Brad McGuire/CCCTA
the Coast
high Mount Nusatsum, Bella Coola was once the site of a Hudson’s Bay furtrading post. The Nuxalk Nation lived throughout the valley for centuries. However, in the late 1860s, after a smallpox epidemic decimated the population, survivors gathered on land close to the mouth of the river and the Hudson’s Bay post that now comprises the nonreserve part of town. Today’s population of roughly 900 thrives on fishing, logging and growing tourism, and has become a full-service hub for the area. It is also a key gateway to the 64,000km²/24,710mi² Great Bear Rainforest and is the only port between Vancouver and Prince Rupert with inland access to the Interior of B.C. The Snootli Creek Fish Hatchery (just off Highway 20, 5km/3mi west of Hagensborg at the head of North Bentick Arm), has guided interpretive tours for families highlighting the hatchery’s work. It raises trout and salmon (chum, sockeye, chinook and coho), and replenishes fish stocks in the area. Visitors can also connect with nature via Snootli Creek Regional Park’s ancient cedar grove, just east of Bella Coola. Here, interlocking branches of massive, ancient cedars form an almost impermeable forest canopy covering the park’s four “easy” 200m/656ft to 2km/1.2mi trails. Walkers stay relatively dry even when it rains. Namu Looking for a ghost town? Well, maybe not all that many ghosts can be found in the region, but, there is a sense of
past cultures and industries inhabiting the land. One of those stories of boom and bust can be found in this small, now abandoned community. At the confluence of the Burke Channel and Fitz Hugh Sound, 95km/59mi southwest of Bella Coola, the town of Namu (a Heiltsuk (hel-sic) First Nations word that means “whirlwind”) stands as a reminder of past success and misplaced optimism. Between the 1930s and 1980s, when B.C. Packers operated a cannery here, Namu was a hub of activity for commercial fishers along the central northwest coast. During the height of the local fishing season, it supported a population of up to 400 cannery workers, fish processors, maintenance personnel and their families - with enough children to fill a four-room schoolhouse. The ice plant and cannery, café, laundry and
general store and business offices were located on waterfront piers. Along the beachfront and on land above central Namu, linked by boardwalks, were the managers’ lodgings and bunkhouses. However, high transportation costs and low fish prices in the 1980s forced the plant to switch from canning to fish pro-
Unique adventures, unparalleled wilderness, unforgettable hospitality
13th Annual
DISCOVERY COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL
BELLA COOLA BC JULY 20-22 2012
an intimate, multi-cultural experience
www.bellacoolamusic.org
• Spacious Mountain View Rooms • Grizzly Bear Viewing Tours • Eco-Rafting & Hiking with Local Biologists • Local, Organic Cuisine & Espresso Bar www.bcmountainlodge.com info@bcmountainlodge.com Find us on Facebook 1-866-982-2298 1900 Hwy 20, Bella Coola Valley, BC
1-800-663-5885
| www.landwithoutlimits.com
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