Fort St. John

Over the years the community has been moved a number of times for varying economic reasons. The present location is thought to be its sixth. The original trading post built in the area was named Rocky Mountain House (not to be confused with the modern Alberta town by that name). It was established one year after Sir Alexander Mackenzie explored the area in 1793. One of a series of forts along the Peace River constructed to service the fur trade, it was southwest of the present site of Fort St. John. The Dunneza and Sikanni First Nations used it as a trading post. It was also used as a supply depot for further expeditions into the territory. The fort closed in 1805. Fort d'Epinette was built in 1806 by the North West Company. It was renamed Fort St. John in 1821 following the purchase of the North West Company by the Hudson's Bay Company. This fort was about 500 m downstream from the mouth of the Beatton River, which at that time was known as the Pine River (d'epinette in French). It was shut down in 1823. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1958.

After a lapse of nearly 40 years, Fort St. John was reopened in 1860 on the south side of the Peace River, directly south of the present community. It was moved in 1872 by Francis Work Beatton directly across the river. This community lasted until 1925 when the river ceased to be the main avenue of transportation and the fort was moved closer to where settlers were establishing homesteads. The new town was constructed at Fish Creek, northwest of the present community, on the new trail to Fort Nelson. It did not shut down until 1975. In 1928, C.M. Finch moved his general store to two quarters of land where he also built a government building to house the land, telegraph and post offices. The present site for the town was firmly established after he donated 5 acres (20,000 m²) for a Roman Catholic Church and additional land for a hospital.

Fort St. John, on the upland prairies north of the Peace River, experiences a cold humid continental climate (close to subarctic), with cold winters and warm summers. Although winters can be frigid, the area has milder winters than much of the rest of Canada (especially considering its relatively northerly latitude) due to the influence of the nearby Rocky Mountains. They tend to block Arctic air masses coming in from the north/northwest, although they can certainly still penetrate the area. Fort St. John uses Mountain Standard Time all year (same as Pacific Daylight Time in summer), and because of its northerly latitude experiences short daylight hours in winter and long daylight hours in summer.

Fort St. John is one of the sunniest places in the province, especially in winter and spring.

• BC Bus North, ☏ +1-844-564-7494. Provides bus service on the following routes:. (updated Apr 2021)
  • Between Prince George and Fort St. John twice per week with stops in Mackenzie, Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, and Taylor. Travel time to Fort St. John from Dawson Creek is 1 hour and from Prince George is 8 hours. Fare is $48.
  • Between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson once per week with stops in Taylor and Fort St. John. Travel time to Fort St. John from Dawson Creek is 1 hour and from Fort Nelson is 5.25 hours. Fare is $49.
• Cold Shot, ☏ +1 587-557-7719, support@coldshot.ca. Bus service from Monday to Friday between Fort St. John and Grande Prairie with stops in Dawson Creek, Hythe, and Beaverlodge. Travel time to Fort St. John from Dawson Creek is 1 hour and from Grande Prairie is 3 hours. Also offers bus service between Grande Prairie and Edmonton. (updated Feb 2021)

Highways serving Fort St John:

• Highway 29 - Terminates just north of Fort St. John after traveling northeast from Chetwynd via Hudson Hope
• Highway 97 (Alaska Highway) - Fort St. John can be reached by driving north from Dawson Creek or south from Fort Nelson

• 🌍 Fort St. John Airport (YXJ  ^IATA) (a few kilometres east of the city), ☏ +1 250-787-0426, info@yxj.ca. The only commercial airport between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson. The two-runway airport has Air Canada Jazz, WestJet and other smaller airlines such as Central Mountain Air with regularly scheduled flights and North Cariboo Air providing chartered flights. (updated May 2022)
  • Flights to Fort St. John from Vancouver take 1.75 hours.

Canadian airlines traveling to Fort St. John:

• Air Canada, ☏ +1-514-393-3333, toll-free: +1-888-247-2262. Canada's largest airline with hubs in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. It operates across Canada and services international destinations. (updated Apr 2022)
• Central Mountain Air, toll-free: +1-888-359-2620, reservations@flycma.com. Operates flights mostly in British Columbia and to a lesser extent in Alberta. Edmonton, Prince George, and Vancouver effectively serve as hubs for the airline. (updated Apr 2022)
• WestJet, toll-free: +1-877-952-0100. Canada's second largest airline services with hubs in Calgary and Toronto. It operates across Canada and services international destinations. (updated Apr 2022)

• BC Transit (Fort St. John Transit System), ☏ +1-250-787-7433. Operates several routes around the Fort St. John from Monday to Saturday. (updated Apr 2022)

• Teco Taxi, ☏ +1 250-787-0641, reach@tecotaxi.ca. (updated Jul 2022)

• Alaska Highway News, ☏ +1 250-785-5631. (updated May 2023)

• 🌍 Fort St. John Hospital, 8407 112 Ave, ☏ +1 250-262-5200. Operates an emergency department. (updated Apr 2023)