Small
As the year 2005 quickly approaches, so does the 200th birthday of our town, and the residents of Hudson’s Hope start to think back about the history of our community.
As a natural stopping place along the Peace River, thought to be a route to the Pacific Ocean, the Natives of the area had been camping on the flat for decades.
First came the fur traders and explorers like Alexander Mackenzie. Next came the white trappers. The community remained this way for 100 years, simply a couple of trading posts and a Native encampment for the three times a year when the trappers came to “town” to trade.
The rumor of a railroad started the “invasion” of settlers (as told by one of the Hudson’s Bay post factors of 1910). Men started arriving, claimed parcels of land, began building houses and clearing land for farming.
The mention of gold in the river brought more men, and the discovery of coal seams started another business craze.
Unfortunately, the railroad didn’t come, but many people settled to farm and mine.
Hudson’s Hope, a jewel of Canada, is a small community of 1100 people, but still rich in resources and beautiful scenery.
