Terrace, British Columbia |
In the beautiful Skeena River Valley, amidst the Coast mountain Range, lies Terrace, so named for the natural terraces cut by the Skeena River over the centuries past.
Terrace is literally a city built within a forest; steep mountain slopes are dotted with beautiful hanging valleys, sweet and clean mountain air, and endless tracts of forest to stagger the imagination and rejuvenate the soul.
Originally called Eby's Landing, Terrace began in 1901 as a telegraph station on the Dominion Telegraph Line. In 1905, Terrace was a port of call for sternwheelers plying the Skeena River, establishing the town's important role in future transportation in the Skeena River Valley.
Founding father George Little settled in Terrace in March 1905, after tiring of the Yukon Gold Rush, and later built a sawmill in 1911. The pioneer spirit of the little town grew, and Terrace blossomed with the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1908, with the railway finally pushing through to Terrace in 1914, ending the exciting days of the riverboat. Terrace was incorporated as a town in 1927.
This area was home for thousands of years to the Kitsumkalum and Kitselas people, along with the Tsimshian from the lower Skeena and the Nisga'a from the Nass Valley, who traded with them and married them. Totem poles, and other examples of their art, can be seen in and around Terrace.
Today, the forest continues to provide the mainstay of the area, with Terrace being the main hub of Northwestern British Columbia, and the 'Gateway to the North'.
Using Terrace as your staging point, the natural beauty, intriguing history and mystery of BC's northwest is all yours to discover and enjoy. Host to a myriad of outdoor activities, visitors should bring their hiking boots and fishin' pole, and keep their eyes peeled for the elusive 'Great Spirit Bear" - the white Kermodei bear.
Terrace, and some islands in the Douglas Channel, is home to Ursus americanus "kermodei", the rare white Kermode Bear. First Nations legend tells of the bear's ability to take on the human form. It is said that these spirits help humans in distress, point out food supplies, and protect them from evil spirits. Named in 1928 after Dr. Francis Kermodei, director of the BC Provincial Museum, the Kermodei is protected by law. The Kermode bear is not an albino, nor is it a polar bear, but rather a pale colour form of the black bear. Its colour ranges from dusty white, to rust, to a shade of steel blue-grey, with an average weight of 250 to 350 pounds. This reclusive bear seeks mountainous terrain and deep forests, along with the salmon streams that cut through the northwest, feeding on wild berries, insects, salmon and small game. If you are lucky enough to spot a Kermode bear, you will join the ranks of the privileged few.
Population: 12,660
Location: Terrace is located on the Skeena River at the junction of the Yellowhead Highway 16 and Highway 37 south. Terrace is 36 miles (58 km) inland from Kitimat, 90 miles (145 km) east of Prince Rupert and 365 miles (584 km) west of Prince George.
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