. Upper Fraser developed between Aleza Lake and Hansard on the southwest side of the Fraser River in central British Columbia. The community of about 20 residentsOlson, Raymond W. (2014). Ghost Towns on the East Line. Self-published, p. 59 comprises a post-office and several houses straddling Upper Fraser Road.
Transportation A trackside signpost marks Upper Fraser station, a flag stop for Via Rail's Jasper – Prince Rupert train. The immediate Via Rail stops are Aleza Lake to the west and McGregor to the southeast.
History Railway Upper Fraser lies at Mile 104.0, Fraser Subdivision. Previously designated as Mile 194 and the Hudson Bay Spur, it was the closest railway point east of Willow River for accessing the Fraser. During 1914, Edward Andrew Seebach (1880–1932) (Seeback alternate spelling) and Albert James Huble (1872–1947) (Hubble alternate spelling), and farmerFort George Herald, 9 Jan 1915 George McDowell, their agent, regularly advertisedFort George Herald: 13 Jun 1914 to 26 Sep 1914 their weekly passenger and freight motorboat service to Giscome Portage, which connected with the waterways to the Peace Country via Finlay Forks. Five years later, the opening of the Prince George–Summit Lake wagon road superseded this route.Prince George Citizen: 8 Oct 1919 & 7 Jul 1922
A steamboat service from Prince George operated into the 1920s. The spur also provided the best link to the outside world for mining and hunting activities to its north and northwest that encompassed the river and its tributaries. Unlike the unsafe and difficult Giscome Rapids downstream, calm waters prevailed upstream to the spur.Prince George Leader, 24 Jun 1921Prince George Citizen, 13 Sep 1921 However, winter freezing, limited river use to summer months.Prince George Citizen, 20 Feb 1920
In May 1913, during the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway construction, the Smith and Ramsay camp was just northwest at former Mile 195, and their engineer, F. Purvis, was just southeast at former Mile 193.Fort George Herald: 9 Nov 1912 & 17 May 1913 Although variations of the name Hudson Bay Spur were in use until the 1930s,Prince George Citizen: 23 Jun 1932, 7 Jul 1932 & 5 Mar 1936 the 1920 description as the Hudson Bay’s old spur suggests the actual spur had fallen into disuse by that time. Largely known as Upper Fraser Spruce Mills from the early 1940s, the Canadian National Railway station was called Upper Fraser from 1964.
During the 1945/46 winter, when a brush with a freight train broke a moose's leg, a rifle shot put the hobbling animal out of its misery.Prince George Citizen, 31 Jan 1946 Rather than plunging into the deep snow flanking the roadbed, moose often ran ahead of trains for miles, which delayed services and hindered section crews (track maintenance).Prince George Citizen, 21 Feb 1946 Moose not only challenged trains, but also charged children on their way to school,Prince George Citizen, 1 Aug 1946 or adults walking along the tracks.Prince George Citizen, 17 Aug 1985 During the 1948/49 winter, a snow plow traveling at scooped up William John Zuck lying on the tracks. The plow train's crew car carried the victim to Prince George, where a hospital examination found no injuries.Prince George Citizen, 23 Dec 1948
A westbound freight train instantly killed deaf George Whitford (1885–1965), who was sitting upon the track at Upper Fraser.Prince George Citizen, 25 Jun 1965 The following year, a washout west of Aleza Lake terminated a westbound passenger train at Upper Fraser. The mill cookhouse fed the passengers, who remained on board. Towed through heavy mud and deep holes by bulldozers near Giscome, three buses brought eastbound passengers from Prince George, and returned with the westbound ones.Prince George Citizen, 29 Mar 1966 In 1968, a railway accident cost H. Dyck two toes.
In 1978, Upper Fraser was one of the 11 communities between Prince Rupert and the Alberta border, where the CNR replaced its agent-operator positionPrince George Citizen, 2 Aug 1978 with a resident serving as a CN Express agent.Prince George Citizen, 3 Oct 1978
Service 1943–c.1947 c.1948–c.1953 c.1954–c.1958 c.1959–1961 1961–c.1962 c.1963–1965 1965–1977 1977–present 1943 Timetable. Northern BC Archives. p. 91945 Timetable. p. 61. 1949 Timetable. p. 59. 1960 Timetable. Northern BC Archives. pp. 21–22 1964 Timetable. Northern BC Archives. p. 44 1965 Timetable. Northern BC Archives. pp. 25–261967 Timetable. Northern BC Archives. p. 381968 Timetable. Northern BC Archives. pp. 25–261972 Timetable. Northern BC Archives. pp. 25–261973 Timetable. Northern BC Archives. p. 18 1990 Timetable. Northern BC Archives. pp. 95–971992 Timetable. Northern BC Archives. pp. 103–105Recent timetables Passenger Flag stop Flag stop Flag stop Flag stop Flag stop Regular stop Flag stop Way freight Probable flag stop Flag stop Flag stop Probable flag stop Flag stop Flag stop Regular stop
Assumedly, a remeasurement confirmed the spur switch was closer to Mile 104.0
Forestry The narrow strip of accessible spruce forest bordering the railway that stretched some east of Prince George was known as the East Line. Reputedly, a small mill existed at the location in 1928.Prince George Citizen, 29 Jan 1997
In 1935, Donald (Don) S. McPhee (1892–1964), formerly at Sinclair Mills,Prince George Citizen, 6 Mar 1964 and A. Roy Spurr (1885–1954), formerly at Penny,Prince George Citizen, 16 Aug 1954 partners in the Giscome mill, acquired and relocated the equipment from the bankrupt Longworth Lumber Co. The following year, pioneer lumberman George Stauble (1898–1971) supervised the reconstruction. Incorporated as the Upper Fraser Spruce Mills,Prince George Citizen: 5 Mar 1936 & 14 Dec 1971 the 40,000-foot per shift capacity modern millPrince George Citizen, 26 Aug 1937 opened in 1939.Prince George Citizen: 27 Apr 1939, 4 May 1939 & 19 Oct 1939 That year, the three mills controlled by the partnership produced almost 60 percent of the lumber in the Prince George district. Cecil T. Clare (1905–85) came from Sinclair Mills in 1937 to manage the 100-man company. He was president of the Northern Interior Lumberman's Association (1945–48 and 1959–60).
From 1940, Clare largely replaced horses with vehicles for hauling logs from the bush.Prince George Citizen: 9 May 1940 & 8 Aug 1958 C. Merle, his wife, was active in the local Red Cross fundraising efforts.Prince George Citizen: 3 Oct 1940 & 19 Apr 1951 The company logging Camp 13 temporarily closed for a week in 1942, while the crew went to fight a forest fire at Purden Lake.Prince George Citizen: 13 & 20 Aug 1942 During the 1942/43 winter, a falling tree fractured logger Albert Roussin's skull,Prince George Citizen, 10 Dec 1942 and a decking hoist employee at Camp 15 badly burned his face when a blow torch, thawing an engine, caused a gas tank explosion.Prince George Citizen, 18 Mar 1943
During the following winter, snow accumulation collapsed the roofs of a bunkhouse and barn at Camp 17. Eight escaped unhurt, one sustained concussion, and another suffered minor facial injuries, but a horse died.Prince George Citizen, 20 Jan 1944 When braces broke weeks later, the released large deck of logs fatally crushed George Swan (1894–1944). Employees contributed to a collection for his widow.Prince George Citizen: 3 & 10 Feb 1944 While riding the steam-powered saw carriage, which steadily moves a log through the saw blade, dogger Albert Anderson (1925–44) encountered a sudden failure of the steam feed valve. The uncontrollable carriage forcefully ejected him, fatally breaking his neck.Prince George Citizen, 22 Jun 1944 In 1945, logger Adolf Bruestle (later at Aleza Lake) sustained extensive facial abrasions at Camp 17.Prince George Citizen, 22 Mar 1945 Two years later, James Ernest Clish (1927–87) lost a leg in a mill accident.Prince George Citizen, 10 Jul 1947 Although the 1949 fire totally consumed the mill, the rebuilding project took only three months.Prince George Citizen, 8 Sep 1949
Falling branches or tree trunks killed company loggers Jean Ouellette (c.1927–50) and Emanuel Zielke (1927–50), prompting calls for better training.Prince George Citizen: 23 Feb 1950; & 23, 27 & 30 Nov 1950 Mile 98 (McGregor) was the next logging camp.Prince George Citizen: 9 & 23 Aug 1951 When the government introduced forest management licences that year, Upper Fraser Spruce Mills was among the first five approved in principle within the Prince George district,Prince George Citizen, 9 Aug 1954 and quickly granted.Prince George Citizen, 3 Feb 1955 Logging moved from the Bowron River to Mile 98.Prince George Citizen, 9 Sep 1954 (Nick) Vid Tomich (1893–1958) sustained fatal spinal injuries after tumbling from a 12-foot-high lumber pile.Prince George Citizen: 28 Feb 1958; & 3 & 11 Mar 1958 A year later, the company received one of the nine tree farm licenses that followed from the 1956 Royal Commission Report.Prince George Citizen, 3 Mar 1960
In 1960, Don McPhee and Cecil T. Clare sold Upper Fraser Spruce Ltd. for almost a million dollars to National Forest Products Ltd. (NFP) (formerly Midway Terminals Ltd.). Soon moving to Vancouver, Clare was chair of Canadian Lumber Standards (1962–71).Prince George Citizen: 26 Apr 1945, 23 May 1963 & 27 Jun 1985 Already owning Sinclair Spruce Lumber Co. Ltd.,Prince George Citizen, 18 Jul 1960 NFP appointed E.R. McDonald as general manager for both companies.Prince George Citizen, 12 Aug 1960 Within a year, the Noranda Mines Ltd./Mead Corporation partnership established Northwood Pulp and Timber Ltd., which acquired the above operations.Prince George Citizen: 30 Mar 1961 & 24 Apr 1961 The next year, John R. Blackstock became general manager.Prince George Citizen, 23 May 1962 A heavy plate falling from a crawler inflicted fatal head injuries upon mechanic William (Bill) H. Chance (1921–62), who had recently transferred from Sinclair Mills.Prince George Citizen, 1 May 1962 A 1964 fire destroyed a diesel generating unit and part of the mill powerhouse.Prince George Citizen, 7 Feb 1964
In the late 1960s, the mill underwent a major expansion.Prince George Citizen: 22 Jul 1966 & 21 Sep 1966 After voting in favour of strike action,Prince George Citizen, 25 Sep 1967 the IWA strike at BC interior millsPrince George Citizen, 5 Oct 1967 ended the following month in the north,Prince George Citizen, 22 Nov 1967 but in the south lasted seven months.Prince George Citizen, 13 May 1968 The 480,000-foot capacity Upper Fraser operation provided woodchips to Northwood Pulp in Prince George as a by-product. The mill built and equipped a recreation centre, catering especially for the 100–130 single employees.Prince George Citizen: 19 Jan 1968 & 9 May 1969
Another round of strike ballots began in October 1970,Prince George Citizen, 6 Oct 1970 which led to a wildcat strike,Prince George Citizen, 30 Oct 1970 before employees at Northwood sawmills at Eagle Lake and Upper Fraser, along with Its McGregor logging camp, ratified the proposed contract settlement.Prince George Citizen, 20 Nov 1970 A strike vote followed when the 1972 contract negotiations broke off.Prince George Citizen: 19 & 28 Jul 1972 An alleged unjustified disciplinary action by a supervisor, an open sewage system, and sham safety procedures, prompted an illegal walkout. Workers returned after a couple of days,Prince George Citizen: 11 & 12 Sep 1972 but walked out again within two days, when the company refused to promise that strikers would not receive disciplinary action.Prince George Citizen, 13 Sep 1972 An injunction forced employees back within two days.Prince George Citizen: 18 & 21 Sep 1972