Hagensborg, originally named Kristiania, [1] is a small community in the Bella Coola Valley in British Columbia, Canada. Its census population in 2006 was 248. [2]
Hagensborg, originally named Kristiania, [1] is a small community in the Bella Coola Valley in British Columbia, Canada. Its census population in 2006 was 248. [2]
The Bella Coola Valley was inhabited by the Nuxálk people when European explorers arrived, first of them being Sir Alexander Mackenzie, who still to this day has a lasting presence in the community. Norwegian settlers from Minnesota and Wisconsin arrived in 1894, and under the guidance of the Reverend Christian Saugstad established a colony. The colony was named "Hagen's Borg" after Hagen B. Christensen, the first storekeeper in the area and postmaster from April 1, 1896 to October 14, 1910. [3] ("borg" is Norwegian for a fortress or castle).
Hagensborg is served by Highway 20, which runs from Williams Lake to Bella Coola, at the mouth of the Bella Coola River on the North Bentinck Arm. In order to access the Bella Coola Valley via Highway 20, a portion of the called Heckman Pass (also known as "The Hill" or "The Precipice") must be traversed. This route is sitting at an elevation of 1487 metres and contains treacherous switchbacks and hairpin turns, shared by a single-lane gravel road. The Bella Coola Airport is located in Hagensborg, and is served by Pacific Coastal Airlines who makes daily flights in and out from Vancouver and Anahim Lake. Charter services by plane and helicopter are also available.
Hagensborg is not incorporated as a municipality. Its local government representation is provided through the Central Coast Regional District (CCRD). CCRD Electoral Areas "C" and "D" each include part of Hagensborg. The eastern portion is part of Electoral Area "C", while the western portion is part of Electoral Area "D".
Provincially, Hagensborg is in the North Coast riding, served by NDP MLA Jennifer Rice.
Federally, Hagensborg is in the riding of Skeena—Bulkley Valley, served by NDP MP Taylor Bachrach.
There is a post office in Hagensborg, with postal code V0T 1H0.
Hagensborg is home to the headquarters of School District 49 Central Coast, which administers three local schools (each of which is the only provincial school serving those grades in the Valley), Sir Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School (grades 8-12), Nusatsum Elementary School (grades 5-7), and Bella Coola Elementary School (grades K-4). The Bella Coola Elementary School is located outside of Hagensborg in the nearby community of Bella Coola.
There is also a nearby Seventh-Day Adventist School as well as a First Nations school outside the community.
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, cemetery, swimming pool (summer only), Royal Canadian Legion hall and some accommodation and retail 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, bed and breakfast, and other commercial services. Hagensborg is 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.
Sir Alexander Mackenzie was a Scottish explorer and fur trader known for accomplishing the first crossing of North America in 1793. The Mackenzie River and Mount Sir Alexander are named after him.
Highway 20, also known as the Chilcotin Highway, and officially dubbed the Alexander MacKenzie Highway, is one of the two main east–west routes in the Central Interior of British Columbia (the other being Highway 16. The Chilcotin Highway runs 457 km from Williams Lake westward through the Chilcotin region to North Bentinck Arm, an inlet from the Pacific Ocean where the town of Bella Coola is located. As of 2006, all but 57 km has been paved, mostly for expediting the removal of timber from the region, which, like most of British Columbia, is afflicted with pine beetle infestations. Logging traffic and ranch-related traffic on the route can be expected.
The Nuxalk Nation is the band government of the Nuxalk people of Bella Coola, British Columbia. It is a member of the Wuikinuxv-Kitasoo-Nuxalk Tribal Council, and until March 2008 was a member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization. The population is 1,479.
Cariboo—Prince George is a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004.
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 election, largely out of the previous riding of Prince Rupert.
Bella Coola is a unincorporated community in the Bella Coola Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Bella Coola usually refers to the entire valley, encompassing the settlements of Bella Coola proper, Lower Bella Coola, Hagensborg, Salloompt, Nusatsum, Firvale, and Stuie. It is also the location of the head offices of the Central Coast Regional District.
Dean Channel is the upper end of one of the longest inlets of the British Columbia Coast, 105 km (65.2 mi) 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 9.5 km (5.9 mi) below the head of the inlet, at the community of Kimsquit.
North Bentinck Arm is a short inlet about 17 km (11 mi) in length in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is an arm 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.
School District 49 Central Coast is a school district in British Columbia. It covers the remote areas of coastal British Columbia north of Vancouver Island and south of Prince Rupert This includes the communities of Bella Coola, Hagensborg, Denny Island and Oweekeno.
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is a regional health authority that provides health services including primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary care, home and community care, mental health services, population and preventive health and addictions services in part of Greater Vancouver and the Coast Garibaldi area.
Stuie is a community in the Bella Coola Valley of the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, located at the confluence of the Atnarko and Talchako Rivers, which is the "start" of the Bella Coola River.
Firvale is a community in the Bella Coola Valley of the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, located at the confluence of Burnt Bridge Creek and the Bella Coola River, northeast of the valley's main community of Bella Coola.
The Talchako River is a river in the Bella Coola Valley of the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It meets the Atnarko River at the community of Stuie to form the Bella Coola River.
The Bella Coola Valley is a relatively small but distinct region located in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, comprising the valley of the Bella Coola River and its tributaries. The region is served by BC Hwy 20, which runs from Williams Lake to the town of Bella Coola at the head of North Bentinck Arm, from where there is seasonal ferry service to Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert.
The Nusatsum River is a river in the Bella Coola Valley of the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a tributary of the Bella Coola River, flowing northwest to meet that river just upstream of the community of Hagensborg.
Salloomt Peak is a 1,873 metres (6,145 ft) high mountain in the Kitimat Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the Bella Coola Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the north side of the Bella Coola River between the communities of Firvale and Hagensborg.
The Salloomt River is a river in the Bella Coola Valley of the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a tributary of the Bella Coola River, flowing southwest out of the southernmost Kitimat Ranges to meet that river just upstream from the community of Hagensborg.
Noohalk Mountain 2099 m is a mountain in the northernmost Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the south side of the Bella Coola Valley between Hagensborg and Bella Coola.
Mount Saugstad is a mountain in the northernmost Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located just south of the community of Hagensborg in the Bella Coola Valley and is immediately southeast of Snootli Peak and also southeast of Big Snow Mountain. The Smitley River has its origins on the west side of the summit at the Saugstad Glacier, which is at 52°15′48″N126°31′36″W
Mount Jacobsen, 3031 m, is a mountain in the northernmost Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, located to the south of the Bella Coola Valley and immediately south of Ape Lake, to the west of the valley of the Talchako River.