Chetwynd is a small town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Situated on an ancient floodplain, it is the first town encountered after emerging from the Rockies along Highway 97 and acts as the gateway to the Peace River Country. The town developed during the construction of infrastructure through the Rocky Mountains in the 1950s, and was used as a transshipment point during the construction of hydroelectric dams in the 1960s and 1970s and the new town of Tumbler Ridge in the early 1980s. Home to approximately 2,600 residents, the population has increased little in the last 25 years but is significantly younger than the provincial average. Chetwynd has dozens of chainsaw carvings displayed throughout town as public art and is home to the weekly newspaper, the Chetwynd Echo, and a Northern Lights College campus. Nearby, there are four provincial parks, two lakes, and several recreational trails. Highways 29 and 97 intersect in town with Highway 97 connecting it to Prince George and Dawson Creek and Highway 29 to Tumbler Ridge and Hudson's Hope. Its economy is dominated by the primary industries of forestry, fossil fuel extraction, and transportation.
Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chetwynd%2C_British_Columbia
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
655:
Penda of Mercia was defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria at the Battle of the Winwaed in modern-day Yorkshire, England. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penda_of_Mercia
1864:
American Civil War: Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman began his "March to the Sea", inflicting significant damage to property and infrastructure on his way from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tecumseh_Sherman
1889:
Emperor Pedro II of Brazil was overthrown in a coup led by Deodoro da Fonseca. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_II_of_Brazil
1920:
The first general assembly of the League of Nations was held in Geneva, Switzerland, with 41 founding members. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Nations
1935:
The Commonwealth of the Philippines was officially established, with Manuel L. Quezon inaugurated as its president. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_the_Philippines
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
clemency (n): 1. The moderation of the severity of a punishment. 2. Forgiveness or compassion http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/clemency
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Mortal danger is an effective antidote for fixed ideas. --Erwin Rommel http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Erwin_Rommel