Historical Timeline and Acknowledgement of Contributors

Marcel here from a Lheidli T’enneh Band Member point of view . My Gramma Margaret Gagnon was born 1914 she lived to be 95 going on 96 but she would tell us stories about the land of the Giant Trees and how small they would feel compared to those giant trees up there in that forest of them going east of PG she would say she use to go with few of are band trappers/hunters as are ppl trapped and also hunted caribou and elk as elk was introduced in the 1920’s even though the elk were already here but they brought in more to make a bigger population of them east of PG.

But back in the late 1920’s and 1930’s 1940’s..1950’s  they would make there way all the way up to the McGregor Mountains to trap and hunt and did they go around come back down by railroad east of PG I’m not sure I cant remember wat route she would say they did lots of walking and few pack horses i remember her saying . But they would go into those Giant Cedar stands for trapping/hunting reasons was it in wat we call the ancient forest today im not sure but I would think very close to it from her stories of east of PG. She would tell me go ask old August Quaw and Alex Paul sr. went also before he went to war. Other trapper/hunters she named was Morris Quaw…Patrick John…Henry Dick…Fred Pas…Steven Jail…and many more of course from are Band but they roamed all throughout that whole region hunting and trapping gathering are own meds we used.

Also got to remember 70 to 90% of them old cedars were logged all thru out there back in the day the ancient forest was saved by fluke other wise it would have been logged as well. Us Carriers didn’t stay put my ppl in those times explored pretty much every direction from PG to meet up with neighboring tribes to trade and barter with she would say Lheidli who was called the Fort George band in those times and McLeod lake would hold Indian days from the 1920′ up to the 1950’s they would take turns every year at each other’s Rez to hold them and along the McGregor and Rocky mountain Ranges my ppl roamed as well. In 1914 the year my gramma was born the railway line was also completed from McBride to PG so they most likely used the railway line as there rd and the actual highway was put in in the late 1960’s early 70’s. That’s lil history of where and what are ppl would do in are lands and are territories as i remember my grammas stories from  the late 70’s about it.

I’m also a faller 42 years this year now i been a faller i did falling timber up thru that area back 1985ish into the 90’s for few logging shows and falling timber on forest fires all throughout that area I seen many big cedars and fell them but again was no mention of an ancient forest in those times i would tell my gramma i was falling east of PG and she would say how big are they i would tell her and she would say there’s bigger ones yet watch for the giant trees when up that way working or hunting and she would say are ppl and her referred to them as land of the Giant Trees.