The source of the Sikanni Chief, on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, is ultimately the headwater of the Fort Nelson River.

The area is rich in wildlife, and forestry and mining (especially oil and gas) are major industries.

The site was largely abandoned in favour of the community's current location and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation reserve in the decades following the Second World War as the Alaska Highway usurped the river systems' place as the area's prime means of transportation.

The discrepancy in beliefs is believed to trace back to the various surveyors who explored the land in the 19th and early 20th centuries, their work developing into the official view of the Fort Nelson River and its course, which can be seen on most maps and other documentation today, though the official view is often ignored locally.

[citation needed] From headwaters to mouth, the Fort Nelson River receives the following tributaries: