The History of Stikine Valley and Tlēgōhīn (Telegraph Creek)
The Heart-bed
of Tāłtān Nation
The Stikine Valley remains the heartland and traditional territory of the Tāłtān people, who have occupied their territories around the upper reaches of the Stikine River in what is now northwestern British Columbia since time immemorial.
The relationship between the people and the land is marked by a deep respect for the land as the provider and a belief that the people are keepers of the land. This relationship is symbiotic, in which the Tāłtān people look to the land for sustenance, guidance, and healing.
Look out for the site of Sesk'iye cho kime (pronounced Sis Kia Cho Kima), or Home of the Crow. In the columnar basalt rock face on the south side of the Stikine, there is the image of a large bird's outstretched wings and head. In Tāłtān culture, this is the Trickster, the crow, the creator of light, who helped bring humans into the world. Some describe this as the birthplace of the Tāłtān.
An All-season Pathway
Primarily hunting and trapping people, the Tāłtān fostered inter-tribal trade with neighbouring tribes, exchanging items such as fish, furs, and obsidian, which helped make tools and weapons. The Tāłtān people held a significant position as middlemen in northern BC's pre- and post-contact trading industry.
The Stikine River served as an all-season pathway for the Tāłtān and their trading partners, the Tlingit, on the coast.
The Gold Rush
During gold fever, sternwheelers in summer and dog teams in winter carried prospectors and supplies from Wrangell, Alaska, up the Stikine to Telegraph Creek. From here, people travelled overland to Atlin or Dease Lake and the gold fields beyond.
In early 1866, the Western Union Telegraph Company wanted to be the first to establish a line between North America and Europe. Their planned route was through BC, into Yukon and Alaska (then Russian America), under the Bering Strait, and through Russia to Europe. The Anglo-American Telegraph Company, which had been trying to establish a transatlantic cable since 1857, won the race in August 1866. Western Union abandoned its efforts, but not before the line had crossed the Stikine at "Telegraph Creek."
In 1901, the Yukon Telegraph was established to Dawson, and Telegraph Creek again earned its name. By 1903, because of the favoured Chilkoot Pass route to the gold fields and Telegraph Creek as head of navigation, Glenora was all but a ghost town. The Hudson Bay Company dismantled their store and moved it to Telegraph Creek by riverboat, where it operated until 1973 and now exists as the Stikine Riversong Cafe & Lodge.
World War II
During World War II, the Stikine route was used to haul men and equipment to build the airport at Watson Lake. At peak time for the valley, riverboats arrived at least daily, and trucks ran day and night to and from Dease Lake. Boats took supplies up Dease Lake into Dease River and Liard River to Lower Post and the Alaska Highway. When the highway was complete, river traffic slowed to a trickle. The last riverboat, the Margaret Rose, made her final voyage in 1969.
