District of Hudson’s Hope has a council-manager form of municipal government. A six member council, along with one mayor, is elected at-large every three years. In the 19 November 2005 civic election Lenore Harwood was elected by acclamation as mayor.^[18] The mayor represents Hudson’s Hope on the Board of Directors of the Peace River Regional District.^[19] One school board trustee, for representation on School District 60, is also elected by the town.^[20]

Hudson’s Hope is situated in the Peace River North provincial electoral district and is represented by Richard Neufeld in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Neufeld was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the 1991 provincial election with the BC Social Credit Party taking 31% of votes cast at the Hudson’s Hope polls^[21] and re-elected with the Reform Party of BC in 1996 with 44% support,^[22] with the BC Liberal Party in 2001 and 2005 with 57%^[23] and 41%^[24] from Hudson’s Hope polls, respectively.

Federally, Hudson’s Hope is located in the Prince George—Peace River riding, which is represented in the House of Commons by Conservative Party Member of Parliament Jay Hill. Hill was first elected in 1993, then re-elected in 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2006 with 79%,^[25] 75%,^[25] 64%,^[26] and 66%.^[27]support from Hudson’s Hope polls, respectively. Before Hill the riding was represented by Frank Oberle of the Progressive Conservative Party from 1972 to 1993. Oberle served as Minister of State for Science and Technology from 1985 to 1989 and Minister of Forestry from 1990 to 1993.^[28]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Weather forecast
• Hudson's Hope Elementary-Secondary School
• Hudson's Hope Public Library
• Discover the Peace Country - Hudson's Hope