Ocean Falls, British Columbia

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Ocean Falls is a small community on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is only accessible via boat or seaplane, and is currently the home for a few dozen full-time residents, with the seasonal population upwards of 100. There is good fishing around Ocean Falls, and there are limited accommodations for tourists.

1 Geography and Environment
2 History
3 Economy and Infrastructure
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Geography and Environment

An uncharacteristically sunny day in Ocean Falls

Ocean Falls is noted for its abundance of rain - about 172 inches annually, and its residents are sometimes referred to as the "Rain People." Situated around a waterfall from Link Lake straight into the Cousins Inlet, it has considerable energy resources that are largely untapped at present.

[edit] History

The first people to live in the area of what is now Ocean Falls were the Nuxalk and Kwakwaka'wakw, in a seasonal village named Liak ('Falls'). In 1903, the Bella Coola Pulp and Paper Company surveyed the area and was impressed with the potential hydro power of the site. In 1906, following the company's acquisition of 260 acres of land, clearing began for the town and three years later, a sawmill, hospital and school were established. In 1912, the pulp mill began operating.^[1]
Several disasters struck the town in the course of the years: A major apartment fire in 1950 killed eight^[2], an avalanche in 1965 killed seven; and although the school fire in 1971 didn't result in any serious casualties, it traumatized the little community. Due to underinvestment in its facilities, the Ocean Falls pulp and paper mill was rendered inefficient and obsolete by the early 1970s. The owner at the time, Crown Zellerbach, decided to close the plant and effectively shut down the town by March, 1973. The provincial government bought the town and mill out a few weeks before the planned closure and kept it running until 1980. Much of the town is now demolished or in serious decay, but it maintains a devoted residential community and an extensive social network of former residents.

[edit] Economy and Infrastructure

The falls formed the basis for a pulp and paper mill that went into operation in 1912. At its largest, Ocean Falls was the home to around 3900 people, a K-12 school system, its own hospital, one of the province's largest hotels, and a swimming pool where several swimming champions trained. Nestled on the steep side of Caro Marion mountain, there were few cars, and many of the roads were made of wood put on scaffolds alongside the cliffs. The town site and mill were wholly owned by the pulp and paper company, and there was little in the way of a democratically elected local government. Residents could buy and build their own homes in nearby Martin Valley, but everyone else lived in housing owned and operated by the mill. Voter registration for provincial and federal elections was door-to-door.