Discover rich history near your Fort St. John Hotel.
Discover rich history near your Fort St. John Hotel.
Located on the Alaska Highway, Fort St. John was established as a trading post in 1794. Alexander McKenzie built the community’s first forts, which were meant to serve the fur traders in the region. Fort St. John has changed considerably since those early days. In fact, the community has moved six times over the years, each time for economic reasons.
In the years following the First World War, many veterans settled the fertile land around Fort St. John, enjoying a good living as farmers. The community enjoyed a short-lived growth spurt in 1942 when American soldiers came to the region to build the Alaska Highway. But the population has grown steadily since the discovery of oil and natural gas reserves in 1952. Today, 18,200 people, mostly young families, live and work here in Fort St. John – the oil and gas capital of British Columbia.