August 11, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
New Hazelton, Festivals & Events
View a larger image on flickr.com
Every second week of August the Village of Hazelton celebrates Pioneer Day! As a result of gold being found in the Omenica in 1860 and the abundance of trapping in the area, Hazelton was founded in a response to the demand for access from the coast to inland BC. Hazelton was the furthest a sternwheeler could travel on the Skeena River.
The pioneer days in Hazelton were a bustling time, the bars were open three hundred and sixty five days a year, twenty four hours a day, and you would pour your own drinks! Mail and emergency supplies were brought in by dog sleds and pack horses when the steamers couldn’t get up the river and often mail only came twice during the entire winter season!
Although life is no longer like this in Hazelton, the locals love to celebrate our towns’ pioneer roots each August. Among the buildings of “old” Hazelton, which have been maintained in a 1890 vintage style, you will find locals participating in iron chef competitions, apple bobbing, riding on horse wagons, dressed up like pioneers, and watching the parade, as well as dancing up a storm Saturday night at the pioneer dance. Pioneer Day in is always the second Saturday of August – be sure to drop by Hazelton and travel back in time with pioneer days!