Bella Bella, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Bella Bella, also known as Waglisla, is an unincorporated community and Indian Reserve
community located within Bella Bella Indian Reserve No. 1 on the east coast of Campbell Island
in the Central Coast
region of British Columbia
, Canada
. Bella Bella is located 98 nautical miles (181.5 km) north of Port Hardy, on Vancouver Island, and 78 nautical miles (144.5 km) west of Bella Coola. Originally styled New Bella Bella to distinguish it from Old Bella Bella, which was on Denny Island
, the community's official post office name for some time was Waglisla, meaning "river on the beach" in the Heiltsuk language
. The Hudson's Bay Company
's Fort McLoughlin
was near the same location, which is on McLaughlin Bay.
With a population of 1,400, Bella Bella is the largest community to be found on the Central Coast north of Queen Charlotte Strait
. It is home to the Heiltsuk First Nation. Like many small communities on the coast, such as nearby Ocean Falls, Bella Bella has had a precarious and isolated existence. The closing of coastal cannery towns and decreased need for coastal shipping reduced the importance of Bella Bella's port.
However, the resumption of ferry services by BC Ferries
and the introduction of an air link from Vancouver via Port Hardy by Pacific Coastal Airlines
have revived Bella Bella. There are scheduled flights from Bella Bella Airport
onward to Klemtu
and Ocean Falls.
Services in Bella Bella include a large general store, Alexa's restaurant, the Koeye Cafe, the Thistalalh Memorial Library, an RCMP police station (with a circuit court every 1.5 months), the Bella Bella Medical Clinic, staffed by 3 physicians and a Nurse Practitioner, and R.W. Large Memorial Hospital and its pharmacy. The CIBC bank branch closed in 2007.
The village of Bella Bella was previously known as Waglisla to the Canadian Postal Service; the postal address changed to Bella Bella (V0T 1Z0) in October 2007.
dike
swarms in the Bella Bella area were formed by the Anahim hotspot
when this part of North America
was directly overhead. The dikes are believed to mark the first arrival of the hotspot
, although it is now located in central British Columbia at Nazko Cone
.
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
community located within Bella Bella Indian Reserve No. 1 on the east coast of Campbell Island
Campbell Island (British Columbia)
Campbell Island is an island in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located west of Denny Island and north of Hunter Island, near Milbanke Sound. The Inside Passage waterways of Lama Pass and Seaforth Channel meet at the northern end of Campbell Island....
in the Central Coast
British Columbia Coast
The British Columbia Coast or BC Coast is Canada's western continental coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The usage is synonymous with the term West Coast of Canada....
region of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Bella Bella is located 98 nautical miles (181.5 km) north of Port Hardy, on Vancouver Island, and 78 nautical miles (144.5 km) west of Bella Coola. Originally styled New Bella Bella to distinguish it from Old Bella Bella, which was on Denny Island
Denny Island (Canada)
Denny Island is an island on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada, just east of the community of Bella Bella, aka Waglisla, on Campbell Island. Denny Island is the location of Old Bella Bella, now mainly abandoned but home to Canadian Coast Guard and Fisheries & Oceans bases, and the...
, the community's official post office name for some time was Waglisla, meaning "river on the beach" in the Heiltsuk language
Heiltsuk language
Heiltsuk , also known as Bella Bella and Haihais, is a dialect of the North Wakashan language Heiltsuk-Oowekyala that is spoken by the Haihai and Bella Bella First Nations peoples of the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, around the communities of Bella Bella and...
. The Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
's Fort McLoughlin
Fort McLoughlin
Fort McLoughlin was a fur trading post established in 1833 by the Hudson's Bay Company on Campbell Island in present-day British Columbia, Canada. The site is believed to have been at McLoughlin Bay on the northeast side of Campbell Island and is associated with the relocation of the Heiltsuk...
was near the same location, which is on McLaughlin Bay.
With a population of 1,400, Bella Bella is the largest community to be found on the Central Coast north of Queen Charlotte Strait
Queen Charlotte Strait
Queen Charlotte Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It connects Queen Charlotte Sound with Johnstone Strait, Discovery Passage and then to the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound...
. It is home to the Heiltsuk First Nation. Like many small communities on the coast, such as nearby Ocean Falls, Bella Bella has had a precarious and isolated existence. The closing of coastal cannery towns and decreased need for coastal shipping reduced the importance of Bella Bella's port.
However, the resumption of ferry services by BC Ferries
BC Ferries
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. or BC Ferries is a de facto Crown Corporation that provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services for coastal and island communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia...
and the introduction of an air link from Vancouver via Port Hardy by Pacific Coastal Airlines
Pacific Coastal Airlines
Pacific Coastal Airlines is an airline based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It operates scheduled, charter and cargo services to destinations in British Columbia. Its main base is Vancouver International Airport, with a hub at Port Hardy Airport....
have revived Bella Bella. There are scheduled flights from Bella Bella Airport
Bella Bella (Denny Island) Airport
Bella Bella Airport, , is located east of Bella Bella, British Columbia, Canada.This airport has no services or fuel, however the fuel dock at nearby Shearwater is accessible to floatplanes and helicopters. The runway is limited to Day/VFR operations only...
onward to Klemtu
Klemtu, British Columbia
Klemtu is a small village on Swindle Island in the coastal fjords of British Columbia, Canada.Klemtu is the home of the Kitasoo tribe of Tsimshians, originally from Kitasu Bay, and the Xai'xais of Kynoc Inlet, a subgroup of the Heiltsuk people. These two tribes live together as, and are jointly...
and Ocean Falls.
Services in Bella Bella include a large general store, Alexa's restaurant, the Koeye Cafe, the Thistalalh Memorial Library, an RCMP police station (with a circuit court every 1.5 months), the Bella Bella Medical Clinic, staffed by 3 physicians and a Nurse Practitioner, and R.W. Large Memorial Hospital and its pharmacy. The CIBC bank branch closed in 2007.
The village of Bella Bella was previously known as Waglisla to the Canadian Postal Service; the postal address changed to Bella Bella (V0T 1Z0) in October 2007.
Geology
The 13-million-year-old maficMafic
Mafic is an adjective describing a silicate mineral or rock that is rich in magnesium and iron; the term is a portmanteau of the words "magnesium" and "ferric". Most mafic minerals are dark in color and the relative density is greater than 3. Common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine,...
dike
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
swarms in the Bella Bella area were formed by the Anahim hotspot
Anahim hotspot
The Anahim hotspot is a volcanic hotspot in central British Columbia, Canada. It is situated on the Interior Plateau, a large region that lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains to the east, and the Hazelton Mountains, Coast Mountains and Cascade Range to the west...
when this part of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
was directly overhead. The dikes are believed to mark the first arrival of the hotspot
Hotspot (geology)
The places known as hotspots or hot spots in geology are volcanic regions thought to be fed by underlying mantle that is anomalously hot compared with the mantle elsewhere. They may be on, near to, or far from tectonic plate boundaries. There are two hypotheses to explain them...
, although it is now located in central British Columbia at Nazko Cone
Nazko Cone
Nazko Cone is a small potentially active basaltic cinder cone in central British Columbia, Canada, located 75 km west of Quesnel and 150 kilometers southwest of Prince George. It is considered the easternmost volcano in the Anahim Volcanic Belt. The small tree-covered cone rises 120 m above...
.
External links
- http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/index.asp?townID=3531
- A travelogue from a visit to Bella Bella
- A 1975 documentary about Bella Bella from the National Film Board of Canada website
- Heiltsuk Tribal Council Website
- Bella Bella Community School Website