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centralcoastbc.com
communities
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A Brief Sketch of Ocean FallsOcean Falls is located at the head of Cousins Inlet (off the Dean Channel) approximately 300 miles north of Vancouver, 150 miles north of Port Hardy, 60 miles west of Bella Coola, and 25 miles east of Bella Bella/Shearwater. Ocean Falls is on the mainland, however, the terrain is so rugged that a road is not feasible; the community is accessible only by sea or air.Before Europeans arrived in Ocean Falls, a seasonal village was located at the base of the "Liak" (meaning falls) flowing into the basin at the end of Cousins Inlet. The lake behind the dam is now known as Link Lake and may have been a conversion of "Liak". Before construction of the dam there were actually three lakes which became one when the dam was built, so it may also be that "Link" is the true source of the name. The Martin River, one mile west of the centre of town, was originally called the Salmon River and there was a fish weir at its mouth.. It is now the location of Ocean Falls' only suburb; most Ocean Falls residents live in Martin Valley. In 1901, the Provincial Government granted a lease for a power site to Simon McKenzie who in turn allowed the Bella Coola Pulp & Paper Company to acquire these rights. This led to the formation of the Bella Coola Development Company, later to become the Ocean Falls Company, and the erection of a pulp mill and large sawmill. By 1954, when the company name changed to Crown Zellerbach (Canada) Limited, there were six paper machines in operation. By 1966, the mill was manufacturing newsprint, rotoprint, kraft wrapping, tissue, and specialty papers. Economic conditions imposed hardships and production was gradually decreased until March 1973 when the mill was closed. In an attempt to revive the industry the B.C. government purchased the plant and organized the Ocean Falls Corporation (OFC). Once more the machines began to produce, this time newsprint from pulp derived from local wood. Four hundred people were employed. The revival lasted less than seven years; on June 1 1980 all mill production ceased. In 1983 the B.C. government finally dissolved the OFC and decided to demolish the town. When this began in 1985, some heroic citizens put their bodies between the buildings and the machines and the issue became visible enough that plans were modified to allow continuation of Ocean Falls as a Local Improvement District. For a complete history of Ocean Falls please refer to Rain People by Bruce Ramsey, copies of which are available from the Ocean Falls Library Association. It has been suggested that the complete name of the town should be Ocean Falls From The Sky. Indeed, Ocean Falls receives approximately 180 inches of rain per year making it one of the wettest spots in B.C.
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