Lax'kw'alaams

Lax Kw'alaams, the place of the wild roses, was a seasonal camp of the Gispaxlo'ots on the Tsimshian coast. Its waters opened onto the routes between the Nass and Skeena rivers and the islands farther west. The allied Tsimshian tribes built influence through the power of their houses, marriages and alliances, as well as through their control of exchange along the coast.

By the 1790s American, British and Russian ships were trading for sea otter pelts in these waters. Chiefs of the Gispaxlo'ots Legex lineage charged for safe passage and the privilege of trade. In 1834 the Hudson's Bay Company moved Fort Simpson to Lax Kw'alaams, on land held by Legex, who levied a fee on those wishing to trade at the post. The nine allied tribes moved their winter villages to the new trading centre.