FORT SAINT JAMES

village, central British Columbia, Canada, on the southeastern shore of Stuart Lake at the confluence of the Stuart and Necoslie rivers, 70 miles (113 km) northwest of Prince George. One of the province's oldest communities, it originated as a trading post, established in 1806 by Simon Fraser and John Stuart for the North West Company. In 1821 it was taken over by the Hudson's Bay Company (when the two companies amalgamated) and made capital of the interior fur-trading district of New Caledonia (the forerunner of British Columbia). A Roman Catholic mission was founded there in 1842 by Bishop Modeste Demers. With the creation of the British Columbia colony in 1858, Fort Saint James lost its position as a centre of local government. The old fort buildings and a museum are preserved within a national historic park, and the mission church is still in use. The Necoslie Indian Reservation is adjacent to the village, which now serves as a supply base for prospectors, hunters, trappers, and fishermen. Lumbering and mining are local activities. Inc. 1952. Pop. (1991) 2,058.