Voorhis Interactive: Posts of the Trade

Fort St. John   HBC GMaps
ID: 599  Voorhis Number: 496 ;   Location: British Columbia, Canada [56.21, -120.83] ;    Founded: 1873 , Closed: 1885 .

Five different forts were constructed at different times near the present location and all were called fort St. John.

(1) First fort was built by the North West Co. on the left or north bank of the Peace river a few miles below mouth of Pine river, about 121°W, twenty miles below the present St. John and 100 miles above Dunvegan. Built in 1805. In the autumn of 1823 this fort was burned by the Indians and Guy Hughes and four men were massacred. Harmon speaks of visiting this fort in 1810 and in 1833 McLean describes the fort as in ruins and deserted.

(2) In 1860 the Hudson's Bay Co. constructed a second fort on the south shore at the mouth of North Pine River.

(3) In 1873 the Company erected a new log fort on the north shore opposite.

(4) In 1885 that fort was abandoned and another one constructed across the river on the south shore.

(5) In 1925 the fifth and present fort St. John was built at the beginning of Sikanny Trail.



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