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| Tide Flats in front of Stewart, B.C. |
We enjoyed our visit to Stewart which proved to be a fun town with an interesting past. Settlement and
mineral prospecting took place at the head of Portland Canal with the arrival
of 68 prospectors in 1898 followed by the Stewart brothers, Robert and John, who
arrived in 1902 and laid out a town site forming the Stewart Land Company.
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| Stewart B.C. |
Stewart and Hyder (then known as Portland
City) were at that time joined by a two-mile long “road” on pilings across the
tide flats.
These pilings are still
visible today running through the estuary in both Stewart and Hyder.
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| Stewart B.C. |
Gold and silver mining had caused a rapid
growth bringing 10,000 people to the area but the population declined during
the war years.
In 1916, gold and silver
were again discovered near Stewart which became the famous Silback Premier Gold
Mine, one of British Columbia’s richest gold-silver mines which supported
Stewart and Hyder until the 1950’s.
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| Church in Stewart, a beautiful backdrop |
Later the Granduc Copper Mine was the main employer until 1984.
Today Stewart has a population of 500 people
with all the necessary amenities, but the early days of mining have left a
legacy of artifacts and historic buildings in both Stewart and Hyder.
We didn't want to miss the sights having made the long venture up Portland Canal so we got out our bicycles and rode into
town.
As we biked
from the marina towards Stewart, we discovered a boardwalk that leads over a
portion of the tide flats, a nice shortcut into town for hikers and
bicyclists!
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| Glacier-like Snow Field above Stewart |
The boardwalk is also a
great place for bird watching and provides excellent views of the mountains and
snow fields seen high above town.
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| Boardwalk over Tide Flats, Stewart |
We
found several interesting buildings from the old mining days including the
large abandoned
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| Abandoned 1908 Empress Hotel |
Empress Hotel built in 1908, which also served as a base for
the Canadian Northeastern Railway.
The
refurbished Stewart Fire Hall, constructed in 1910, now serves as a
museum.
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| Old Fire Hall & Museum |
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| 1898 Log Cabin on Museum grounds at Stewart |
On the museum grounds is an
original 1898 log cabin that once belonged to DJ Rainey, one of the first
settlers and prospectors to the area.
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| Boardwalk leading out of Town |
Of
course we had to stop by the bakery in town and enjoy an early dinner at the
cute Dash Bistro which has some very tasty dishes.
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| Enjoying the Ride |
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