Bella Coola

BELLA COOLA, pop 1,104, is at the head of N Bentinck Arm, an extension of Burke Channel at the mouth of the BELLA COOLA R about 400 km north of VANCOUVER. It is named for the original inhabitants, people of the NUXALK (formerly known as Bella Coola) nation, who live at settlements near the townsite. The first outsiders arrived in 1793 when a party of British sailors attached to Capt George VANCOUVER's expedition explored to the head of N Bentinck Arm in longboats. A few weeks later Alexander MACKENZIE arrived overland, seeking a navigable route to the Pacific Ocean. He proceeded by CANOE about 60 km into DEAN CHANNEL, where he wrote his famous message on a rock, now Alexander Mackenzie Provincial PARK. The HBC built a post at BELLA BELLA in 1833 to serve the area and the company had another post at Bella Coola from 1868 to 1882. Both were purchased from the HBC by John Clayton, the most influential businessman on the Central Coast for many years. AGRICULTURE began in the valley in 1894 with the arrival of a colony of NORWEGIAN settlers, mainly from Minnesota. Led by Rev Christian Saugstad, they located up the valley around HAGENSBORG. Commercial FISHING became important early in the 20th century, with the construction of first one, then a second cannery. They closed in the 1930s but Bella Coola remains a base for the fishery, both sport and commercial. Another mainstay of the local economy has been LOGGING, which began on a large scale during WWII. Various large companies have been active, along with many small independents. The Mid-Coast Forest District office is located here. Accessible only by air and water for most of its history, Bella Coola was linked to WILLIAMS LAKE by land in 1954 with the completion of Hwy 20, the famous Chilcotin Hwy.