Hagensborg, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
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...
. Its census population in 2006 was 248. The valley was already the ancient home to the Nuxálk
Nuxálk Nation
The Nuxalk Nation , also referred to as the Bella Coola or Bellacoola, are an Indigenous First Nation in Canada, living in the area in and around Bella Coola, British Columbia...
people when European explorers arrived. Norwegian settlers from Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and Wisconsin arrived in 1894, and the town was named after Hagen B. Christenson, the first storekeeper in the area and postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
from April 1, 1896 to October 14, 1910. ("borg" is Norwegian for a fortress or town).
Transportation
Hagensborg is served by Highway 20, which runs from Williams LakeWilliams Lake, British Columbia
Williams Lake, is a city in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the central part of a region known as the Cariboo, it is the largest urban centre between Kamloops and Prince George, with a population of 11,150 in city limits....
to Bella Coola
Bella Coola, British Columbia
Bella Coola is a community of approximately 600 at the western extremity of the Bella Coola Valley. Bella Coola usually refers to the entire valley, encompassing the settlements of Bella Coola proper , Lower Bella Coola, Hagensborg, Saloompt, Nusatsum, Firvale and Stuie...
, at the mouth of the Bella Coola River
Bella Coola River
The Bella Coola River is a major river on the Pacific slope of the Coast Mountains in southern British Columbia. The town of Bella Coola, which is the historic and ancient capital of the Nuxalk people, is at its mouth on North Bentinck Arm...
on North Bentinck Arm
North Bentinck Arm
North Bentinck Arm is short inlet about in length in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a sidewater of Burke Channel and is linked via that waterway and Labouchere Channel to Dean Channel, which is one of the largest inlets of the BC Coast.A spot on North Bentinck Arm is...
(a side-channel of Dean Channel
Dean Channel
Dean Channel is the upper end of one of the longest inlets of the British Columbia Coast, from its head at the mouth of the Kimsquit River. The Dean River, one of the main rivers of the Coast Mountains, enters Dean Channel about below the head of the inlet, at the community of...
). The Bella Coola Airport
Bella Coola Airport
Bella Coola Airport, , is located northeast of Bella Coola, British Columbia, Canada.This airport is limited to Day/VFR operations. Weather reports are available most days until 3PM local time by contacting Kamloops Flight Service ....
is located in Hagensborg.
Government
Hagensborg is not incorporated as a municipality. Its local government representation is provided through the Central Coast Regional DistrictCentral Coast Regional District, British Columbia
Central Coast Regional District is a regional district in British Columbia, Canada. It has a total land area of 24,559.5 km² . When it was created in 1968, it was named the Ocean Falls Regional District, after the then-largest town in the region, the company town Ocean Falls, now a ghost town...
(CCRD). CCRD Electoral Areas "C" and "D" each include part of Hagensborg. The eastern portion is part of Electoral Area "C", served by Brian Lande, while the western portion is part of Electoral Area "D", served by Kevin O'Neill.
Provincially, Hagensborg is in the North Coast
North Coast (provincial electoral district)
North Coast is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It was created by 1990 legislation which came into effect for the 1991 B.C. election, largely out of the previous riding of Prince Rupert....
riding, served by NDP MLA Gary Coons
Gary Coons
Gary Earl Coons is the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the North Coast riding of British Columbia, Canada....
.
Federally, Hagensborg is in both the Cariboo—Prince George
Cariboo—Prince George
Cariboo—Prince George is a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.-Geography:...
and Skeena—Bulkley Valley
Skeena—Bulkley Valley
Skeena—Bulkley Valley is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.-Geography:...
ridings, served by Conservative MP Dick Harris
Dick Harris
Richard M. "Dick" Harris is a Canadian politician. He is a Member of Parliament and member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He also was a member of the Reform Party of Canada and the Canadian Alliance. He represents the electoral district of Cariboo—Prince George, and formerly Prince...
and NDP MP Nathan Cullen
Nathan Cullen
Nathan Cullen is a Canadian Member of Parliament for the riding of Skeena—Bulkley Valley in the Canadian House of Commons. He is a candidate for the federal leadership of the NDP. A native of Toronto, Ontario, Cullen is fluent in English, French and Spanish and is married with young twin sons...
, respectively.
There is a post office in Hagensborg, with postal code V0T 1H0.
Education
Hagensborg is home to the headquarters of School District 49 Central CoastSchool District 49 Central Coast
School District 49 Central Coast is a school district in British Columbia. It covers the remote areas of coastal British Columbia north or Vancouver Island and south of Prince Rupert This includes the communities of Bella Bella, Bella Coola, Hagensborg, and Oweekeno .-Schools:...
, which administers two local schools (each of which is the only provincial school serving those grades in the Valley), Sir Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School
Sir Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School
Sir Alexander Mackenzie Secondary is a public high school in Hagensborg, British Columbia part of School District 49 Central Coast. It was named after the Scottish-Canadian explorer Sir Alexander MacKenzie, who was the first European to reach the Pacific Ocean overland....
(grades 7-12) and Bella Coola Elementary School (grades K-6).
Services and locations of note
Hagensborg is located centrally with regard to the population distribution of the Bella Coola Valley. As such, it provides some services, such as the airport, ambulance station, swimming pool (summer only), Royal Canadian LegionRoyal Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
hall and a school that serve the entire Valley. In addition, it is the primary service centre for the eastern end of the Bella Coola Valley, and thus is home to a full-service grocery store, gas station / garage, hotel, bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
, and other commercial services.
Hagensborg is also home to the Norwegian Heritage House, a preserved house built prior to 1900 by Andrew Svisdahl, an early Norwegian settler in the area. The House has been outfitted as an interpretive centre.