Archaeological remains confirm that Indigenous peoples have lived in the Bella Coola Valley for at least 10 000 years. The unbroken oral histories of the Nuxalk first peoples (“Nuxalk” means “becoming one”) confirm archaeological findings. There is evidence of Indigenous villages throughout the valley, as well as on the coast. The community of Bella Coola is located in the traditional territories of the Nuxalk Nation.

European contact
European contact first occurred in the region with the arrival of Alexander Mackenzie in 1793. Mackenzie travelled to the region via a pre-existing Nuxalk-Carrier trail network. This route was one of many used for centuries by First Nations as trade routes between coastal and interior nations.

The Hudson’s Bay Company trader and medical officer William Fraser Tolmie recorded the name Billichoola in his journal from 1834. Other historical spellings of the name include Bllaghchoola, Bellichoola, Belhoola and Bi’Ixula.

Oolichan
Many of the trades routes in the region were given the name “grease trails.” The name is derived from the fact that First Nations from the coast carried oolichan fish oil to the interior, where it was very much in demand. Also spelled “eulachan,” “eulachon” and “ooligan,” oolichan grease is extracted from the oolichan fish, also known as the candlefish.

Oolichan

Fur trade era (1770s-1849) and Cariboo Gold Rush
During the fur trade era, the Nuxalmc trapped furs and brought them via canoe to the Heiltsuk in Bella Bella for trading. The Heiltsuk then traded with European ships in the region and HBC traders in Fort McLoughlin. During the Cariboo Gold Rush in the 1860s, trails in Nuxalk territory were also used extensively by prospectors.

Smallpox epidemic
In 1862, the Nuxalk population was reduced by between seventy to ninety percent due to the Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic. With the opening of a trading post in Bella Coola in 1867 by the Hudson’s Bay Company, many of the remaining Nuxalmc settled near the mouth of the Bella Coola River, close to the trading post. At first, the trading post was on a boat. Later, a building was constructed on the south side of the Bella Coola River.

In 1882, an employee of the Hudson’s Bay Company named John Clayton purchased the trading post and property. The trading post remained open until the early 1900s.

Coastal Guardian Watchmen Network
The Nuxalk Nation is a member organization of the Coastal Guardian Watchmen Network, a consortium of Indigenous land and water protectors overseeing stewardship of their protected territories.

Plane

Pacific Coastal Airlines runs flights from Vancouver to Bella Coola.

Automobile

Bella Coola is located in the Bella Coola Valley. Travel west on the Chilcotin-Bella Coola Highway 20. Bella Coola is 453 km (281 miles) from Williams Lake, slightly over seven hours by car.

Boat

BC Ferries offers ferry service from Port Hardy to Bella Coola, from June to the second week in September. The direct sailing from Port Hardy to Bella Coola takes 13 hours.

Indirect sailings to Bella Coola may also stop at McLoughlin Bay, Shearwater, Klemtu and Ocean Falls, resulting in either a 24- or 36-hour trip to Bella Coola.

Bella Coola Grizzly Tours
https://www.bcgrizzlytours.com

Copper Sun Gallery & Journeys
https://coppersungallery.ca

Inner Coast Inlet Tours
https://innercoastinlettours.com/contact

Bella Coola (British Columbia.com)
https://britishcolumbia.com/plan-your-trip/regions-and-towns/cariboo-chilcotin-coast/bella-coola/

Bella Coola (official website)
https://bellacoola.ca

Bella Coola (Land Without Limits)
https://landwithoutlimits.com/places/great-bear-rainforest/bella-coola/

Bella Coola Valley Museum
https://www.bellacoolamuseum.ca

Bella Coola Valley Trail Guide
https://explorenorth.com/bc/Bella_Coola_Trail_Guide.pdf

Nuxalk Nation (Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance)
https://www.ccira.ca/nuxalk/

Nuxalk Peoples (Bella Coola Valley Museum: B.C. Central Coast Archives)
https://www.bellacoolamuseum.ca/en/digital_heritage/nuxalk/index.php