Burns Lake, British Columbia

Burns Lake is a rural village in the North-Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, incorporated in 1923. It is the location of the head offices of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako.

There are three First Nations reserves that are part of the town, and another three nearby, making it one of the few communities in the province that have almost equal populations of native and Canadians of European descent. Local nations include Wet'suwet'en First Nation, Lake Babine Nation, Cheslatta Band, Burns Lake band, Skin Tyee band and Nee Tahi Buhn band.

The town serves as a hub for the local logging, saw-milling, mining and tourist industries. The town boasts a secondary school, Lakes District Secondary School, with a Fine Arts program. A K-7 school program is offered at William Konkin Elementary School. Burns Lake hosts annual Performing Arts and Alternative Arts Festivals, drawing talent from around the region. Burns Lake features three pubs, and a small selection of stores and services as well as a library and a hospital.

Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train calls at the Burns Lake railway station several times per week.

History

Bob Gerow, one of the main founders of Burns Lake, entered into partnership with Jack Seely and Howard Laidlaw to create Burns Lake Trading Company. Together, they built a store/hotel and a sawmill on Gerow Island.

In 1911, there was just a pack trail through the bush where the main part of the village now stands. A bridge was constructed to connect Gerow Island to the mainland. All men not already employed by the railroad were hired to help build the bridge.

The first newspaper in Burns Lake was called the Observer, published and edited by Sidney Godwin. In the late 1950s, another newspaper, also called the Observer, was operated by Ralph Vipond. It closed in 1961.

A number of historic buildings still stand:

The Old Hospital

First built in 1933 by the Women's Missionary Society of the United Church of Canada, the hospital was officially opened by Canada's former Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir. Once the largest and finest public building between Prince George and Prince Rupert, it was famous for its fine gardens. It was later occupied by senior citizens apartment complex, then declared a heritage building in 1982 and redeveloped as an office building by its owner, the Burns Lake Native Development Corporation.

The Bucket of Blood

Located adjucent to the Burns Lake Museum, this square-cut log building is a former fur trade post which later became a gambling den. A stabbing over a game of poker led to the building's name. It now contains a display of historical artifacts from the life of Craig Wafflehouse, one of the founders of Burns Lake.

Recreation

Skiing

The area around Burns Lake was settled by many Scandinavians, who brought with them their love of skiing. For many years, local residents participated in all forms of skiing, including jumping and downhill, through the Omineca Ski Club. By the late 20th century, however, the Omineca Ski Club was exclusively a cross-country (Nordic) ski club. Its facilities have hosted several national championships and are considered to rank among western Canada's best trail networks. Omineca ski club was one of the first ski club in Canada Notable past members have included Kaare Engstad, Karl Lindaas, Alford Eakin, Esther Bahen (Miller), Marvin Strimbold, Lana Lindaas and Chris Paulson.

Opal Beds

The 1.9 kilometre Opal Bed Trail is the main hiking path in the region leading to the opals and agates. The hiking trail begins by hiking to a short ridge. From the ridge the trail leads pass a flat field to views overlooking a creek. Opals are recorded as being found in between the creek and the trail. Also the natural wonders referred to as Hoodoos (rock formations) are seen above the creek at this point of the hike.

Burns Lake is well known for the trails running through the Opal beds. The trail network is best known for the precious minerals in the area which include opals and agate rocks. Today, the main trail leads to an active rock hounding destination so people can look and hunt for precious minerals.^[1]

Spirit Square

In February 2007, the Village of Burns Lake received funding from the Government of BC for the construction of a public open space under the BC Spirit Squares program. Spirit Squares are intended to honour the past and celebrate the future; improve the economic health of communities; and enhance the social and cultural life of the community. It contains a wide array of free exercise equipment which uses your body weight as resistance.

Golf

The Carnoustie Golf & Country Club opened in 1955, has nine holes and was built to go with the natural lay of the land. It covers 50 acres (200,000 m²) with water hazards on several assets. The original developers were very dedicated to golf and this was a family run business until 2000.

Tennis

Burns Lake has recently completed construction of two free tennis courts which are open to the public. Racket rentals are available at the local Visitor Center.

Mountain Bike Trails & Bike Parks

Burns Lake offers a world class trails network surrounding Boer Mountain designed by Gravity Logic. The Mountain Bike Park is the only mountain bike park to be built on Crown land in Canada - it is free to use. More information available at Burns Lake Mountain Biking Association website.

Directions

Burns Lake is located east from Topley (51), Houston, British Columbia (81), Granisle (100), Smithers (147), Terrace (350), and Prince Rupert (494). The other way is Fraser Lake (69), Vanderhoof (128), Fort St. James (175), and Prince George (223).

Further reading

The book Unmarked: Landscapes Along Highway 16, written by Sarah de Leeuw, includes a short essay on Burns Lake titled "Screamed on a Fence, Beside a Passing Train". Climate

References

• Community Profile: Burns Lake, British Columbia; Statistics Canada

External links

• Village of Burns Lake
• Chamber of Commerce