One of the “tri-cities of the Stuart Nechako”, which includes Fort St. James and the Village of Fraser Lake, Vanderhoof is surrounded by natural rustic beauty known only to Northern British Columbia. There are hundreds of lakes, the headwaters of the Fraser, Stikine and Mackenzie River systems, and Vanderhoof Bird Sanctuary on the Nechako river which see hundreds of visitors who love to paddle and birdwatch some of the most remote and wild settings the province offers. The back-country resorts and campgrounds host these enthusiasts with themed decor and the great outdoors at their back steps. Vanderhoof attracts fishermen, hunters, kayakers, hikers, and nordic skiers with the Telegraph Trail that passes by neighboring lakes and towns.
The lakes around Vanderhoof can be served by float plane, boat, kayak or by road. Many campgrounds are lake side where the days are ended by firelight and the stars are brought to life "like never before" after dusk.
Today, Vanderhoof's staple industry's still revolve around those which it was founded upon; agriculture, ranching, and logging (early sawmills). The pioneer spirit is found everywhere here!
Population: 4,600+
Highlights:
Bird Sanctuary
Vanderhoof Heritage Museum
Nechako River
Grand Reo Movie Theatre
Vanderhoof Arena
Riverside Park
Telegraph Trail
Murray Ridge Ski Hill - 60 kilometers North of Vanderhoof
Parade of Lights - first Friday of December
Annual Garden and Tea Tour - last Sunday of July
Nechako Valley Exhibition - third weekend in August
Hooterville Hoot an annual car show - early June
Recreation/Leisure Fair - early in September
History:
The area around present day Vanderhoof has been populated by the Saik'uz First Nation and the Dakelh (signed as [tákʰɛɬ]) indigenous people for over five thousand years. Saik'uz means "on the sand" and Dakelh means "people who travel by water". The Dakelh are also known as Carriers. This name stems from the neighboring Sekani First Nations people who describe the Dakelh as Carriers because it describes the Dakelh's ritual where the widows of the tribe carry their cremated husbands' ashes, in knapsacks, for a three-year period.
The Carrier lifestyle revolved around the seasons. Summers were spent hunting large game (ei. moose, elk, bear), trapping (ei. mink,fox,rabbit), and fishing. Prior to the winter the berries and salmon would be preserved for storage. The winter was less productive however to survive and provide food and furs they did what hunting, trapping, and ice fishing they could. The routes they travel were called the "Grease Trails", which referred the popular and nutritious oils traded.
Trade between the Carrier bands and white settlers on the coast in the 1700's consisted of Carrier bands trading hides, dried meat, and mats of dried berries for candlefish oil, smoked eulachons and dried Red Laver seaweed.
Vanderhoof was the first agricultural settlement in British Columbia, hence the appropriate naming of Vanderhoof which is Dutch for “of the farm” and was the name of the village developer Herbert Vanderhoof an employee of the Grand Trunk Pacific Development Company. The land in the area was sold during the company's cheap property sale and village development in 1914.
Climate:
Summer average 16 degrees Celsius
Winter average - 8 degrees Celsius
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