The Stewart–Cassiar Highway , also known as the Dease Lake Highway and the Stikine Highway as well as the Thornhill –Kitimat Highway from Kitimat to Thornhill , is the northwesternmost highway in the Canadian province of British Columbia . A scenic route through some of the province's most isolated areas, the highway first gained designation as British Columbia Highway 37 in the year 1975. At that time, its southern terminus was at the community of New Hazelton on the BC Highway 16 (the Yellowhead Highway ). In 1975, with the completion of a new bridge over the Kitimat River , the highway's Yellowhead junction was relocated to a point on Highway 16 just south of the site of Kitwanga . Highway 37 was then extended south to Kitimat in 1986 superseding what was then designated Highway 25 . At the north end, the highway briefly stretches into the Yukon , becoming Yukon Highway 37 .
15-462: Telegraph Creek is a small community located off Highway 37 in northern British Columbia at the confluence of the Stikine River and Telegraph Creek. The only permanent settlement on the Stikine River , it is home to approximately 250 members of Tahltan First Nation and non-native residents. The town offers basic services, including Anglican and Catholic churches, a general store, a post office,
30-586: A clinic with several nurses on-call around the clock, two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, and a K-9 school. Steep river banks and rocky gorges form the terraced nature of the geography. The community includes Telegraph Creek Indian Reserve No. 6 , Telegraph Creek Indian Reserve No. 6A , and Guhthe Tah Indian Reserve No. 12 which are under the governance of the Tahltan First Nation of Telegraph Creek. Stikine Indian Reserve No. 7 , which
45-643: A roadway extended south from the Alaska Highway to serve the Cassiar mining district , eventually reaching Dease Lake and joining a road to Telegraph Creek (sometimes referred to as Highway 51 , but not signed as such). To the south, logging roads extended north almost as far as Meziadin Junction. By 1968, the route of what is now 37A extended past Meziadin Junction north. This was done to allow for asbestos from Cassiar to be shipped to market via sea from Stewart . By
60-454: Is beautiful but rough, with 113 km (70 mi) of gravel, steep gradients (up to 20%), narrow passages along canyon walls with no guardrails, and sharp-angled switchbacks. Only the first 4.7 km (2.9 mi) stretch is paved. Telegraph Creek Road (also called Hwy. 51) should be driven with caution and awareness; it is suitable for most vehicles but is not recommended for large RVs and travel trailers. One source indicates that "the road
75-574: Is one mile west (downstream) and on the opposite side of the Stikine River, is under the governance of the Iskut First Nation of the settlement of Iskut , which is on the river of the same name . The two bands together comprise the Tahltan Nation . Tahltan (or Nahanni) refers to a Northern Athabaskan people that live around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake and Iskut . The Stikine region
90-437: Is prone to washouts and rock slides". At times when the road is closed, the government of BC provides warnings on its www.DriveBC.ca Web site. The community can also be reached by water, via the Stikine River from Alaska and by air. British Columbia Highway 37 Highway 37 starts its 874 km (543 mi) journey in the south at Kitimat. 59 km (37 mi) north, Highway 37 reaches Terrace, where it merges onto
105-651: Is the traditional home of the Tahltan people, who have lived there for generations. The modern history of the Telegraph Creek and Dease Lake area dates back to the 1860s and 1870s with the Stikine and Cassiar Gold Rushes . Telegraph Creek witnessed the discovery of gold by prospectors on the Stikine River in the 1860s and was the head of navigation. In 1866, the construction of the Russian-American Telegraph line to
120-618: The Cassiar gold rush . Author Edward Hoagland wrote extensively about Telegraph Creek in his 1969 book Notes from the Century Before: A Journal from British Columbia in which he reveals the presence of a high level of ghost activities. Telegraph and its surrounding areas are known for their hiking, riverboating, camping, hunting and fishing. There are organized tours lasting from half a day to several days. The area surrounding Telegraph Creek holds five British Columbia Provincial parks: The road between Dease Lake, BC and Telegraph Creek
135-563: The Skeena Mountains for 333 km (207 mi) to the Continental Divide communities of Eddontenajon , Iskut and Dease Lake , which straddles the Stikine and Dease River basins. Another 116 km (72 mi) north and Highway 37 reaches Jade City , where a junction to the former asbestos -mining community of Cassiar is located. North of Jade City, Highway 37 travels another 120 km (75 mi) to its crossing of
150-587: The Yellowhead Highway . The Yellowhead coincides with Highway 37 east for 91 km (57 mi) to Kitwanga Junction, where the Yellowhead diverges east. North of the Yellowhead's Kitwanga junction, Highway 37 travels 76 km (47 mi) to Cranberry Junction , and then another 80 km (50 mi) north to Meziadin Junction , where Highway 37A begins and heads west via Bear River Pass to Stewart and Hyder, Alaska . Highway 37 travels north through
165-601: The Yukon gave Telegraph Creek its name. As early as 10,000 years ago, the Tahltan people used obsidian from the Mount Edziza volcanic complex to make tools and weapons for trading material. This is the main source of obsidian found in northwestern British Columbia. In 1874, Nellie Cashman , nicknamed "the Angel of Cassiar", opened a boarding house for miners in Telegraph Creek during
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#1732851534519180-574: The 1970s. The completion of a new bridge over the Skeena River at Kitwanga in Mid-November 1975 gave better access to the Yellowhead Highway . Work continued through the mid-to-late 70s to upgrade the stretch of highway. The Highway 37 corridor is slated for infrastructure enhancements as resource extraction activities increase in the Northwest region of British Columbia. The Northwest Transmission Line
195-594: The 60th parallel into the Yukon Territory, becoming Yukon Highway 37 and terminating at a junction with the Alaska Highway near Upper Liard just 3.4 km (2.1 mi) later. According to the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation, "Most of the route is hard surface (either pavement or sealcoat) with approximately 1 km (0.6 mi) of gravel." The Highway 37 of today is the result of highway extension projects began in 1959. Originally,
210-407: The middle of 1972, only a few miles remained to be built between Meziadin Junction and Iskut . Four bicyclists, whose journey from Alaska to Montana was chronicled in a May 1973 National Geographic article, braved the muddy gap. Once this route was completed, travelers only had to contend with limited hours for using the logging roads south of Meziadin Junction, roads which were upgraded during
225-812: Was constructed by BC Hydro and runs from Terrace, British Columbia to Bob Quinn Lake, largely paralleling the highway. From south to north: Meziadin Junction Meziadin Junction ( / m ɪ ˈ z iː ə d ɪ n / ) is a work camp in northwest British Columbia , Canada, near the border with Alaska , United States. It is about 14 kilometres (9 mi) north of the Nass River crossing and 156 kilometres (97 mi) north of Kitwanga on Highway 37 . The highway splits in its journey north from Terrace to Dease Lake , with one branch ( Highway 37A ) heading west over Bear Pass to Stewart and terminating at Hyder, Alaska . This article about
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