Bourgeaux Creek is a tributary of the Little Iskut River and part of the Stikine Riverwatershed in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada.[1][6] It flows generally east for roughly 17 km (11 mi)[4] to join the Little Iskut River, a tributary of the Iskut River, which in turn is the largest tributary of the Stikine River. Gerlib Creek joins Bourgeaux Creek about 5 km (3.1 mi) upstream of Bourgeaux's confluence with the Little Iskut River.[4]
The mouth of Bourgeaux Creek is located about 60 km (37 mi) southeast of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, about 110 km (68 mi) south of Dease Lake, British Columbia, and about 250 km (160 mi) southeast of Juneau, Alaska.[4]
Bourgeaux Creek originates on the east side of Raspberry Pass, about 25 km (16 mi) south of Mount Edziza. Raspberry Pass forms a boundary between the Spectrum Range to the south and the Mount Edziza area to the north.[9][10] From its source, Bourgeaux Creek flows east, collecting a number of unnamed tributary streams. The one named tributary, Gerlib Creek, joins Bourgeaux Creek from the north, about 5 km (3.1 mi) upstream of Bourgeaux's mouth at the Little Iskut River. Artifact Ridge lies on the south side of Bourgeaux Creek's watershed. Significant mountains on the north side include Hoyaa Peak, Esja Peak, Armadillo Peak, Tadeda Peak, and Cache Hill.[2][11]
History
Bourgeaux Creek was named for F. Bourgeaux, a member of the Western Union Telegraph Company party which, in 1866, explored the area for an overland telegraph route to Europe via Alaska, the Bering Strait and Asia.[1] That telegraph was never built, but the nearly 3,000-kilometre-long (1,900-mile) Yukon Telegraph Line was constructed by the Dominion Government Telegraph Service between 1897 and 1901 to send messages from Ashcroft, British Columbia in the south to Dawson City, Yukon in the north.[12] This telegraph line followed Bourgeaux Creek to Raspberry Pass, then continued down Raspberry Creek, thence north to the community of Telegraph Creek on the Stikine River.[11] The Yukon Telegraph Line operated until 1936 and only remnants remain today. The historic Yukon Telegraph Trail follows its route.[13][14]
^Derived from BCGNIS, topographic maps, and Toporama
^ abcdLengths and distances measured using BCGNIS coordinates, topographic maps, online map servers, and Toporama
^ abc"Northwest Water Tool". BC Water Tool. GeoBC, Integrated Land Management Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 4 October 2023.