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25-518: New Hazelton is a district municipality on the south side of the Bulkley River in the Skeena region of west central British Columbia , Canada. On BC Highway 16 , the locality is by road about 68 kilometres (42 mi) northwest of Smithers and 137 kilometres (85 mi) northeast of Terrace . New Hazelton is one of the "Three Hazeltons", the other two being the original "Old" Hazelton to

50-621: A land area of 24.34 km (9.40 sq mi), it had a population density of 24.7/km (64.1/sq mi) in 2021. Bulkley River Much of the Bulkey is paralleled by Highway 16 . It flows west from Bulkley Lake past Perow and is joined near Houston by the Morice River , its major tributary. The Bulkley continues north past Quick , Telkwa and Smithers . It then meets the Skeena River near Hazelton . The Bulkley River

75-500: A river in the Interior of British Columbia , Canada is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . John Oliver (British Columbia politician) John Oliver (July 31, 1856 – August 17, 1927) was a British - Canadian politician and farmer, who served as the 19th premier of British Columbia . As a prominent figure in the province’s early political landscape, Oliver served in various capacities, including as leader of

100-456: A single vehicle. Furthermore, it was 266 feet above the water and had a tendency to sway in the gentlest of breezes. The bridge soon became shunned as even the most courageous and expert drivers felt seasick or damaged their cars while crossing it. Despite the lack of a station, New Hazelton prospered during rail construction. In 1913, it had 121 buildings and a population of 350 while South Hazelton had one tent and two restaurants. By that summer,

125-627: A station. Ryley made the deal and the village of South Hazelton was born. When Robert Kelly learned of these new plans, he petitioned the Board of Railway Commissioners to force the GTP to build the station in New Hazelton, which was closer to the mines. The BRC decided in Kelly's favour, particularly after they heard evidence from the miners who said the cost of shipping the ore to South Hazelton would be $ 4

150-495: A third was mortally wounded. The four who were remaining, all of them wounded, fled off into the nearby woods. Dan MacLean and Sperry Cline got a posse together and caught three of them, but the seventh got away. The three wounded bandits were taken to the Hazelton hospital and once they recovered they were brought to trial. Judge Young from Prince Rupert came and presided over the proceedings. It came out in court that these were

175-479: A ton more than to New Hazelton. The railway, however, ignored the directive and built the station in South Hazelton and continued to sell lots in the townsite. In 1913, to make his townsite more attractive, Robert Kelly decided to have a bridge built across Bulkley River and hired the firm of Craddock and Company to do the work. The bridge was completed that fall, but was very narrow, barely wide enough for

200-582: A township would be established. That May, the township of New Hazelton was laid out. The location was close to the Rocher de Boule and Silver Standard mines, both of which were huge potential customers for the railway. The GTP land commissioner, George Ryley, agreed that Lot 882 was a good location and wanted the railway to have a share in the profits from selling lots in the new townsite. Kelly refused, so Ryley found another property, Lot 851, whose owners were willing to share their profits, providing they were promised

225-551: Is a major tourist destination for anglers targeting wild steelhead. The river was originally called Wet'sinkwha ("blue and green river") by the Wet'suwet'en people, the indigenous inhabitants of the Bulkley Valley. The name Bulkley was given for Colonel Charles S. Bulkley, the U.S. Army engineer-in-charge of the survey team who, in 1866, explored the area in preparation for the failed Russian American Telegraph . The project

250-424: Is served by Via Rail 's Jasper – Prince Rupert train . Mayor : Gail Lowry Councilors : Janet Wilson, Mike Weeber, Braunwyn Henwood, George Burns, Ray Sturney, Peter Newberry Administrator: Wendy Hunt In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , New Hazelton had a population of 602 living in 266 of its 305 total private dwellings, a change of 3.8% from its 2016 population of 580. With

275-466: Is the service and commerce centre for the Kispiox Valley, which includes several first nation communities as well as residents of South Hazelton and Old Hazelton . The population of this area is approximately 6,500 people. Due to its location on Hwy 16 and CN Rail line, New Hazelton is home to most of the shopping, restaurants, and accommodations in the area. The New Hazelton railway station

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300-480: The 1916 election . That year, he was appointed minister of Agriculture and minister of Railways in premier Harlan Carey Brewster 's cabinet. Following Brewster's death in 1918, Oliver succeeded him as premier. In addition to his role as premier, Oliver held the portfolios of minister of Agriculture (1918), minister of Railways (1918–1922), and minister of industry (1919–1922). Under his leadership, his administration prioritized agricultural development, notably in

325-843: The Okanagan Valley , which became a hub for the province's produce industry. Oliver's government also advocated for reduced rail freight rates to improve the economic viability of British Columbia’s agricultural exports. A notable moment in Oliver's tenure was the 1923 visit of U.S. president Warren G. Harding to Vancouver , marking the first visit of a sitting U.S. president to Canada. Oliver served as premier until his death in 1927. His legacy endures through numerous places named in his honor, including John Oliver Secondary School in Vancouver, John Oliver Park in Delta , Mount John Oliver in

350-467: The Opposition and minister of Agriculture , and contributed significantly to the development of British Columbia ’s agricultural and railway sectors. A member of the former British Columbia Liberal Party , Oliver was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 1900 provincial election . After serving as the leader of the Opposition, he lost his seat in 1909 but returned the legislature in

375-424: The bank manager, had not yet arrived and he was the only one who had the combination of the safe. Tatchell was nearby, however, and upon hearing the shots, rushed to the house of Dan "Doc" MacLean, a local minister, who was also a veterinarian . Dan had guns and knew how to use them. Across the street from the bank another resident was getting ready to defend the town: Arizona Smith, who owned the local boarding house,

400-444: The bank while the seventh stayed in front and pulled a rifle out from underneath his coat and began firing shots up the street and people dashed for cover. Inside the bank, the other six had also drawn rifles and were demanding money from the teller, Robert Bishop. Ray Fenton, the bookkeeper was also behind the counter working on the books. When the robbers demanded the money, Fenton and Bishop weren't able to oblige them. Barrie Tatchell,

425-562: The northwest and South Hazelton to the west. During the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTP) construction land speculation was rife along the proposed route. In July 1911, Lot 883, between the Bulkley River and the northernmost point on the railway right-of-way, was the first property to be marketed as the Larkford townsite. Several Hazelton businesses acquired lots, but it is not clear if they were given or paid for

450-651: The properties. Lot 882, adjacent to the south, was called Taylorville, because the owner had been either F.C. Taylor or Hugh Taylor. Called either the Taylor section or Taylorville, the site was being developed at the time. That month, the surveyed streets were created at Larkford by clearing tree obstructions and the lots were misrepresented as "Larkford, the New Hazelton". Like similar speculative ventures, no evidence exists that buildings were ever erected at Larkford which has since reverted to natural vegetation. In early 1911, Robert Kelly purchased Lot 882 for $ 100,000, upon which

475-463: The railway relented and built a station at New Hazelton in return for a share of three-sevenths of the profits. Robert Kelly also offered the opportunity for the people who had purchased lots in South Hazelton to transfer to New Hazelton, but the railway had no intention of letting South Hazelton to be abandoned entirely and they rejected the offer. In November 1913, the Union Bank at New Hazelton

500-466: The same men from the first robbery and were therefore already guilty of murder and that the bullets they were using were dumdums , a clear indication that they were willing to commit murder again. Judge Young sentenced them all to twenty years at the provincial penitentiary in New Westminster . The song "New Town" by Smithers musician Mark Perry tells the story of these events. New Hazelton

525-456: Was a busy little town that morning and excitement was high over the completion of the railroad. Many residents and some visiting dignitaries were planning on taking the train to Fort Fraser to watch the ceremonies associated with the driving of the last spike. John Oliver , who would one day become premier and have the town of Oliver named after him, was one of the visitors on that historic day. Little did anyone know that an equally historic event

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550-521: Was abandoned because of the success of the trans-Atlantic cable in 1866. The Little Bulkley, a smaller stream running through Houston, and the Morice join just west of Houston. At the point of their joining they become the Bulkley, not the Morice, although the Morice is larger. This was done by Poudrier, a government cartographer who, it is rumoured, never saw the region. This article related to

575-508: Was about to happen right there in New Hazelton, one that would be remembered in hundreds of Canadian history books. Luckily, someone was there with a camera. Those pictures would become among the most famous of that era in British Columbia. At 10:30 that morning seven men walked up the street towards the bank, all of them were wearing long coats, but so many people were out and about that these men went unnoticed. Six of them entered

600-599: Was robbed by gunmen. In the commission of the crime, a young bank teller by the name of Jock McQueen was mortally wounded. Even though a posse was swiftly formed to go after them, the bandits got away with $ 16,000, a great deal of money in those days. The second robbery occurred on April 7, 1914, already a red letter day for the area as the last spike of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was being driven 180 miles away in Fort Fraser . New Hazelton

625-502: Was running for his gun. Tatchell found Dan and Dan grabbed his Lee–Enfield rifle and followed Tatchell to the place where they would make their stand, behind a large boulder of silver ore that had been donated to the town by the Silver Standard Mine. Soon the guard in front of the bank had three men firing at him and he called out for assistance to his companions inside. When they came out, two were killed instantly and

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