Smith River, BC

W.Blain Murray

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Mar 27, 1999, 3:00:00 AM3/27/99

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Does anyone have any info on the old airfield at Smith River, BC.
I believe it was an ex-US Airforce base???!?!?
Can you help?

Will Chabun

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Mar 28, 1999, 3:00:00 AM3/28/99

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W.Blain Murray wrote:
Tom McGarth's book on Canadian airports does not mention it. You sure
it's not "Smithers, B.C.?" That was an old wartime airfield on the
North-West Staging Route into Alaska and Russia.
wjc

W.Blain Murray

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Mar 28, 1999, 3:00:00 AM3/28/99

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Will Chabun wrote:

>

> W.Blain Murray wrote:

> Tom McGarth's book on Canadian airports does not mention it. You sure

> it's not "Smithers, B.C.?" That was an old wartime airfield on the

> North-West Staging Route into Alaska and Russia.

> wjc

> >

Thanks for the reply Will;

Smith River was up north of Liard Hot Springs near the Yukon Border.

Smithers is down on the highway out to Prince Rupert. As I understand

it, it was an airforce base used on the Lend-Lease program. When it was

shut down they just trenched the roads and left everything there?!?!

BM

sue.ca...@northwestel.net

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Nov 13, 2013, 2:24:50 AM11/13/13

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On Saturday, 27 March 1999 01:00:00 UTC-7, W.Blain Murray wrote:
> Does anyone have any info on the old airfield at Smith River, BC.
> I believe it was an ex-US Airforce base???!?!?
> Can you help?

The airport at Smith River, BC was built by the US Army Air Force as part of the ferry system during WWII. It was handed over to the RCAF after the war. After that, it was operated by Transport Canada from the early 1950's until it was closed. The airport was usable into the 1980's and several of the buildings remained intact until the early 2000's, when a fire destroyed nearly all the buildings. It may not have been mentioned in Tom McGrath's book, but it is still listed in federal government publications. Along with Beaton River, Embaras Airport, Aishihik Airport and Snag Airport. All were operated by the RCAF and Transport Canada until the late 1960's to early 1970's.

1965ce...@gmail.com

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Dec 16, 2013, 3:52:39 AM12/16/13

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Andrew Chaplin

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Dec 16, 2013, 9:13:55 AM12/16/13

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1965ce...@gmail.com wrote in news:8f80db5a-f49d-48a7-9532-e5521968ecf1
@googlegroups.com:

1965cessna150, I think you get the weekly prize for dead thread revival.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

watt...@telus.net

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Aug 21, 2015, 9:47:43 PM8/21/15

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Smith River BC was one of the intermediate airports established on that airway by Canada's Dept. of Transport. The airway was under construction prior to the US entering the war. At that time the construction was speeded up and some change made to accommodate the Alaska highway construction. All the airports and the airway were then taken over by the RCAF. The Dept.of Transport continued to supply the navigational aids, communication and weather reporting. The US was never in Smith River but they did have detachments at each of the major airports to assist with the USAAF flights. After the war the entire route was returned to Dept. of Transport. Smith River was unique in that it had a 7000 ft. Runway. Smith River was located between Ft. Nelson BC and Watson lake YT. The intermediated airports were Beatton River. Smith River BC, Teslin, Aishihik and Snag YT. Main Airports were Ft. St. John and Ft. Nelson BC Watson lake and Whitehorse YT.

watt...@telus.net

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Aug 21, 2015, 10:16:06 PM8/21/15

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Sue is confusing two different air routes. Emberras Airport is part of an entirely different air route. From Edmonton to Norman Wells in the NWT. It is located in north eastern Alberta and was part of the air route established to assist with the Canol Project. Those airports will very likely built by the USAAF

Andrew Chaplin

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Aug 22, 2015, 11:17:14 AM8/22/15

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watt...@telus.net wrote in
news:712aa6dd-53dd-4f14...@googlegroups.com:

Stalest thread in CCM history, but...
If you check the area on Google Maps, you can still see the scar left
where they cleared the forest for the strip.

Gil

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Aug 22, 2015, 10:26:31 PM8/22/15

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Yeah, but Andrew, at least it was nice seeing something in here for a
change. It's been years since Mr SP and Anachore wrecked this site. I
suppose that by now a lot of the original users have either given up on
it or passed on. Good to see you're still around.

Gil

Andrew Chaplin

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Aug 24, 2015, 11:21:52 AM8/24/15

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Gil <g...@nospam.cya> wrote in news:mrbb0j$bcj$1...@speranza.aioe.org:

I encounter a few of them on Facebook and some even in real life.

hshea...@gmail.com

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Dec 22, 2016, 2:27:25 PM12/22/16

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On Saturday, March 27, 1999 at 1:00:00 AM UTC-7, W.Blain Murray wrote:
> Does anyone have any info on the old airfield at Smith River, BC.
> I believe it was an ex-US Airforce base???!?!?
> Can you help?

Timothy Shire has some nice photographs of the buildings at the smith river airport. He visited the in 1982 andposted them on a blog post he created in 2002 or so:
http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign/ensign2/landscapes/North/smithRiver/july18_82/jul18_82.html

Andrew Chaplin

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Dec 23, 2016, 9:19:14 AM12/23/16

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hshea...@gmail.com wrote in
news:1eb49639-b7f6-4bbe...@googlegroups.com:

Wikipedia did not yet exist when W. Blain Murray posted, but it has a stub
article that answers some of his questions--assuming he still follows ccm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_River,_British_Columbia

lostp...@shaw.ca

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Apr 10, 2019, 10:33:40 PM4/10/19

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Thank you everyone for your info!! I had forgotten that I had posted here so long ago!

lostp...@shaw.ca

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Apr 10, 2019, 10:43:07 PM4/10/19

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