The history of Telkwa has ebbed and flowed with the dramatic changes of the community with the Telegraph Trail, the rush of settlers at the turning of the Century, and the arrival of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.

Telkwa is a village located along British Columbia Highway 16, nearly 15 kilometres southeast of the town of Smithers and 350 kilometres west of the city of Prince George, in northwest BC. Settlement in the area began around 1904 in a townsite known as Aldermere on the hill above Telkwa. Around 1907, people began to move down the hill to be closer to water supplies and the anticipated route of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The world 'Telkwa" is a native word meaning 'river flowing north'. The last syllable 'kwa' means river.