Finlay Forks (also called Finlay Junction and sometimes misspelt Findlay), is the confluence of the Finlay River and Parsnip River in British Columbia, Canada. The Finlay Bay Recreation Site,Prince George Citizen, 11 Mar 1989 on the southeast bank, is about southeast of the former settlement (on the earlier southeast bank) that is now submerged beneath Williston Lake. Like the river, it was named after explorer John Finlay.Prince George Citizen, 27 Jul 1983 The access road from Mackenzie is called the Parsnip West FSR (formerly Finlay Forks Road and Parsnip Forest Road).Prince George Citizen: 19 Mar 1973, 18 May 1979; & 19 & 21 Nov 1980
History Waterways & Trails The first European explorers travelling through the Forks were Alexander Mackenzie in 1793, and Simon Fraser in 1805.Prince George Citizen, 26 May 1938
Aboriginal trails laced the valleys for thousands of years. With the Klondike Gold Rush, the Canadian government sought to identify safe overland routes for prospectors to reach the Yukon from Edmonton. As water transport could be expensive, these were intended as wagon trails. The initial NWMP Trail, surveyed during 1897–98 by Inspector J.D. Moodie with First Nations guides, passed along the northeast bank of the Forks.Sherry, Erin & Cadden, Veronica. (2008). Documenting and Interpreting the History and Significance of the North West Mounted Police Peace-Yukon Historic Trails. Inter-Agency Management Committee, Northern Interior Region. Preface & p. 40 http://www.muskwa-kechika.com/uploads/documents/cultural/NWMP%20trail%20Final%20Archival%20Report%20-%20June%2012%202008%20NWMP%20Trail.pdf Hordes coming from the south would join the trail here.Prince George Citizen, 25 May 1939 Prospectors also passed through the vicinity on their way to gold rushes at Barkerville (1860s), Omineca (1871–72), and McConnell Creek (1907–08).Prince George Citizen, 17 May 1928
During the ice-free months, passenger and freight vessels regularly ran between Summit Lake and Hudson's Hope via the Crooked River, the Parsnip River, Finlay Forks, and the Peace River.Fort George Tribune, 27 Jun 1914Fort George Herald, 9 Oct 1915Prince George Citizen: 23 Jul 1920; 6 Aug 1920; 3, 24 & 30 Sep 1920; & 14 Apr 1938 However, low water levels would shorten the navigation season.Prince George Citizen, 29 Jun 1944
Four of the potential sites for the W. A. C. Bennett Dam were at the western end of the Peace River canyon near the Forks.Prince George Citizen, 28 Apr 1958 Originally, the dam and powerhouse were planned for the Finlay Forks-Wicked River junction east. On drilling down 400 feet in the middle of the Peace River, the failure to reach solid rock identified an unbridgeable crevice.Prince George Citizen, 21 May 1991
By the summer of 1969, the T-shaped reservoir was 80-percent full.Prince George Citizen, 7 Jul 1969 The combination of high waves and floating logs could make Williston Lake treacherous, with at least eight persons missing and believed drowned in the lake during 1970–1985. The worst area is at Finlay Forks, where the wind can come from north, south, east or west.Prince George Citizen, 28 Aug 1985
When his 15-tonne logging truck broke through the ice in the vicinity, Brian Wykes (1956–83) drowned.Prince George Citizen, 28 Jan 1982
Road & Rail Proposals The joint Peace Pass/Finlay Forks proposals form part of the Pine Pass highway and railway developments.
In 1913, Premier McBride envisaged a PGE Alaskan rail route passing through the Forks.Prince George Citizen, 16 Feb 1928
In the late 1920s, Mr. Armishaw sought to establish a trail southwest to Manson Creek.Prince George Citizen, 13 Oct 1927 A rail line from the Forks to the Ferguson mine in the Ingenika was proposed. Charter flights from Prince George to this mine were taking less than two hours to what had previously been a week by water and land.Prince George Citizen, 13 Jun 1929
The 1930s survey for Route B of the proposed Alaska Highway, which was promoted as the Canadian preference, was via this locality.Prince George Citizen: 4 Sep 1930, 17 Feb 1938, 5 May 1938, 17 Nov 1938, 29 Dec 1938, 9 Feb 1939, 18 May 1939, & 17 & 24 Jul 1941 By 1935, the leaning was for a Prince George-Finlay Forks road via Summit Lake rather than Manson Creek,Prince George Citizen: 27 Jun 1935 & 15 Jun 1939 however this choice was not universal,Prince George Citizen: 4 Jun 1936, 2 Apr 1942, 23 Jul 1942, & 1 & 22 Jul 1943 and further surveys ensued.Prince George Citizen, 6 May 1943 The latter, known as the Turgeon Highway, did not reach Manson Creek until 1939. The project required a further 40 miles of heavy construction if extended to Finlay Forks,Prince George Citizen: 18 Mar 1937, 27 May 1937, 29 Jul 1937, 26 Aug 1937 & 26 Oct 1939 and progress was long delayed.Prince George Citizen: 8 Jun 1944, 7 Jun 1945, 21 Mar 1946, 26 Sep 1946, 3 Feb 1949, 24 Mar 1949, 16 & 23 Jun 1949, 24 Aug 1950, & 23 Dec 1957
A PGE link to a possible Alaskan rail route continued to include Finlay Forks.Prince George Citizen: 25 Nov 1948, 3 Mar 1949, 1 Sep 1949 & 31 Aug 1953 In 1965, an access road north from Highway 97 reached the settlement and construction commenced on the Manson Creek link.Prince George Citizen, 30 Mar 1965 A three-times-weekly road freight service with Prince George was soon implemented.Prince George Citizen, 13 Sep 1965 The 1966 PGE spur covered only the to Mackenzie.
Community Established in 1813, the location was an important Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post and settlement.Raymond M. Patterson. 1968. Finlay's River. New York: W. Morrow. Chapter 6.
Two general stores opened in 1913.Fort George Tribune, 20 Jun 1914 That year, the residents formed a community association and petitioned the postal authorities to rename the location as 'Finparpea', compiled from the first three letters of the three rivers. World War I superseded any action, and few returned to their holdings after the conflict. In 1915, there were about 35 settlers, and the following year, the Fort Grahame band of Sekani established a reserve nearby. William Fox, the Hudson's Bay factor (mercantile agent),Prince George Citizen, 14 May 1925 was the inaugural postmaster 1916–18, with mail deliveries 6–8 times each year.Prince George Citizen: 31 May 1916 & 24 Jun 1921
During the 1920s, The Northern Trading Co. also operated a post,Prince George Citizen, 30 Apr 1920 Hugh M. Gibson was a storeowner, and the population was about 12.Prince George Citizen: 24 Jun 1921 & 2 Jul 1925 The nucleus of a potential town comprised a few scattered cabins,Prince George Citizen, 7 Jul 1922 with Ole Johnson offering visitor accommodation.Prince George Citizen, 19 Jul 1928 In 1912, Louis Peterson (c.1852–1933) who took up the first pre-emption at the Forks, was postmaster 1926–29, and ran a trading store until his death.Prince George Citizen: 24 Sep 1918 & 1 Jun 1933 The remaining storekeeper,Prince George Citizen, 19 Apr 1934 Alan (alternatively Alex) McKinnon, was also a fur trader,Prince George Citizen, 28 Jul 1938 postmaster 1920–25 and 1930–43, and a mine owner.Prince George Citizen, 5 Sep 1940 Replenishing his supplies in the summer of 1940, he trucked the 50-ton load from Prince George to Summit Lake, from where it was boated to the Forks.Prince George Citizen, 13 Jun 1940 The annual fur auction held at Finlay Forks, comprised many trappers and drew in commercial buyers.Prince George Citizen: 22 May 1941, 19 Mar 1942, 18 May 1944 & 16 May 1946
By the 1950s, the Caucasian population numbered four, two of whom were Roy (1889–1984)Prince George Citizen, 23 Nov 1984 & Marge (1900–80) McDougall, who ran the trading post and provided visitor accommodation. Marge was also the volunteer first aid attendant for the Sekani and passing itinerants.Prince George Citizen, 27 Oct 1952 Arriving in the 1920s, the couple farmed,Prince George Citizen: 21 Jun 1928 to 9 Aug 1928 and Marge served as postmaster 1943–46 and 1948–58. They sold up in 1957,Prince George Citizen, 28 Feb 1957. the post-office closed in 1959, and they left 1960/61.Prince George Citizen: 2 Jun 1960 & 4 Apr 1961.
The school was a challenge for maintenance crews, being at the northern tip of School District 57.Prince George Citizen, 7 Jan 1969 Catering to logging crews and Sekani, the two classrooms comprised an Atco-style singlewide structure for the primary grades, and a doublewide for the intermediate ones. The Carrier Lumber campsite provided water, power and sewer connections for the classrooms and teacherage. Operating 1968–1971, student enrolments ranged 20–27.Hall, Barbara; & Nellis, Kris (2012). School District No. 57 (Prince George) historical memories. (Volume II): people, places, programs & services. Prince George Retired Teachers' Association, Education Heritage CommitteePrince George Citizen, 29 Dec 1967 On closure, the three portable buildings were removed.Prince George Citizen, 3 Dec 1971
During the 1968 summer, Bud Stuart operated a coffee shop and general store from a tentPrince George Citizen, 14 Jun 1968 that evolved into permanent premises.Prince George Citizen: 13 Jun 1969 & 13 Aug 1969 By 1973, Bill Bloor ran the general store.Prince George Citizen, 17 Jan 1973 The Finlay Bay Cabins,Prince George Citizen, 15 Sep 1994 operated by Kelly Brothers, no longer exist.
Communications & Air Services Communications with Prince George were slow, because mail travelled a circuitous route east via Hudson's Hope, Edmonton, and west toward Prince George. The residents appealed for a direct route through Summit Lake, at least during the summer months.Prince George Citizen, 14 Jun 1928
The rivers covered with floating ice, the ballot box for an election was parachuted from a plane. The mere 13 names on the electoral roll signified an expensive exercise in democracy.Prince George Citizen, 2 Nov 1933 The locked ballot box took 15 days to reach Hudson's Hope, from where the mail would take a further 10 days to reach Prince George.Prince George Citizen, 23 Nov 1933 By the 1950s, the arrival of the ballot box, containing two votes, delayed the final count.Prince George Citizen, 31 Dec 1953
In 1936, a shortwave radiotelephone station opened, which operated in conjunction with a series of similar stations in northern BC and the Yukon.Prince George Citizen: 30 Apr 1936, 27 Aug 1936 & 24 Sep 1936 The following year, United Air Transport (UAT) inaugurated a scheduled monthly passenger/freight/mail service for nine months of the year.Prince George Citizen: 10 & 24 Jun 1937; 12, 19 & 26 May 1938; 23 Jun 1938; & 9 May 1940 A half-gallon ice cream consignment was the first occasion it was served in the community.Prince George Citizen, 22 Jul 1937 By 1938, the dominion postal inspector's annual visit to Finlay Forks and the surrounding post-offices took five days by air, compared with the previous 40 days by boat.Prince George Citizen, 17 Mar 1938 UAT, renamed Yukon Southern Air Transport (YSAT), scheduled a Christmas 1940 mail run.Prince George Citizen, 24 Dec 1940 Moving under the joint control of YSAT and Canadian Airways in 1941,Prince George Citizen, 6 Mar 1941 the passenger/mail runs continued monthly.Prince George Citizen: 28 Nov 1946, 20 Mar 1947 & 10 Jul 1947
By the 1950s, Central B.C. Airways carried the nine mail deliveries for the year, the radiotelephone station had become redundant and closed, and the community's two-way radio was dependent upon weather conditions. When a plane crashed on making an emergency landing near Finlay Forks in 1950, the pilot and the three passengers survived.Prince George Citizen, 31 Aug 1950 Santa would come by plane, but sometimes the weather delayed the event until after Christmas.Prince George Citizen, 30 Dec 1952 With flight cancellations, several months of newspapers might arrive together.Prince George Citizen: 12 Jan 1953 & 21 Jan 1954