Stikine Region
Encyclopedia
The Stikine Region is an unincorporated area in northwesternmost British Columbia
, Canada
and is the only area in B.C. not in a regional district. The Stikine Region was left unincorporated following legislation that established the province's regional districts
in 1968 and is not classified as a regional district, and contains no municipal governments which normally constitute the majority of seats on the boards of regional districts. There is only one local planning area, the Atlin
Community Planning Area, which was combined in 2009 with the Atlin Community Improvement District to provide fire, landfill, water, streetlighting, sidewalks and advisory land use services. All other services not provided privately are administered directly by various provincial government ministries. The area around Dease Lake, formerly in the Stikine Region, is now within the boundaries of the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine following a boundary amendment in 2008. Please see the revised Stikine Region map that shows the change in boundaries].
The Stikine Region has a total population of 1,352 (2004 est.) including 282 First Nations persons, most from the Taku Tlingit of Atlin
and Teslin, British Columbia, and some reserves of the Kaska Dena Council (reserves and band governments are outside the jurisdiction of the provincial government and of the Stikine Region as an administrative body). The 2006 census
count was 1,109 persons. It has an area of 132,496.2 sq. kilometers (51,157.07 sq mi). Its 1 person per 100 km² makes it the least densely inhabited census division in British Columbia and least densely inhabited census division
in Canada
.
The term Stikine Region should not be confused with the terms Stikine Territory
, Stikine District
, or Stikine Country
, which all mean something slightly different:
Most of the Stikine Region, the boundaries of which reflect modern-era administrative realities, is composed of areas not part of the historical or geographical Stikine Country and the related Stikine Mining District but which were part of the Stikine Territory. These were the Atlin District
and some of the Cassiar Mining Districts, as well as some of the Liard
basin, plus the basin of the Tatshenshini
-Alsek
in the "BC Panhandle" west of Skagway and north of Alaska
's Glacier Bay National Park.
In the 2001 Census, Statistics Canada enumerated the following list of "Designated Places". None of them are municipalities - they are a mixture of Indian Reserves (names end in numbers) and "Indian Settlements
" (aboriginal communities that are not formally identified as Indian Reserves), which are geographically within the boundaries of the Stikine Region Regional District Electoral Area), with the following populations (2006 Canadian Census). NB Indian Reserves (IRs) are only locationally within the Stikine Region, and are outside its administrative jursidiction.
It is bordered by the Yakutat
, Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon
, Juneau and Haines
boroughs of the U.S.
state of Alaska
to the west, the Yukon Territory to the north (which has no county-like system of division), the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Peace River Regional District to the east, and the Regional Districts of Bulkley-Nechako
and Kitimat-Stikine
to the south.
asbestos mine which opened in 1952. The mine was depleted by 1991 and after a failed expansion to more underground deposits it was closed in early 1992. The Erickson Gold mine was operational from 1979 to 1988. The Taurus gold mine operated between 1982 and 1988. Both were planned to re-open in 1993-1994 but neither was able. The Golden Bear gold-silver mine operated between 1990 and 1993 before closing due to cost overruns. It was re-opened in 1997 after shifting to underground mining, from open-pit, but closed again in late 2001. The new Tulsequah Chief Mine on the Tulsequah River
, a tributary of the Taku
, south of the Atlin Country and just inside the international boundary to the north of Juneau, Alaska
, with an estimated at 7.7 million tons containing copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver is under construction.
. The area is now part of a World Heritage Site
with Kluane National Park and Glacier Bay National Monument, which flank it to the north and south. Other provincial parks in the Stikine Region include the Atlin Provincial Park and Recreation Area
and the Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park
.
Though much of the Stikine Region is unprotected, the area's remoteness and unusual subarctic landscapes, and location along one of only two overland routes to the Yukon and Alaska, are attracting a growing amount of tourist traffic and generating employment in outfitting, guiding and hunting.
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...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and is the only area in B.C. not in a regional district. The Stikine Region was left unincorporated following legislation that established the province's regional districts
Regional districts of British Columbia
The Canadian province of British Columbia is divided into regional districts. Like counties in other parts of Canada, regional districts serve only to provide municipal services as the local government in areas not incorporated into a municipality, and in certain regional affairs of shared concern...
in 1968 and is not classified as a regional district, and contains no municipal governments which normally constitute the majority of seats on the boards of regional districts. There is only one local planning area, the Atlin
Atlin, British Columbia
Atlin is a community in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on the eastern shore of Atlin Lake. In addition to continued gold-mining activity, Atlin is a tourist destination for fishing, hiking and Heliskiing. As of 2004, there are 450 permanent residents.The name comes from Áa Tlein,...
Community Planning Area, which was combined in 2009 with the Atlin Community Improvement District to provide fire, landfill, water, streetlighting, sidewalks and advisory land use services. All other services not provided privately are administered directly by various provincial government ministries. The area around Dease Lake, formerly in the Stikine Region, is now within the boundaries of the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine following a boundary amendment in 2008. Please see the revised Stikine Region map that shows the change in boundaries].
The Stikine Region has a total population of 1,352 (2004 est.) including 282 First Nations persons, most from the Taku Tlingit of Atlin
Atlin, British Columbia
Atlin is a community in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on the eastern shore of Atlin Lake. In addition to continued gold-mining activity, Atlin is a tourist destination for fishing, hiking and Heliskiing. As of 2004, there are 450 permanent residents.The name comes from Áa Tlein,...
and Teslin, British Columbia, and some reserves of the Kaska Dena Council (reserves and band governments are outside the jurisdiction of the provincial government and of the Stikine Region as an administrative body). The 2006 census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
count was 1,109 persons. It has an area of 132,496.2 sq. kilometers (51,157.07 sq mi). Its 1 person per 100 km² makes it the least densely inhabited census division in British Columbia and least densely inhabited census division
Census division
Census division is an official term in Canada and the United States. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic unit, below provinces and territories, and above "census subdivisions" and "dissemination areas". In provinces where they exist, the census division may correspond...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The term Stikine Region should not be confused with the terms Stikine Territory
Stikine Territory
The Stickeen Territories , also colloquially rendered as Stickeen Territory, Stikine Territory, and Stikeen Territory, was a territory of British North America whose brief existence began July 19, 1862, and concluded July of the following year. The region was split from the North-Western...
, Stikine District
Stikine Country
The Stikine Country, also referred to as the Stikine District or simply "the Stikine" , is one of the historical geographic regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, located inland from the central Alaska Panhandle and comprising the basin of the Stikine River and its tributaries...
, or Stikine Country
Stikine Country
The Stikine Country, also referred to as the Stikine District or simply "the Stikine" , is one of the historical geographic regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, located inland from the central Alaska Panhandle and comprising the basin of the Stikine River and its tributaries...
, which all mean something slightly different:
- Half the historical Stikine Country, roughly synonymous with the Stikine Mining DistrictStikine CountryThe Stikine Country, also referred to as the Stikine District or simply "the Stikine" , is one of the historical geographic regions of the Canadian province of British Columbia, located inland from the central Alaska Panhandle and comprising the basin of the Stikine River and its tributaries...
of colonial times, as being the entire basin of that river, is in the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine. - The Stikine Territory was a colonial-era entity which existed briefly and had boundaries differing from that of the Stikine Country per se, being latitudinal on its eastern extent and so cutting across terrain rather than defined by it; its southern boundary was the line of the FinlayFinlay RiverThe Finlay River is a 402 km long river in north-central British Columbia flowing north and thence south from Thutade Lake in the Omineca Mountains to Williston Lake, the impounded waters of the Peace River formed by the completion of the W.A.C. Bennett Dam in 1968. Prior to this, the Finlay...
and Nass RiverNass RiverThe Nass River is a river in northern British Columbia, Canada. It flows from the Coast Mountains southwest to Nass Bay, a sidewater of Portland Inlet, which connects to the North Pacific Ocean via the Dixon Entrance...
s, while its northern boundary was the 62nd parallel62nd parallel northThe 62nd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 62 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Asia and North America....
, north of which was the North-Western TerritoryNorth-Western TerritoryThe North-Western Territory was a region of British North America until 1870. Named for where it lay in relation to Rupert's Land, the territory at its greatest extent covered what is now Yukon, mainland Northwest Territories, northwestern mainland Nunavut, northwestern Saskatchewan, northern...
. When the Stikine Territory was absorbed into British Columbia in 1863, the North-West Territory was expanded south to the 60th parallel60th parallel northThe 60th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 60 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
and the merged Stikine Territory significantly reduced in size. In 1867, the former Stikine Territory was further reduced in size when British claims on the leased portion of the Alaska PanhandleAlaska PanhandleSoutheast Alaska, sometimes referred to as the Alaska Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, which lies west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The majority of Southeast Alaska's area is part of the Tongass National Forest, the United...
were ignored by both RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in course of the Alaska PurchaseAlaska purchaseThe Alaska Purchase was the acquisition of the Alaska territory by the United States from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. The purchase, made at the initiative of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward, gained of new United States territory...
. Even after that, British perceptions that British territory had included the sites of Skagway, HainesHaines, AlaskaHaines is a census-designated place in Haines Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the area was 1,811. Haines was formerly a city but no longer has a municipal government...
and Dyea were overruled in the settlement of the Alaska Boundary DisputeAlaska Boundary DisputeThe Alaska boundary dispute was a territorial dispute between the United States and Canada . It was resolved by arbitration in 1903. The dispute had been going on between the Russian and British Empires since 1821, and was inherited by the United States as a consequence of the Alaska Purchase in...
.
Most of the Stikine Region, the boundaries of which reflect modern-era administrative realities, is composed of areas not part of the historical or geographical Stikine Country and the related Stikine Mining District but which were part of the Stikine Territory. These were the Atlin District
Atlin District
The Atlin District, also known as the Atlin Country, is a historical region located in the far northwestern corner of the Canadian province of British Columbia, centred on Atlin Lake and the gold-rush capital of the region, the town of Atlin...
and some of the Cassiar Mining Districts, as well as some of the Liard
Liard River
The Liard River flows through Yukon, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains in southeastern Yukon, it flows southeast through British Columbia, marking the northern end of the Rocky Mountains and then curving northeast back...
basin, plus the basin of the Tatshenshini
Tatshenshini River
The Tatshenshini River is a river in the southwestern Yukon and the northwestern corner of British Columbia. It originates in British Columbia, near Haines Highway...
-Alsek
Alsek River
The Alsek River is a wilderness river flowing from the Yukon into Northern British Columbia and into Alaska. The surrounding area from the Western edge of the Alsek to East of the East Alsek is known to locals as Dry Bay.-Course:...
in the "BC Panhandle" west of Skagway and north of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
's Glacier Bay National Park.
In the 2001 Census, Statistics Canada enumerated the following list of "Designated Places". None of them are municipalities - they are a mixture of Indian Reserves (names end in numbers) and "Indian Settlements
Indian settlement
An Indian settlement is a census subdivision outlined by the Canadian government Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada for census purposes. These areas have at least 10 Indian people who live, more or less, permanently in the given area...
" (aboriginal communities that are not formally identified as Indian Reserves), which are geographically within the boundaries of the Stikine Region Regional District Electoral Area), with the following populations (2006 Canadian Census). NB Indian Reserves (IRs) are only locationally within the Stikine Region, and are outside its administrative jursidiction.
| Settlement | Population | Stikine Region Regional District Electoral Area* | 574 | Dease Lake* | 384 | Liard River 3 (IR) | 0 | Five Mile Point 3 (IR) | 95 | Good Hope Lake Good Hope Lake, British Columbia Good Hope Lake is a First Nations community in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on Highway 37 not far south of the border with the Yukon and located east of the semi-abandoned mining town of Cassiar, British Columbia. As of the 2006 Census, there are 41 people living in Good Hope... |
32 | Dease Lake 9 (IR) | 68 | Lower Post Lower Post, British Columbia Lower Post is an aboriginal community in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on Highway 97, the Alaska Highway, approximately 15 miles southeast of Watson Lake, Yukon. Its historical mile designation is Mile 620... Indian Settlement Indian settlement An Indian settlement is a census subdivision outlined by the Canadian government Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada for census purposes. These areas have at least 10 Indian people who live, more or less, permanently in the given area... |
113 | Unnamed 10 (IR) (near Atlin Atlin, British Columbia Atlin is a community in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on the eastern shore of Atlin Lake. In addition to continued gold-mining activity, Atlin is a tourist destination for fishing, hiking and Heliskiing. As of 2004, there are 450 permanent residents.The name comes from Áa Tlein,... ) |
227 | Tahltan 1 (IR) | 0 | * Dease Lake Dease Lake, British Columbia Dease Lake is a small community located in the Cassiar Country of the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Located only a few hours south of the Yukon border, it is located on Highway 37 at the south end of the lake of the same name. Dease Lake is the last major centre before the Alaska... is now part of the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine since December 1, 2007 (census was taken prior to that date). |
It is bordered by the Yakutat
Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska
Yakutat City and Borough is a unified city-borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population was 4035. The name is Tlingit, Yaakwdáat, meaning "the place where canoes rest", but it originally derives from an Eyak name diyaʼqudaʼt and was influenced by the Tlingit word...
, Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon
Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area is a census area located in the state of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 2,574. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat. Its largest community is the city of Hoonah...
, Juneau and Haines
Haines Borough, Alaska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,392 people, 991 households, and 654 families residing in the borough. The population density was 0,88 people per square mile . There were 1,419 housing units at an average density of 0,52 per square mile...
boroughs of the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to the west, the Yukon Territory to the north (which has no county-like system of division), the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Peace River Regional District to the east, and the Regional Districts of Bulkley-Nechako
Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, British Columbia
The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2006 census, the population was 38,243. The area is 73,419.01 square kilometres...
and Kitimat-Stikine
Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, British Columbia
The Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine is a type of local government administration in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2001 Census it had a population of 40,876 living on a land area of 91,910.63 km² . Its administrative offices are in the city of Terrace...
to the south.
Mining industry
The principal economic activity in the region is mining. The region’s largest mine was the CassiarCassiar, British Columbia
Cassiar is a ghost town in British Columbia, Canada. It was a small company-owned asbestos mining town located in the Cassiar Mountains of Northern British Columbia north of Dease Lake. After forty years of operation, starting in 1952, the mine was unexpectedly forced to close in 1992...
asbestos mine which opened in 1952. The mine was depleted by 1991 and after a failed expansion to more underground deposits it was closed in early 1992. The Erickson Gold mine was operational from 1979 to 1988. The Taurus gold mine operated between 1982 and 1988. Both were planned to re-open in 1993-1994 but neither was able. The Golden Bear gold-silver mine operated between 1990 and 1993 before closing due to cost overruns. It was re-opened in 1997 after shifting to underground mining, from open-pit, but closed again in late 2001. The new Tulsequah Chief Mine on the Tulsequah River
Tulsequah River
The Tulsequah River, formerly the Talsekwe River, is a tributary of the Taku River in northwestern British Columbia, located south of the Atlin District and inland from Juneau, Alaska...
, a tributary of the Taku
Taku River
The Taku River is a river running from British Columbia, Canada, to the northwestern coast of North America, at Juneau, Alaska. Its mouth coincides with the Alaska-British Columbia border...
, south of the Atlin Country and just inside the international boundary to the north of Juneau, Alaska
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
, with an estimated at 7.7 million tons containing copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver is under construction.
Preservation
A major discovery of copper, gold, cobalt, silver and zinc was removed from mining potential with the establishment in 1993 of the Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park, located in the province's northwestern-most panhandle, ended plans to build the Windy Craggy Mine megaprojectMegaproject
A megaproject is an extremely large-scale investment project. Megaprojects are typically defined as costing more than US$1 billion and attracting a lot of public attention because of substantial impacts on communities, environment, and budgets. Megaprojects can also be defined as "initiatives that...
. The area is now part of a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
with Kluane National Park and Glacier Bay National Monument, which flank it to the north and south. Other provincial parks in the Stikine Region include the Atlin Provincial Park and Recreation Area
Atlin Provincial Park and Recreation Area
Atlin Provincial Park and Recreation Area is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada.-History:Atlin is an anglicization of Áa Tlein, the Tlingit word for "big body of water". The area has been used by the Taku River Tlingit for many years. There are several archeological sites and cultural...
and the Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park
Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park
Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, protecting most of the Spatsizi Plateau, the southeasternmost subplateau of the Stikine Plateau, and the upper reaches of the basin of the Stikine River.-History:...
.
Though much of the Stikine Region is unprotected, the area's remoteness and unusual subarctic landscapes, and location along one of only two overland routes to the Yukon and Alaska, are attracting a growing amount of tourist traffic and generating employment in outfitting, guiding and hunting.