June 1 - Stewart British Columbia - the northest town of my 2025 North America tour
"Situated at the end of the 90-mile-long Portland Canal, surrounded by majestic forestry and the Cambria Icefields, resides the small town of Stewart. Founded in 1902 by Robert M and John W Stewart, Stewart has been a mineral exploration icon since the early years of the 20th century. By 1910 Stewart and Hyder (then known as Portland City) were joined by a two mile long “road” made from pilings across the tide flats. The area then hosted close to 10,000 people who were still residing in tents, waiting for buildings to be built on the pilings much like the “road” between Stewart and Hyder. Some of these buildings and pilings can still be seen on the tide flats today." text copied from
https://stewart-tourism.com/about/stewart/historyHyder is in Alaska, while Stewart is in Canada. There is no U.S. customs station when crossing into Hyder, but there is a Canadian border station to re-enter Canada. The current road connecting them is 3 km long and is a proper two-way paved route.
Today, Stewart has a population of 500, while Hyder, AK, with only 50 residents, both towns funtion as one and have an economy supported by a variety of industries, including logging, mining, mineral exploration, and tourism.
The hotel in the photo has a restaurant that also serves as a toaster museum, showcasing a collection of vintage toasters, washers, and other interesting items worth visiting.
In the neighboring town of Hyder, I spoke with the woman who owns the gift shop. When she learned we were riding all the way from Mexico, she shared that three years ago, another motorcyclist from Mexico stopped by. He brought a bottle of mezcal, stayed to chat in her shop, and enjoyed the area so much that he bought a restaurant in Stewart.
That day, after visiting Hyder, we were walking down Main Street looking for a place to eat. We found the restaurant, and as we were talking among ourselves in Spanish, the owner overheard us and asked where we were from—in Spanish. In the end, we had dinner at his restaurant, enjoying a gourmet meal we never expected in such a remote place. And yes, he was the Mexican who had shared mezcal with the gift shop owner in Hyder.
