Peace River Country
The Peace River Country (also Peace Country ) is an Aspen Parkland around the Peace River in Canada . It extends from the northwest in Alberta towards the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia , with a certain part of the region also known as the Peace River Block.
geography
The Peace River Country includes Fort St. John , Dawson Creek , Tumbler Ridge, and Chetwynd in British Columbia. The main municipalities include Grande Prairie , Peace River , High Level, and Fairview. It has no fixed boundaries, but extends over an area of approximately 100,000 miles² to 150,000 miles² (260,000 km² to 390,000 km²).
The British Columbia area stretches from Monkman Provincial Park and Tumbler Ridge in the south, to Hudson's Hope and Williston Lakes in the west, to Fort St. John and Charlie Lake in the north.
The term is also used in a broader sense to cover the entire northeast region up to the Rockies, including Fort Nelson and other parts of the Liard River , and through its up to before the W.A.C. Bennett Dam, including the Upper Peace River Canyon to Finlay Forks and Hudson's Hope. In Alberta, the region extends from Grande Prairie and Valleyview in the south, to High Prairie and Little Slave Lake in the east, and to Fort Vermilion , High Level and Rainbow Lake in the north.
history
This area was first discovered by Sir Alexander MacKenzie in 1789 while traveling along the Peace River. In 1793 he used the same route to reach the Pacific . There was then a surge in the fur trade in the area, with settlements along the river from Fort Vermilion towards Hudson's Hope.
At the beginning of the 20th century the area's agricultural potential was promoted by the government, but land was in short supply due to the difficult travel conditions through the Muskeg. With the spread of the railroad in 1916, and after the country opened to settlers in 1910, agriculture and ranching moved to the fertile Peace Country.
Forestry plays a large role in Peace Country, and as a result, pulp mills have been built in Chetwynd , Peace River, and Grande Prairie since the 1970s.
The economy saw a new surge with the discovery of oil and gas in the region. In 1952, gas became the number one asset at Fort St. John, and the first refinery was built at Taylor in 1957.
In the mid-1970s, the large Elmworth natural gas field in northwest Alberta was discovered, as were other large gas fields in British Columbia and Alberta, and as a result, Fort St. John and Grande Prairie experienced rapid economic and population growth.
economy
The Peace Country is Canada's northernmost agricultural area. Useful plants are rapeseed , oats , peas and barley . Livestock and beekeeping are also practiced in the area. In 2006 this region accounted for 14.4% of Canada's bison meat production. Other industries are oil and gas exploration and forestry .
Infrastructure
Peace Country is made up of the portion of the Alaska Highway , the western end of Alberta Highway 43 and the southern portion of the Mackenzie Highway . Other major transportation routes also include the northern portion of Alberta Highway 2 , Alberta Highway 35 , British Columbia Highway 29 , British Columbia Highway 97, and Alberta Highway 49 .
Regional air transport hubs are Grande Prairie Airport and Peace River Airport in Alberta and Fort St. John Airport in British Columbia. The health is determined by the Alberta Health Services and Northern Health provided in British Columbia.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Pettit, Donald A., The Peace: An exploration in photographs , 2001
- ^ Clare, Gerald R., Dawson Creek: An Illustrated History , 2008
- ^ Henry M. Leppard (January 1935). "The Settlement of the Peace River Country" Geographical Review , Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 62-78
- ^ A b Discover the Peace Country: Peace Country Map . Retrieved January 7, 2006.
- ^ Les McLaughlin, Legion Magazine: Peace River Country . Archived from the original on March 2, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2006.
- ^ Pettit, Donald A., The Peace: A history in photographs , 2008
- ↑ http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/96-325-x/2007000/article/10504-eng.htm