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AIUM
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SECOND
SECTIOV
PRINCE
KITEBT,
B.C.,
JUNE
30,
1954
PAGES
17-26
U
1
1
II
at
Central
B.C.
Hub
City
fl
I
D
-
.
New
Railway
Extension
Sparks
Peace
River
Area
Extensions
of
a
new
Canadian
empire
in
the
north
iqk
i-ung-iange
view
Prince
George,
British
Columbia
the
"hub"
of
the
catapaulted
by
the
wartime
construction
of
the
mighty
province,
equidistant
from
two
main
seaports
and
centre
of
major
highways
and
railways
is
slowly
turninj
its
Alaska
Highway
is
to
get
another
shot
in
the
arm
in
the
near
future.
back
on
a
fabulous
post-war
boom.
For
having
experienced
a
crippling
three-month
The
B.C.
government
recently
announced
it
will
start
strike
in
Its
$25,000,000-a-year
lumber
industry,
the
city!
construction
soon
of
the
Pacific
Great
Eastern
Railway
extension
from
Prince
George
to
Dawson
Creek,
provid
is
looking
to
natural
gas,
cheap
power,
and
tourism
to
help
stabilize
its
booming
post-war
growth.
More
than
700
lumbering
operations
in
the
Prince
George
district,
which
blossomed
as
a
result
of
lucrative
American
interests
in
the
last
JO
years,
have
zoomed
a
comfortable
3,000
population
into
a
housing-short
10,000.
Businesses
likewise
mushroomed.
New
homes
replaced
empty
and
unkempt
lots
until
all
available
were
taken
up.
Within
the
last
few
months,
city
council
had
to
exlend
the
boundaries
of
its
municipality
to
include
an
additional
3,000
persons
who
had
settled
around
its
original
perimeter.
ing
for
B.C.'i
great
Peace
River
area
its
first
Pacific
rail
outlet.
Eut
while
future
development
of
the
Peace
is
con
sidered
"staggering,"
the
recent
past
depicts
a
transformation
almost
as
fabulous.
Dawson
Creek,
today
the
biggest
town
in
the
Peace)
River
area
of
B.C.
and
Alberta,
is
the
beginning
"Mile-O"
of
the
fabulous,
1,529-mile
link
with
Fairbanks,
Alaska.
The
village
of
more
than
6,000
also
is
the
terminal
of
the
Northern
Alberta
Railway
and
a
highway
to
Edmonton;
a
highway
to
Yellowknife,
N.W.T,;
and
recently
tha
Hart
Highway
from
Prince
George
was
completed
to
bridge
a
265-mile
gap
needed
to
provide
the
first
overland
contact
with
the
rest
of
B.C.
And
this
year,
the
B.C.
government
announced
it
will
soon
start
construction
of
a
railroad
from
Prince
George
to
Dawson
Creek,
an
extension
of
its
Pacific
Great
Eastern.
Growth
to
its
present
status
from
a
population
of
less
than
100
in
20
years,
indicates
the
prosperity
and
progressiveness
of
Dawson
Creek
and
its
district.
In
1930,
the
present
townsitei
some
500.
miles
northwest
obstruction,
a
high-ranking
U.S.
Edmonton,
was
an
oatfield.
The
j
army
offficer
coolly
announced
railroad
arrived
the
next
year!
In
Dawson
Creek
that
work
and
in
1934
the
village
was
In-
would
begin
soon
on
a
highway
Then
came
the
blow.
Although
the
strike
has
been
untied
since
early
in
1954
and
business
has
resumed
its
normal
pace,
it
Is
estimated
it
will
take
live
years
to
recover
the
loss
of
some
$3,000,000
in
wages
and
markets.
But
those
in
Prince
George
who
take
a
long
range
view,
say
3
'..
-
.
'.
,
-i
i
i
'
I
"','
'
u
,:-.
'
!
'.'.
1'
?
'
:
:j
.-:
X'
1
.
p
,j
-
v",
.
of
the
Prince
George
Board
of
Trade.
"But
It
has.
sobered
us
up
to
a
more
rational
way
of
thinking.
"Tor
the
first,
time,
Prince
George
la
actively
trylrg
to
locate
other
Industry
hew.
The
Board
of
Trade
has
for
ned
srv-
that
perhaps
a
good
deal
can
beeral
committees
to
investigate
Iparned
from
the
strike.
all
industrial
potentials,
and
city
"Sure
It
hurt,"
says
Al
Bowie,
council
Is
lso
preparing
promotion
data."
local
merchant,
and
president
o.
i-
r-i.:
d
r
lumuic
v.euj
ticurit
ruvre
corpora
ted
with-a
population
of
to
Alaska,
lor
the
continent
was
400.
in
danger
of
Invasion
from
the
north,
and
a
supply
line
was
of
Twelve
years
later.
With
the
world
torn
-by
a
war
of
de-
Their
main
concern
is
the
city's
lack
of
electric
power
and
flavor
Gordon
D.
Bryant
has
pledged
himself
to
correct
the
.situation
"if
It's
the
last
thing
I
do."
.
"Our
present
need
has
far
outgrown
our
supply,
not
counting
the
additional
amount
we
could
prime
importance.
Mighty
flood
Built
in
One
Year
B.C.
Power
Commission,
provincial
power
suppliers,
to
take
over.
"Naturally,
we
should
like
to
see
a
hydro
project
developed
in
central
B.C.
There
may
be
such
a
possibility."
As
a
result,
possibility
of
utilizing
either
the
Clearwater
hydro
potential
of
more
than
100,000
horsepower,
and
that
of
the
Nation
River
of
80,000
horsepower
is
being
studied.
The
Clearwater,
however,
is
some
200
air
miles
southeast
of
the
"hub"
city,
and
the
Nation,
about
150
miles
northwest.
The
$135,000,000
road,
de-i
f
use
If
it
were
available
cheaply
scribed
as
a
crowning
engineering
achievement,
was
started
in
March,
1942,
und
completely
finished
a
year
later.
ami
abundantly,
said
the
mayor.
Present
capacity
of
the
diesel-J
operated
power
plant
is
4,500
i
horsepower.
Energy
demand
is
estimated
at
10,000-h.p.
The
plant
Is
operated
by
the
city
hut
Mayor
Bryant
has
asked
the
During
its
construction,
popu
lation
at
Dawson
Creek
swelled
to
15,000.
After
the
end
of
the
Second
World
War,
the
village
was
left
not
only
with
an
all-
Since
Alexander
Mackenzie,
first
white
man
to
see
the
Peace
River,
established
a
fur
trading
post
near
Fort
St
John
in
1792,
its
surrounding
area
was
expounded
as
one
of
the
greatest
agricultural
vistas
of
Canada.
Men
who
headed
overland
through
the
Peace
River
area
on
their
way
to
the
Klondike
in
1898,
returned-
with
glowing
accounts
of
vast
farming
country.
First
wave
of
settlers
came
from
Alberta
over
the
400-mile
Edson
trail
in
1913,
followed
by
veterans
of
the
First
Great
War
in
1918-19
under
the
Soldier
I
Settlement
Plan.
weather
overland
highway
to
Natural
Gas
Line
Brightens
Future
the
far
north,
but
with
a
water
cards
today
for
industry,"
says
Strong
possibility
of
natural
and
sewer
system,
warehouses
and
other
buildings,
and
numer
Mayor
Bryant.
v"
Potentials
for
large-scale
pulp
f
f
'
ous
new
streets
built
by
the
American
army.
,
and
plastic
manufacturing
In.
dustries
using
the
combination
of
natural
gas
and,
the
vast
re
V
But
the
army
of
men
and
equipment
also
withdrew,
leaving
the
village
with
a
ghost-like
atmosphere,
yet
not
for
long.
sources
of
pulp
timber
surround
t;as
from
the
Peace
River
area
300
miles
north
reaching
Prince
George,
figures
largely
In
the
Hub's
future.
Westcoast
Transmission
is
only
awaiting
approval
of
the
United
States
to
begin
construction
on
a
$00,000,-K
pipeline
from
Fort
St.
John
Into
southern
B.C.
and
across
:the
border.
Route
of
the
line
?'ould
pass
through
Prince
Ing
Prince
George
are
cited
by
the
Board
of
Trade.
The
board
also
points
to
First
Railroad
Reaches
Dawson
Prince
George
as
the
major
dis
i
tributing
centre
for
northern
In
1931
the
railroad
reached
and
central
B.C.
The
city
is
the
approximate
centre
of
the
prov.
jOnrge.
J
"Gas
may
well
be
the
answer
to
our
future
and
may
solve
the
!power
problem.
Natural
gas
is
ions
of
the
greatest
drawing
ince,
with
three
major
highways
passing
through
it,
and
is
the
the
B.C.
Peace
River
section,
providing
its
first
public
communication
with
the
rest
of
Canada
and
starting
its
heaviest
setUement
until
the
end
of
the
Second
World
War.
terminal
of
two
railways.
Today
there
are
about
1,200,000
acres
of
land
occupied,
with
300,000
under
cultivation.
But
there
are
still
2,300,000
acres
not
settled,
with
another
halt
million
acres
available
in
the
Fort
Nelson
area,
300
miles
northward.
'
But
while
agriculture
is
tha
country's
backbone,
most
of
its
publicity
has
come
to
the
rest
of
the
continent
because
of
recent
gas
and
oil
discoveries.
Centre
of
Transportation
Lanes
Oil.
DERRICKS
like
these
are
common
sight
exploration
annually.
While
several
oil
reserves
have
.today
on
the
wheatfields
or
wilderness
tracts
of
been
located,
the
emphasis
is
on
natural
gas,
reserves
British
Columbia's
Peace
River
area.
Since
the
first
of
which
total
more
than
three
trillion
cubic
feet
to
oil
and
natural
gas
wells
"came
in"
four
years
ago
in
dale.
the
Fort
St.
John
area,
millions
have
been
spent
on
,
'
Natural
Gas
From
Peace
River
May
Launch
Major
Industrial
Age
Again,
veterans
played
a
major
role
in
expansion
of
the
Peace,
accompanied
by
farmers
from
every
part
of
Canada
and
from
several
European
Prince
George
also
has
a
by
the
new,
year-round,
nrst
r.Hi
A
.irnm-t
with
facilities
!
class
Hart
Highway.
,
.,.u,c
,
r
r
'
has
greatly
Increased
our
tour-pally
airline
service
is
main-
lst
traffic,"
says
Mr.
Bowie,
Sained
by
Canadian
Pacific
Air-
Board
of
Trade
president.
"We
bines
to
Vancouver,
Edmonton,
are
looking
forward
to,
a
bumper
Natural
Gas
Line
Waits
Decision
kmi.h..r.
whu.w-
sw
St
crop
of
visitors
this
year.'
Since
the
first
major
cas
dis
History
W
gas
and
oil
drill
ing
in
northern
B.C.
dates
back
coveries
in
the
Fort
St.
John
area
in
1951,
reserves
proved
to
I
nrw
pun)
cniups
iiu
fjohn,
,
and
.
many
other
centres
K,,,
-mile
,odge,
nave
buUt
along
these
routes.
since
the
highway
was
opened
munities,-
however,-
will
come
from
the
millions
to
be
spent
in
future
development
work
and
secondary
industries.
Dawson
.
Creek
itself
looks
to
1921
when
the
first
gas
date
total
more
than
three
tril
bubbled
out
of
a
hole
near
Fort
Eager
eyes
of
industry
today
are
glued
on
the
rapidly
expanding
natural
gas
reserves
of
British
Columbia's
Peace
River
area,
expected
to
launch
this
province
on
its
greatest
economic
and
industrial
era
In
history.
Daliy
rail
service
is
given
by!
in
the
spring
of
1953.
lion
cubic
feet.
Exploration
is
operation
west
of
Hudson
Hope.
B.C.'s
Peace
River
Block-turned
over
to
the
Dominion
government
in
1883
no
longer
is
a
forgotten
territory.
To
the
contrary,
it
is
the
"hope-chest"
on
which
the
province
stakes
much
of
Its
future;
a
golden
empire,
causing
Robert
Bonner,
field.
Their
record
to
date
is
65
wells.
Others
drilling
were
Phillips
Petroleum,
Fargo
Oils
Ltd.,
Gulf
State
Oil
Co.,
Northern
Foothills
Agreement,
Stano-llnd
Oil
and
Gas
Company,
Central
Leduc
Oils
Ltd.,
Van-Tor
Oils
and
Explorations
Ltd.,
B.C.
Northern
Oils,
Del
Rie
Producers
and
B.C.
Oil
Lands
St.
John,
only.
800
feet
deep.
Drillers
were
roughnecks
of
a
provincial
government
crew.
continuing
at
an
unprecedented
rate
but
producing
wells
are
forward
to
becoming
a
city
of
20,000
in
the
near
future.
Fort
lhe
Canadian
National
Railways
Jtwtween
Prince
George
and
sea-
hurl
m
.f
Tlmrn
T9,,njt
anri
Van.
ANCHORAGE
(AP)
The
army
engineers'
Alaska
district
has
announced
an
apparent
low
but
although
they
sank
another
capped
until
the
U.S.
Federal)
ikouver,
and
to
Edmonton,
and
Ibid
of
$1,196,083
for
constructing
five
holes,
only
a
trace
of
gas
rower
commission
8
aecision
on
was
found.
a
gas
line
to
supply
the
Pacific
B.c.s
attorney-general,
to
say:
"We
have
opportunities
of
devel
St.
John
knows
it
is
facing
an
expansion
boom.
And
Prince
George,
265
miles
to
the
south
and
gateway
to
the
Peace
River
area,
places
most
of
its
future
hopes
on
the
coming
of
natural
gas.'
But
while
$1,000,000
month
i
is
spent
In
the
quest
for
gas
and
oil
in
the
Peace
and
one,
well
brought
in
for
two
drilled,
the
spark
that
will
set
off
the
I
area
is
handed
down.
Gas
fever
in
the
Peace
waned
opment
there
comparable
t
!,bv
the
Pacific
Great
Eastern
to
eight
three-story
buildings
at
.Vancouver
over
another
route.jtadd
air
force
base.
The
bid
I
Highways
connect
the
llubjwas
by
Grove,
Shepherd,
Wil-ith
Prince
Rupert,
480
mites!
son
and
Kruge
of
Seattle,
fdne
went;
with
Vancouver,
480jTwelve
bids
were
submitted.
The
rniles
south,
and
with
Dawson
government
estimate
was
after
that
attempt
and
it
wasn't
until
1951,
when
Pacific
Petrol
Texas."
Major
industrial
development
of.
the
whole
of
B.C.
is
seen
stemming
from
construction
of
such
a
natural
gas
line
for
which
eums
Ltd.
brought
in
the
first
fabulous
potential
empire
still
needs
to
be
struck.
It
is
the
"go-ahead"
signal
Route
of
the
proposed
pipe
real
gasser
there
that
explore'
tion
turned
serious.
Ltd.
.
:
.
Together
they
have
proven
natural
gas
reserves
in
an
area
about
45
miles
square
totalling
3,700,000,000,000
cubic
feet,
o;r
a
25-year
backlog
for
the
maximum
dally
capacity
of
400
million
cubic
feet
of
the
gas
line.
But
oil
experts
say
,
that
de
line
would
pass
through
that
Westcoast
Transmission
already
K
reek
snd
the
Alaska
Highwayj473.426.
West
Coast
Transmission
Co.
Ltd.
needs
from
the
United
13
Communities
In
P-G
District
The
Prince
George
area
com.
prises
School
District
Nn.
R7.
At
least
one
oil
well
also
was
brought
in,
but
news
in
this
central
B.C.
city.
44
GAS
WKLI.S
CAM
AM
AM
RAHK
HFAH
States
Federal
Power
Commission
to
export
natural
gas
to
has
received
Canadian
approval.
Another
imminent
major
project
which
will
hoist
Dawson
Creek
and
the
whole
Peace
area
is
the
extension
of
the
B.C.
government-owned
PGE
Railwav
To
date,
a
total
of
31,052,747
field
has
been
at
a
minimum,
NEW
LAW
acres
of
land
in
B.C.
most
of
1
-
I
1
"1
S
I
I
f
mm
rl
I
1
1
W
I
mm
-
m
WITNESS
BEFORE
MPs
the
U.S.
Without
such
a
permit,
says
the
company,
it
could
not
bear
the
initial
cost
of
$90,000,000
line
from
Dawson
mand
for
natural
gas
will
mount
vividly
and
new
wells
will
have
to
be
sunk
regulafly
Meanwhile,
a
new
Petroleum
and
Natural
Gas
Act
has
been
passed
by
the
B.C.
government,
it.
in
the
Peace
River
and
Fort
Nelson
area
is
under
petroleum
or
natural
gas
holdings,
with
several
drilling
per
from
Prince
George
northward.
designed
to
discourage
specu
Creek
to
Vancouver.
with
an
approximate
area
of
13,122
square
miles,
Includin?
Prince
George
city
and
the
13
communities
of
Crescent
Spur,
Dewey,
Fort
McLeod,
Giscome,
Hansard,
Longworth,
Nukko
Lake,
Red
Rock,
Shelley,
Sinclair
Mills,
South
Fort
George,
to
keep
apace.
NEW
AREAS
lation
tnrougn
holding
of
gas
But
all
indications
are
for
a
mits
pending..
Up
to
May
this
year,
44
wells
lands,
but
aiding
development
favorable
decision
by
FPC,
with
The
gas
act
works
like
this:
work
on
the
extension
is
to
begin
next
year,
and
when
completed,
will
give
the
Peace
River
area
a
direct
outlet
to
two
major
Pacific
ports,
Prince
Rupert
and
Vancouver.
The
railroad
depending
on
what
r:ute
is
selected
could
also
tap
vast
coal
resources
located
alone
the
Peace
River.
were
completed
as
potential
gas
wells
in
the
Peacei
10
were
drilling,
and
several
were
in
stages
Meanwhile,
the
north-east
sector
of
B.C.
as
far
up
as
60
miles
north
of
Fort
Nelson,
near
the
Northwest
Territories
boundary,
to
within
45
miles
of
An
operator
witn
a
gas
ex
OTTAWA
(CP)
Graham
Towers,
governor
of
the
Rank
of
Canada,
said
here
that
final
responsibility
for
any
monetary
expansion
in
Canada
must
rest
with
the
government.
That
was
his
reply
to
a
proposal
by
J.
M.
Macdonnell,
Progressive
Conservative
financial
critic,
that
Parliament
should
have
some
check
on
the
central
bank's
power
to
increase
the
money
supply.
Mr.
Towers,
appearing
as
a
witness
before
the
Commons
banking
committee,
had
no
opinion
on
whether
Parliament
should
try
to
control
such
expansion.
oil
exploration
firms,
other
industrialists,
and
B.C.
government
officials
betting
high
on
an
early
U.S.
concession.
lummit
Lane
and
Woodpecker.
The
discovery
of
eold
In
th
ploration
permit
can
lease
con
oi
preparation.
.
Fort
St.
John,
is
attracting
drill
Cariboo
brought
the
first
t-tlers.
In
1914
Prince
George
was
linked
with
eastern
r-an.n.
ers
at
a
fast
pace.
Results
in
Pacific.
Petroleums,
-which
holds
a
major
interest
in
West
Coast,
Transmission,
has
led
exploration
of
all
firms
in
the
Although
construction
of
the
pipeline
is
big
project,
it
is
minor
compared
to
its
far-flung
dicate
enormous
potential
re
Uguous
crown
reserves
for
gas
exploration.
If
he
should
strike
oil
In
one
of
these
adjoining
reserves
he
immediately
loses
all
installation
there
and
the
reserve
goes
up
for
public
auction,
but
his
permit
on
the
cen
Three
active
mines'
are
now
In
!by
rail.
serves
that
are
easy
to
find,
effect
on
B.C.
economy.
W.
A.
C.
Bennett,
premier
of
the
province,
has
this
to
say
tral
block
then
covers
him
tor
"The
development
which
oil
in
that
area.
would
originate
from
this
proj
,
"
"J
ect
will
be
greater
than
any.
In
B.C.
the
crown
owns
all
nil
and
gas
rights
in
the
Peace
River
area.
thing
since
the
war.
NORTH
WIIX
GROW
i
NORTHERN
SURVEY
But
besides
providing
cheap
fuel
and
power
for
industry
Meantime,
nrovinciat
nrvv
NOW
ENTERING
NORTHWEST
HIGHWAY
SYSTEM.
Maintained
by
OiD.'AH
Xti
wherever
the
pipeline
goes,
crews
are
penetrating
the
wilderness
areas
.
of
northeastern
1
se
.
B.C.
to
Keen
one
sten
ahead
nf
Peace
River
natural
gas
and
its
development
will
have
a
tremendous
stimulating
effect
on
ou
ana
exploration
work.
:
About
50
men.
aided
bv
hll
copter,
are
making
survev
nH
growth
of
such
northern
B.C.
centres
as
Prince
George,
Dawson
Creek,
Fort
St.
John,
and
-3
-VI
it
A
-
charting
the
northern
area
so
the
government
and
mmnani
even
Fort
Nelson.
know
exactly
where
they
are
Dawson
Creek
has
been
using
natural
gas
domestically
and
arming
and
also
the
boundaries
r
commercially
for
Over
a
year.
L
ALASKA
HIGHWAY
is
maintain!
.
'
J
oi
exploration
permits.
With,
natural
gas
and
oil,
B.C.'s
northland
has
the
Ideal
combination
of
natural
resources,
including
timber
and
pulpwood,
a
vast
storehouse
of
minerals,'
some
of
the
world's
greatest
hydro
poten-
.(Continued
oa
Fag
21)
first
centre
in
B.C.
to
do
so.
But
its
gas
is
piped
in
from
nearby
Alberta
wells.
Dawson
Creek
elect
iiity
is
generated
by
natural
gas
and
other
towns
In
the
vicinity
expect
the
same
set-up
soon.
Greatest
benefit
to
these
com
HART
HIGHWAY,
winding
265
miles
from
Prince
George
to
Dawson
Creek
through
a
maze
of
spectacular
scenery,
passes
alongside
the
Murray
Moun-
PEACE
RIVER
BRIDGE
which
spans
the
mighty
drainage
system
of
the
area
which
bears
the
river's
name.
The
bridge
forms
a
vital
part
of
the
Alaska
Highway,
connecting
Fort
St.
John
and
Dawson
Creek.
travel
artery
throughout
its
1,500-mile
length
from
Dawson
Creek
to
Fairbanks
by
units
of
the
Canadian
Army.
This
sign
is
located
at
Mile
1
of
the
highway,
just
out
of
Dawson
Creek.
'
"""
'
.iiuiMiwn,
mmixmMimmmmjmmmmm
Uin
Range
to
the
right
at
Mile
148.