Gold Discovery in Glacier Gulch Sparks Mining Interest

The Bulkley Valley around Smithers has been home to the Wet’suwet’en people for thousands of years, with a 1997 Supreme Court decision affirming their Indigenous title to the area. Their name roughly translates to "People of the lower hills," and you can still find Wet’suwet’en artwork downtown, including a totem pole display at Coast Mountain College.

Smithers itself came about due to the railroad, like many other Canadian towns. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway needed a second major divisional point in British Columbia in 1913, after Prince George was chosen for the first. Developers initially thought it would be five kilometers east of Telkwa, but the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway actually established its headquarters 15 kilometers west of Telkwa, at the foot of Hudson Bay Mountain. This new town was named Smithers, after Sir Alfred Smithers, the company's chairman.

The Vancouver Daily World called Smithers "the only logical place for a city of importance." The railway commission approved the site that same year. Surveying began in April 1913, and by August, 100 of 160 acres for the townsite and railyards had been cleared. The rail arrived in July, and the first passenger train came through in October. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway started selling plots right away, but people found building difficult due to the subsoil being layers of quicksand and clay, requiring pile driving for foundations. The railroad did little to address these concerns. Landscape architects designed the street layout for up to 10,000 residents, a layout the community followed for decades.

By 1914, Smithers had two newspapers, two banks, three churches, a hotel, several stores, a telephone and electrical system, six rooming houses, five restaurants, four stores, a doctor, dentist, hardware store, and two lumber yards. The railroad was the largest employer. The Seymour Lake Lumber Company was established to keep up with the building boom, producing 10,000 feet of lumber daily.

The St. James Anglican Church was built in 1913 by residents and served as the community's spiritual and event center for 60 years. In 1975, the parish moved, and the church fell into disrepair, but it wasn't demolished. In 2005, it was restored and became a community hall, now hosting weddings, lectures, and meetings. It's arguably the oldest building in Smithers.

In 1914, a fire in nearby Telkwa destroyed 13 downtown buildings, causing many businesses to relocate here. By then, Smithers had 125 permanent buildings and 700 residents. Developers expected 5,000 people by 1915, but the population actually dropped to 350 by 1918, only reaching 5,000 in 1991.

A temporary train station was built in 1915, followed by a permanent, custom-designed one in 1919. This two-and-a-half story building became a defining structure and was the largest train station built in northern British Columbia. It's the second oldest building in Smithers and was made a Heritage Railway Station in 1989.

In December 1921, Smithers became British Columbia's first incorporated village. The Interior News wrote that the community was venturing into "the sea of the unknown." That same year, Smithers experienced two nearly disastrous fires; the first caused $10,000 in damages, and a few months later, two hotels burned down.