Burns Lake is a small town of 1,600 people on the Yellowhead Highway #16 (Yellowhead Route of the Trans-Canada Highway), Burns Lake is about 230 kilometres west of Prince George, and 490 km east of Prince Rupert.
There are two First Nations reserves that are part of the town, and four nearby, roughly equal to the populations of those of European descent. Local nations include Wetʼsuwetʼen First Nation, Lake Babine Nation, Cheslatta Carrier Nation, Ts’il Kaz Koh First Nation, Skin Tyee First Nation and Nee-Tahi-Buhn Band.
Burns Lake is known for its forestry industry, and also as a popular destination for outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, and camping.
Burns Lake History
The area has been inhabited by the Carrier First Nation people for thousands of years. The first European to travel through the Carrier territory was Alexander Mackenzie, on his way to find a route to the Pacific Ocean.
The westward expansion of the fur trade and the construction of the Collins Overland Telegraph Line attracted many European settlers. The first permanent European settler in the area was Charles Bulkley, an American engineer who was involved in the construction of the telegraph line.
Burns Lake itself began as a small rest stop for overland travellers on their way to the Yukon Gold Rush in the 1890s. Many of these travellers spotted opportunity in the rich forestry, fur, and mining opportunities in Burns Lake and the surrounding area and chose to stay.
Around 1911, Burns Lake was a major centre for the construction of railroad ties for the Grand Trunk Railway. Once the railroad was completed in 1914, the community became a major transportation hub for the region’s agriculture, forestry, and mining. The railway made this town a divisional point (where staff rested and where trains resupplied with fuel and water.
The town was named after Michael Byrnes, who was a prospector in the Cariboo Gold Rush, and later was a surveyor for the railway. By 1876 area maps showed the town as Burns Lake.
In the 1930s, the area around Burns Lake saw a significant influx of settlers, many of whom were of Dutch and German origin. They cleared the land and established farms, and many of their descendants still live in the area today.
The town experienced significant growth in the mid-1900s, with the construction of a sawmill and the opening of several new businesses.
The town has faced several challenges over the years, including devastating wildfires and the tragic explosion of the Babine Forest Products sawmill in 2012, which claimed two lives and injured many others. Despite these setbacks, the community has continued to come together and support one another, and Burns Lake remains a vibrant and resilient town.