Fraser River

When Europeans first set foot in Canada, they were faced with a wilderness barrier of trackless forests. Fortunately, this new land was also crisscrossed by many grand rivers, and these became the early routes of discovery, settlement and growth. The third set of Canada's River Heritage stamps, released August 10 in commemorative booklet form, features five of Canada's important heritage rivers: the St. John; the St. Lawrence; the Red; the Fraser; and the Yukon. This wild, turbulent, savage river runs 1,368 kilometres from its headwaters near Mount Robson in the Jasper region to the Pacific Ocean in the Vancouver-New Westminster area. Alexander Mackenzie of the North West Company was the first European to reach the river, but it is named after Simon Fraser, who first followed the river to its mouth. It has seen gold rushes, revolts and settlement along its shores. It is a navigable waterway for part of its length and both the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways follow it through the mountains. The Fraser River stamp shows the Lady Franklin Rock at the very mouth of the Fraser Canyon, and in a vignette we see a sockeye salmon.