McBride, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Situated on the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16)
, McBride is a small community in the Robson Valley
region of British Columbia
, Canada
, located 210 km (130.5 mi) southeast of Prince George
, 120 km (74.6 mi) west of the Alberta
border, and 166 km (103.1 mi) west of Jasper, Alberta
.
Located between the Canadian Rockies
and the Cariboo Mountains
, McBride lies in the Mount Robson
Valley, through which the Fraser River
flows.
The town got its start during the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
when settlers came into the area. Formerly known as Railway Siding 39, McBride was established in 1913, and was named in honour of the then serving premier, Richard McBride
(1903–15). McBride post office
was established 15 February 1915 with T.R. Lloyd as first postmaster.http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/engine/current/match/319950.html
After the Second World War, the developing timber and agriculture industries attracted more people to the Robson Valley.
The current population is 660, according to the 2006 Census. While timber and primary sawmilling industries continue to support the town, tourism is a growing source of employment for the valley. One of the primary tourist attractions is the world-famous snowmobiling
, Albertans taking the majority of spots on the mountain trails that ring the town. Other attractions include hunting and whitewater rafting. McBride also produces some of the world's finest tonewoods, wood used in the production of musical instruments, and is home to several luthier
s. McBride is located on the edge of the interior cedar hemlock rainforest, the world's only inland temperate rainforest, created by moisture-laden winds dumping rain and snow from the Cariboo
-Chilcotin Plateau against the Cariboo Mountains. The forests around McBride contain trees that are in excess of 1,000 years old,(need citation for a claim of this type) with no evidence of disturbance. This moisture-rich ecosystem supports many species of lichen which in turn support the red listed species of caribou
indigenous to the inland temperate rainforest of British Columbia.
McBride has a large percentage of Mennonite
s, who are attracted by inexpensive land and relative isolation to ensure their agrarian culture continues to survive. For similar reasons McBride also has a healthy population of draft dodger
s from the US who settled in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Seventh Day Adventists
also make up a large percentage of McBride.
McBride has a large percentage of foresters who own large pieces of equipment such as forwarder
s. The inexpensive land and relative isolation are attactive to this demographic as it allows them to pursue their myriad of forest related projects.
In December 2006 the town's major employer McBride Forest Industries closed its doors following the historical precedence of forest industry consolidation. It remains to be seen how the McBride economy will deal with such a blow.
Since 1986, McBride has been served by The Valley Sentinel Newspaper an independently owned and operated weekly source for all local news in the Robson Valley.
The McBride railway station
is served by the Via Rail
Jasper – Prince Rupert train service.
. The local high school
is
McBride Secondary School
that educates in grades 8-12.
Seventh Day Adventist School Robson Valley Junior Academy that educates in grades 1-8
Yellowhead Highway
The Yellowhead Highway is a major east-west highway connecting the four western Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Although part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, the highway should not be confused with the more southerly, originally-designated...
, McBride is a small community in the Robson Valley
Robson Valley
The Robson Valley is a geographic region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, comprising the section of the Rocky Mountain Trench that lies southeast of the city of Prince George following the Fraser River to the Yellowhead Pass. The name is derived from Mount Robson, which stands near...
region of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, located 210 km (130.5 mi) southeast of Prince George
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
, 120 km (74.6 mi) west of the Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
border, and 166 km (103.1 mi) west of Jasper, Alberta
Jasper, Alberta
Jasper is a specialized municipality in western Alberta, Canada. It is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley....
.
Located between the Canadian Rockies
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...
and the Cariboo Mountains
Cariboo Mountains
The Cariboo Mountains are the northernmost subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which run down into the Spokane, Washington area of the United States and include the Selkirks, Monashees and Purcells. The Cariboo Mountains are entirely within the province of British Columbia, Canada. The range is...
, McBride lies in the Mount Robson
Mount Robson
Mount Robson is the most prominent mountain in North America's Rocky Mountain range; it is also the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. The mountain is located entirely within Mount Robson Provincial Park of British Columbia, and is part of the Rainbow Range. It is commonly thought to be the...
Valley, through which the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
flows.
The town got its start during the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
when settlers came into the area. Formerly known as Railway Siding 39, McBride was established in 1913, and was named in honour of the then serving premier, Richard McBride
Richard McBride
Sir Richard McBride, KCMG was a British Columbian politician and is often considered the founder of the British Columbia Conservative Party. McBride was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 1898 election, and served in the cabinet of James Dunsmuir from 1900 to 1901...
(1903–15). McBride post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established 15 February 1915 with T.R. Lloyd as first postmaster.http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/engine/current/match/319950.html
After the Second World War, the developing timber and agriculture industries attracted more people to the Robson Valley.
The current population is 660, according to the 2006 Census. While timber and primary sawmilling industries continue to support the town, tourism is a growing source of employment for the valley. One of the primary tourist attractions is the world-famous snowmobiling
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
, Albertans taking the majority of spots on the mountain trails that ring the town. Other attractions include hunting and whitewater rafting. McBride also produces some of the world's finest tonewoods, wood used in the production of musical instruments, and is home to several luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
s. McBride is located on the edge of the interior cedar hemlock rainforest, the world's only inland temperate rainforest, created by moisture-laden winds dumping rain and snow from the Cariboo
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia along a plateau stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the woodland caribou that were once abundant in the region...
-Chilcotin Plateau against the Cariboo Mountains. The forests around McBride contain trees that are in excess of 1,000 years old,(need citation for a claim of this type) with no evidence of disturbance. This moisture-rich ecosystem supports many species of lichen which in turn support the red listed species of caribou
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
indigenous to the inland temperate rainforest of British Columbia.
McBride has a large percentage of Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
s, who are attracted by inexpensive land and relative isolation to ensure their agrarian culture continues to survive. For similar reasons McBride also has a healthy population of draft dodger
Draft dodger
Draft evasion is a term that refers to an intentional failure to comply with the military conscription policies of the nation to which he or she is subject...
s from the US who settled in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Seventh Day Adventists
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
also make up a large percentage of McBride.
McBride has a large percentage of foresters who own large pieces of equipment such as forwarder
Forwarder
A forwarder is a forestry vehicle that carries felled logs from the stump to a roadside landing. Unlike a skidder, a forwarder carries logs clear of the ground, which can reduce soil impacts but tends to limit the size of the logs it can move...
s. The inexpensive land and relative isolation are attactive to this demographic as it allows them to pursue their myriad of forest related projects.
In December 2006 the town's major employer McBride Forest Industries closed its doors following the historical precedence of forest industry consolidation. It remains to be seen how the McBride economy will deal with such a blow.
Since 1986, McBride has been served by The Valley Sentinel Newspaper an independently owned and operated weekly source for all local news in the Robson Valley.
The McBride railway station
McBride railway station
The McBride railway station is on the Canadian National Railway mainline in McBride, British Columbia. The station is served by Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train.-History:...
is served by the Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
Jasper – Prince Rupert train service.
Climate
Education
Public schools are managed by School District 57 Prince GeorgeSchool District 57 Prince George
School District 57 Prince George is a school district in central British Columbia. It covers a large area of the province around the city of Prince George. This includes communities of McBride, Valemount, and Mackenzie.-Schools:...
. The local high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
is
McBride Secondary School
McBride Secondary School
McBride Secondary is a public high school in McBride, British Columbia, Canada. It is part of School District 57 Prince George.-Academic standards:...
that educates in grades 8-12.
Seventh Day Adventist School Robson Valley Junior Academy that educates in grades 1-8