Crab River flows into Devastation Channel near the entrance to Alan Reach of Gardner Canal, about 81 miles (130km) southeast of Prince Rupert and 28 miles (45km) south-southwest of Kitamaat, British Columbia. Devastation Channel, located between Hawkesbury Island and the British Columbia mainland, was named in 1863 by Captain Daniel Pender after the paddle-sloop HMS Devastation. The channel was first charted in 1793 by Lieutenant Joseph Whidbey, master of HMS Discovery during Captain George Vancouver‘s 1791-95 expedition. The river is renowned for being an excellent location to catch Dungeness crabs, marking the halfway point when traveling by boat between Kemano and Kitimat. The Haisla name for the river mouth is “Kasa.” In the 1880s, a small fish saltery operated here, and by 1913, a small village was reported. In 1916, the McKenna-McBride Royal Commission established Haisla Indian Reserve #18, allocating 10 acres (4 ha) on both sides of the river for use as a village site, fishing station, hunting base, and burial ground. The Crab River watershed comprises a Haisla Eagle clan stewardship area traditionally owned by the holder of the name K’iselagelis. The river originates at an elevation of about 4,200 feet (1,280 m) and flows generally west for approximately 6 miles (10 km) to Crab Lake. The lake is around 5 miles (8 km) long and 0.6 miles (1 km) wide, situated at an elevation of 762 feet (232 m). From there, the river continues northwest and then southwest for 3 miles (5 km) to Gardner Canal. Today, the Crab Lake Conservancy is part of a roadless conservation area spanning 31,602 acres (12,789 ha) that protects the lake and the headwaters of the Crab River in the Kitimat Ranges.

The Kitimat Ranges lie between the Nass River and Portland Inlet to the north, and the Bella Coola River and Burke Channel to the south. They are bounded to the east by the Hazelton Mountains. The near-vertical cliffs framing the river valleys consist of exposed igneous intrusive rocks from the Quottoon pluton, a granodiorite intrusion emplaced at depths of 6 to 9 miles (9 to 15 km) approximately 52 million years ago. The pluton is about 112 miles (180 km) long and averages 6 miles (10 km) in width. The formation sequence began during the Eocene epoch when partially melted magma accumulated in the Earth’s lower crust. This led to a density instability, causing the uprising of granitic material and the emplacement of the Quottoon pluton. A brief period of uplift followed the intrusion, creating a thermal contrast with the surrounding rock. Another period of uplift beginning in the late Miocene exposed the area to the surface, creating the present relief of the Coast Mountains. In central British Columbia, all major watersheds reflect the interaction of Pleistocene and Holocene glaciation with regional uplift patterns. The last major glaciation event that covered British Columbia was the Wisconsinan Fraser glaciation. Climatic alteration began as early as 29,000 years ago, but extensive ice advances from mountains into valleys and fjords did not occur until 25,000 years ago. The glacial maximum occurred between 16,000 and 14,000 years ago. Between 13,000 and 9,000 years ago, the glaciers retreated to their pre-advance positions, and the land was soon inhabited by humans.

The Crab River traditionally demarcated the territorial boundary between the Haisla and Henaaksiala First Nations before their amalgamation into the single Haisla First Nation. The Henaaksiala are Wakashan-speaking peoples from the Gardner Canal area, particularly the tributaries of the Kemano and Kitlope Rivers, and have close ethnolinguistic ties to the Haisla. The Haisla homeland encompasses the upper region of Douglas Channel, extending to the Kitimat River and its tributaries. Many ancient sites in these areas bear Henaaksiala or Haisla names, recognizing their value as cultural landmarks. These sites include temporary encampments for resource gathering or processing, winter villages, locations of ceremonial activities or legendary events, and notable natural formations. The Henaaksiala were likely more numerous than the Haisla until around 1918, when an influenza outbreak at the end of World War I caused a significant drop in their population. Between 1948 and 1952, the Henaaksiala moved en masse to Kitamaat. Today’s Haisla are considered an amalgamation of the Henaaksiala and various Haisla bands, including the Bees, Kaasa, Kemano, Kitlope, Haisla, Nalabila, and Gildalidox. To the west of the Henaaksiala and Haisla territories lies the homeland of the Southern Tsimshian, and immediately to the north are the territories of the Coast Tsimshian. The Salishan-speaking Nuxalk people, also known as the Bella Coola, are located to the south. To the east are the traditional territories of the Cheslatta T’En, who speak an Athapaskan language. Read more here and here. Explore more of the Crab River and Devastation Channel here: