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| The original town of Three Valley was
located at the west end of Three Valley Lake. After completion of the
railway, Three Valley had it's modest start as a section house. In the
1890's a sawmill was built, and as a result, the town began to grow and
prosper. The population would peak well into the hundreds. The
sawmill burnt in 1913, and was not rebuilt, therefore, the town of Three
Valley quickly subsided. Gordon Bell was born during the Great Depression and had seen many hungry, unemployed people & families with no opportunities. He imagined building a complex, sawmill, ranch or lodge, that would offer his family the opportunity to work and live in a healthy environment. |
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Gordon married Ethel in 1953, and they bought the lakeshore property at Three Valley in 1956. In 1961 Gordon and Ethel Bell started the heritage town of Three Valley Gap. They had seen the demise of French Creek, north of Revelstoke, which was a historic town complete with artefacts. While others seemed unconcerned, the loss of history bothered the Bell's and so they began to rescue what they could, so future generations could enjoy and learn from the past. |
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The Craigellachie School built in 1902 was destined to be lost. The Bell's were able to save the building and moved it to their heritage town. They also acquired the original ledger covering all correspondence with the Provincial Government, all dollars spent to build and operate the school from 1902 to 1908, and all of the minutes from the school board meetings concerning the hiring and wages of the teachers during that time. The Hotel Bellevue was located under the Trans-Canada highway bridge at Sicamous, BC and had already been partially destroyed by the construction of the bridge. By 1961, the hotel had been vacant for 10 years. Gordon and Ethel were able to purchase the hotel and most of the furnishings and artifacts, and moved the building piece by piece to Three Valley Gap. |
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St. Stephen's Church was slated for demolition so a new church could be built in Field, BC. The church is rich in history as is the Reverend Thomas Murray who led the congregation during the moving of the church from Donald to Field in 1902. Reverend Murray walked from Field to Sicamous along the railway, ministering to maintenance crews throughout the years in Field. In 1965, Gordon and Ethel arrived just in time to purchase the church before it could be demolished. |
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There are similar stories on all of the buildings which can be found in our souvenir booklet. |
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The Bell family is dedicated to
preserving and displaying as much history as possible.
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