Locally, particularly among the Dene and Cree population of Fort Nelson First Nation it is taught that the Fort Nelson River is not formed by the confluence of the Fontas and Sikinni Chief Rivers, but is instead formed further downriver by the Sikinni Chief's meeting with the larger Muskwa River, notably the former location of Fort Nelson, the community from which the river takes its name. 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. Tributaries From headwaters to mouth, the Fort Nelson River receives the following tributaries: Sikanni Chief River Fontas River Elleh Creek Klua Creek Muskwa River McConachie Creek Cridland Creek Snake River Hoffard Creek Chuatse Creek Utahn Creek Sahtaneh River Lichen Creek Gunnell Creek Courvoisier Creek Komie Creek Shush Creek Onion Creek Tsimeh Creek Stanolind Creek Kiwigana River Tsoo Creek Etane Creek Obole Creek Capot-Blanc Creek References Rivers of British Columbia Fort Nelson Country Tributaries of the Liard River Peace River Land District