It is quite remarkable that the City of Ocean Falls and the suburb of Martin Valley have been basically forgotten today, because less than a century ago, this was a thriving city. In the early 1900s, the end of cousins inlet, along the remote coastline of British Columbia, was home to little more than a small waterfall dumping into the pacific ocean. This was a period of time in Canada where an ambitious vision and some strong backings could result in remarkable business ventures, and that is exactly what happened at Ocean Falls.
Water is a powerful and valuable thing, especially for heavy industry back in the day. A small chain of lakes, nestled deep in the valley of high mountains, looked to be the perfect location for a pulp mill. A small dam could create a large water reservoir, and the quality of that water was so pure that it wouldn't require treatment to make perfect white paper. The bay at the end of the inlet was deep enough for large vessels, and there was enough level ground to house a small city. The perfect recipe for a Pulp mill and a company town. Fast forward a decade, and the city of Ocean Falls, supported by Pacific Mills LTD was in full swing. For decades things grew and progressed, which is hard to imagine knowing how remote of a location it was.
Both of the World Wars were times of large growth at Ocean Falls, but the peak was reached in the 1950's. During this time, expansion was on the horizon, and the adjacent Martin Valley was an ideal location for a housing development. Houses were built and sold by the dozens, and residents could have had no idea that their investment and life in the valley would be short lived. The challenge with a location like Ocean Falls, is quite simply the remoteness. By the early 1970's, the cost of getting product in and out of Cousins Inlet was climbing to the point where the business was no longer profitable, and word began to spread of a closure.
For many years, the Mill at Ocean Falls was the largest in Canada, and to many of the residents it had been home for much of their lives, so the announcement of a closure was not a welcomed one. It was especially saddening because life at Ocean Falls for a family was great. For a company town, very little was overlooked to create an enjoyable life in a hard to reach place. Businesses were thriving, children had plenty to do, and the town its self was a major hub for the surrounding communities. Ocean Falls was even home to the largest hotel north of San Francisco, which was quite the claim for a company town in the middle of nowhere BC. In fact, life was so good at Ocean Falls, that the government purchased the city in 1980 to try and keep things going and allow residents to stay in their homes.
Only several years into the government operations of the Mill, it was apparent that the business could not be profitable being as remote as it was, and the closure announcement went out. Many left their properties immediately, but some were not willing to accept their fate and leave. It is difficult to eliminate a city of this size, especially in a location like this, but of course things were a little different in the 1980's, and the plan to wipe the slate clean was a unwelcome one. There is very little a normal citizen can do to prevent the Naturalization of a company town, because ultimately the company owns it, but the handful of residents left were not going down without a fight.
The plan was to burn the city to the ground, and that plan went under way in 1985. The city, the infrastructure and the surrounding area were enough to support a population of 5000 people, and believe it or not room to grow, and in a number of days the bulk of it was gone. The residents in Martin Valley did not accept the buyouts, and they stayed to fight for their homes. A shadow of the once thriving Ocean Falls is still visible today, including the big hotel, but nearly all that is left is quickly deteriorating and falling down. The true gem is what is left in Martin Valley. More than 100 original houses still stand in the valley, and they are home to currently 61 full time residents and about the same number of part timers. The original power house still supplies power to all of the houses and facilities, but outside of that life is pretty quiet in the valley.
Upon my first visit to Ocean Falls, I saw a city in ruin. Boy was I mistaken! After spending some time in Ocean Falls, this place seems like the land of unlimited potential, and it will absolutely be a repeat location for Destination Adventure.
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