Hutton, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Hutton is a railway point located between Sinclair Mills
and Longworth
on the north bank of the Fraser River
in central British Columbia
. Originally known as "Hutton Mills," it was established as a station on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
in 1914. The post office was opened 1 November 1917 with W.A. Willits as postmaster. The post office was closed 23 March 1929, re-opened 27 September 1937, and closed for good 30 September 1959. The community's name was changed to "Hutton" on 5 October 1960.
The main industry was a sawmill
and planing mill
owned by the United Grain Growers
which produced lumber for grain elevators in the Prairies. A school opened in April 1919. During the 1920s there was at Hutton Mills a hospital, a laundry, and a bakery. The population peaked between 800 and 1000 until a fire destroyed Hutton Mills in 1926 and most of the residents moved away.
Via Rail
's Jasper – Prince Rupert train calls at the Hutton railway station
.
Only one family is currently occupying what used to be Hutton Village.
There are, however, many remnants of old buildings, as e.g. the Hospital area, where lots and lots of old medicine bottels are buried in the ground, the old Sawmill Canteen, surrounded by a multitude of old cans and aluminum plates and so forth, and even the old Hutton Railway Station Water-Tower is still on the property.
Also, the current owners have dismantled the Aleza Lake Catholic Church (built 1949) in 2004. Aleza Lake is app. 30 km West of Hutton and also in the Upper Fraser Valley. The Church was not in use any more and on the verge of breaking down. The Church has since been re-constructed in Hutton as a keep-sake of the Upper Fraser Valley's rich history.
Hutton is located on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains
and is offering a wonderful view of the Cariboo Mountains
(especially Sugarbowl Mountain). There are lots of creeks, beautiful hiking areas, wildlife watching opportunities etc.
Sinclair Mills, British Columbia
Sinclair Mills is a community located on the north bank of the Fraser River between McGregor and Longworth in central British Columbia.Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train calls at the Sinclair Mills railway station....
and Longworth
Longworth, British Columbia
Longworth is a community located between Sinclair Mills and Penny on the north bank of the Fraser River in central British Columbia.Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train calls at the Longworth railway station....
on the north bank of the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
in central British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Originally known as "Hutton Mills," it was established as a station on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
in 1914. The post office was opened 1 November 1917 with W.A. Willits as postmaster. The post office was closed 23 March 1929, re-opened 27 September 1937, and closed for good 30 September 1959. The community's name was changed to "Hutton" on 5 October 1960.
The main industry was a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
and planing mill
Planing mill
A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
owned by the United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers, or UGG, was a Canadian grain distributor. Founded in 1906 in Winnipeg, UGG was active in grain sales, crop inputs and livestock production services...
which produced lumber for grain elevators in the Prairies. A school opened in April 1919. During the 1920s there was at Hutton Mills a hospital, a laundry, and a bakery. The population peaked between 800 and 1000 until a fire destroyed Hutton Mills in 1926 and most of the residents moved away.
Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
's Jasper – Prince Rupert train calls at the Hutton railway station
Hutton railway station
The Hutton railway station is on the Canadian National Railway mainline in Hutton, British Columbia. Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train calls at the station as a flag stop....
.
Only one family is currently occupying what used to be Hutton Village.
There are, however, many remnants of old buildings, as e.g. the Hospital area, where lots and lots of old medicine bottels are buried in the ground, the old Sawmill Canteen, surrounded by a multitude of old cans and aluminum plates and so forth, and even the old Hutton Railway Station Water-Tower is still on the property.
Also, the current owners have dismantled the Aleza Lake Catholic Church (built 1949) in 2004. Aleza Lake is app. 30 km West of Hutton and also in the Upper Fraser Valley. The Church was not in use any more and on the verge of breaking down. The Church has since been re-constructed in Hutton as a keep-sake of the Upper Fraser Valley's rich history.
Hutton is located on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
and is offering a wonderful view of the Cariboo Mountains
Cariboo Mountains
The Cariboo Mountains are the northernmost subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which run down into the Spokane, Washington area of the United States and include the Selkirks, Monashees and Purcells. The Cariboo Mountains are entirely within the province of British Columbia, Canada. The range is...
(especially Sugarbowl Mountain). There are lots of creeks, beautiful hiking areas, wildlife watching opportunities etc.