History of Lakelse Lake

20km south of Terrace along Highway 37 lies beautiful Lakelse Lake. Although there are no shortage of other lakes in the area, Lakelse is"the Lake" and is easily the most visited.

The highlight for most people is 354 hectare provincial park which offers camping, picnicing, hiking, boating, and fishing, not to mention the very popular sandy beaches to soak up the sun, swim, and to see and to be seen.

The word "Lakelse" is a Tsimshian word meaning "fresh water mussel," referring to the many molusks that are found on the bottom of both Lakelse Lake and Lakelse River.

Prior to its' establishment as a provincial park, the area was the site of a sockeye salmon hatchery operated by the Canadian Government from 1919 to 1936. Earlier fish hatcheries in the area dating back as early as 1901 failed. In fact, rotten fences near Granite Creek can still be found from the hatchery that was attempted there in 1904.

The long road from the entrance of Furlong Bay Campground down to the beach and boat launch was the original road to the Dominion run fish hatchery.

Lakelse Lake Provincial Park was established on March 16, 1956, and now consists of Furlong Bay Campground, Lakelse Lake Picnic Site, and Gruchy's Beach. It is as fine a provincial park as British Columbia has to offer.

Perhaps the most popular stop is the picnic site, which now offers group and overflow camping for those who arrange it before hand. The site is often very crowded.

Nearby is Gruchy's Beach, named after, via common usage, an old time resident by the name of Grouchie who onced lived at the site. A very popular resort once thrived here. Nowadays it offers probably the best of the three public beaches, but it is less used due to lack of any amenities, not even picnic tables, and a 20 minute walk through the rainforest from the parking lot. The short hike, which follows the peaceful Williams Creek, is a beautiful hike, but it deters people with kids. On the flip side, older kids like to frequent the area thanks to the lack of park staff or police.

Simply known to locals as "Furlong," the campground offers 156 spacious campsites with every amenity including showers, playgrounds, sani-dumps, a boat launch, hiking, an ampitheatre and the sandy beach. The beach area is completely open for day use activities and offers plenty of parking.

Practically every Furlong campsite offers great privacy, not to mention welcome shade from the hot sun, from the gigantic old growth rainforest. Many of Western Red Cedars, Western Hemlocks and the signature Sitka Spruce trees have been around in excess of 300 years. Some of the Sitka Spruce trees are more than 2 meters in diameter.

Ever wonder how Furlong Bay got its name? Details are quite sketchy, but a fellow named Furlong lived in the general area of what is known as Furlong Bay, and the campground and near by creek are named after him.

Hardcore lake fanatics will be familiar with Gainey's Point. Gainey and a partner lost their boat in this area. Gainey was saved, but his partner, name unknown to me, drowned.

The man who rescued Gainey was Bruce Johnstone, a federal fisheries officer and one of the most prominent people in Lakelse Lake's storied history. In the early 1900s there was much talk about the Grand Trunk Pacific railway's arrival, and whether the tracks would be built from Terrace to the port in Prince Rupert or what is now known as Kitimat. Hedging his bets that the already existing Kitimat Omenica Railway on the eastern side of the lake would secure the national rail line, Johnstone set about building a hotel and resort at the hot springs with grand visions of a magnificent railway station and all the riches that it would attract. Grand Trunk Pacific ultimately opted to go to the established city of Rupert, but Johnstone was undeterred and built his hotel, down on the lake shore, and spa and attracted guests from the United States. A town site was even planned.

Johnstone ran the hot springs hotel until 1929 with a good deal of success thanks to the legend of the hot springs therapeutic waters, particularly for rheumatics and arthritics. He later built a second hotel at nearby Oli's Beach.

The Great Depression took its toll on the resort, just like everything else. By 1936 Johnstone folded the operation and lost everything. Later he attempted to rebuild his resort dream on the lakeshore but with no great success. The original hotel burned down in 1936, and the second in the 1950s.

Bruce's son Lloyd, the future mayor of Terrace, reacquired much of his father's land, bu the hot springs area laid dormant until 1958 when he sold the land to developer Ray Skoglund. Skoglund built another resort and operated it from 1960 to 1978. Terrace Herald newspaper archives show Skoglund intended a $500,000 expansion in 1965. To be added were 48 new accomodation units, bringing the total to 106, a cocktail lounge with stone fireplace and dining room for 60, more camping space with new washroom facilities, a large new swimming pool, a marina, and, amazingly, a T-Bar ski lift across the highway for winter recreation. Long term plans called for golf course.

Perhaps Skoglund's grand visions left him with no choice but to eventually sell his dream. He sold the resort and lands to a party from out of town and it changed hands several times. The provincial government eventually took it over and dismantled it. In 1978 the resort was destroyed by an amazing flood, and all the buildings were written off.

Bert Orleans purchased the lands and built what still exists today - Mount Layton Hot Springs and Waterslide Resort. The unmistakable waterslides are used year round as are the several swimming pools, and attract people from all over. Often these people will stay in the hotel, or at least eat, drink and be merry at either the Splashdown Lounge or Johnstone Dining Room. Meeting and conference rooms are available. Rumoured plans for a golf course and bigger hotels and more attractions have never materialized, and much of the land remains farmland.

The springs themselves are reputed, at least by current ownership, to be the second largest in North American, trailing only Palm Springs, California, and the third largest in the world. They are definitely a nice treat from the many springs found in the Rockies, as Mount Layton's springs are of natural nonsulphur mineral water, saving us from the rotten eggs smell common with so many springs. The pools are kept at 30°C (90°F), with the hot tubs kept at 41°C (105°F).

Another popular resort in the area is Water Lily Bay. Opening in 1950 with a single cabin, the resort now offers year-round cottage rentals, RV campground, a marina with boat/canoe rentals and a boat/RV storage facility. The resort has always been a family run affair of the Bowen-Colthurst clan. They also had large stakes in Bruce Johnstone's hot springs operations.

Whether you are out on the water or just on the beach, you will notice a variety of homes line the lake on all sides. People spend a fortune to acquire one of the rustic cabins or the occasional state of the art home, although water front property, while sky high price wise, is rarely for sale.

Also see:
Lakelse Lake Provincial Park Map