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YAHK, B.C. Yahk celebrates centennial Yahk turns 100 and plans for homecoming celebrations this summer by R. LEE ROSE
A Centennial Celebration Probably everyone has driven through a small community and wondered why any businesses or dwellings are there at all. Sometimes it is obvious, as in the case of Bonner’s Ferry or Skeena Crossing. Sometimes, however, the reason is hidden in the history of the area, or in the mystery of the language. Yahk, B.C. is such a place. The word “Yahk” is a word from the local First Nations language which means “bend of the river”. Quite accurately named, Yahk does lie near a major bend of the Moyie River. The meandering river created wide grassy areas—good places to hunt or fish near convenient camping spots. The area northwest of Yahk was a traditional gathering place for various native bands before the coming of European explorers. Driving through Yahk today, one might never guess it was once the home and workplace of more than 3,500 people (nearly ten times its present population). Even knowing that, one might still wonder why. An old real estate cliché says “The three most important things about a property are, (1)location, (2)location and (3)location.” Indeed, Yahk’s location has always been its greatest asset. When it was decided to encourage the Canadian Pacific Railway to build a railroad across the lower part of the province, the government used its forest resources as “encouragement” to make the project worthwhile to the Canadian Pacific Railway. For every mile of track to be laid, over 20,000 acres of prime timberland was reserved for the company’s use in making cross ties and lumber. A large portion of this reserved timberland was near Yahk. Entrepreneurs built a lumber mill, and the logging industry attracted labourers to do the work of cutting saw logs and shaping the ties with broad axes. Tote roads, wet and dry flumes, and eventually a narrow-gage railroad were built to transport the logs to a yarding pond near the sawmill. The Canadian Pacific Railway eventually bought the mill, and literally millions of ties and millions of board feet of lumber were produced from the woods around Yahk. In addition to the lumberjacks and mill workers whose families lived in town, the construction crews, who actually built the rail bed and laid the track, took lodging here, as well as those workers who manned the permanent facilities like the depot and service buildings. Regardless of the job, the employees and their families needed supplies, and that prompted the establishment of gardens and small farms. Yahk turned out to be a pretty good place for growing food, too. In the fall of 1906, the first land title was awarded to John Tipper for a quarter-section just southwest of Yahk. Stores, shops and offices were built to market the needed supplies and services, as were meeting halls, for social events and community affairs. Life was good, jobs were plentiful and Yahk was growing—until the great depression of the “dirty thirties”. Even then, our residents did not fare as poorly as those in many other places. Employment took a downturn, of course, but there were the gardens, farms, plentiful game to hunt and fish to catch. Through it all, the railroad still operated. Today, the railroad continues to be an important presence in Yahk. The lumber industry is still important, too, but the rapid mechanization of that industry and the absorption of small logging companies into larger ones have dissolved many of the jobs that our residents used to hold. Those that remain are mostly held by residents of other communities. We are fortunate, however, to be in just the right location for the natural gas pipeline companies to utilize nearby areas for their pipelines and control facilities. The taxes paid by them and other industries, like Canadian Pacific Railway, help to keep our school open and support other community services. However, for a person in his or her prime employable age, Yahk offers very limited opportunity. It is just far enough away from both neighbouring towns to be an inconvenient (and expensive) commuting distance. Furthermore, almost none of the industries in our community require local employees. Now Yahk’s location seems to be a hindrance rather than an asset. But, that is about to change! From the conspicuous upgrade occurring on highway 95 south of the border, it is obvious that the United States is planning to make East Port a main entry point and either close or restrict other lesser ports nearby. More and more often, we hear the term “Super Port” used to describe future plans. Our own province has carried out a massive improvement to the weigh scale station at the junction of highway 3 and 95. Traffic using East Port is obviously headed north, northeast or east. That traffic will be passing through Yahk, as will all traffic headed west through the lower part of the province from the east. Traffic from the south headed west, or northwest will use larger ports beyond Port Hill. As many towns have done, Yahk must change its economic base from the exploitation of its natural resources to the capitalization of its cultural and historical attractions for tourists who pass through the area. Although the community is nestled among high ridges of lush green forests, and threaded along a beautiful pristine river, there is at the present time, little to catch the eye of the traveller driving through Yahk—with only a few noteworthy exceptions. The Goat Mountain Soap Factory has a wide shady porch with a roof slanted toward the highway. On the roof is a layer of sod and a small house in which lounges a family of goats, including several cute kids. This catches the eye of more tourists than anything in town. Upon turning in to see the goats on the roof,they notice signs advertising a specialty soap shop and an ice cream stand, which fronts a little dining room. It is a simple device, but it works better than a neon sign. There are several relaxing, shady places to sit or walk, and charming things to see in the wooded area between the buildings and the river. Our village has a motto: “Welcome to Yahk—You’ll Wanna Come Back!”. That motto is becoming a truism for the tourists who stop to see the goats on the roof. Near the ice cream stand is Yahktiques, a large second-hand shop, with many intriguing items in the front yard—including a real antique railway caboose. Squarely in the middle of town is an immaculately kept provincial park with river-front sites. Gas stations with convenience stores and campgrounds, along with charming motels and other collectibles stores round out the business community in Yahk. However, many more attractions are planned, and construction of some of them has already begun. Several features of historical interest lie near Yahk, but sadly, they are not marked and invisible to the casual traveler. Rita Dickson’s book, The Unforgotten Memories of Yahk,describes the origin of many such features. For instance, it traces the reasons for developing the legendary Dewdney Trail which passes through Yahk, as does the trail David Thompson followed (which he called the Lake Indian Trail) on his perilous fur-trading trip back from the Bonner’s Ferry area of what is now Idaho. Both trails are unmarked, but several long-time residents can point them out. The Cross-Canada Trail, as yet unfinished, will pass through Yahk very near an ancient pioneer cemetery. From several points, it will look down upon the old Canadian Pacific Railway mill-site, and the flat that used to be the mill pond. The nearby Hawkins Creek area abounds with wildlife and still boasts of the remnants of landings and log bunkhouses in the timber reserves where the numerous camps were operated. Traces of the narrow-gage railways can still be pointed out, as well as portions of the flumes and dams. There is an inordinate number of musicians, writers and artists in the area, as demonstrated in the several musical jam sessions and arts-and-crafts shows that are held in the community.
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