The Freedom Road to Bella Coola, officially known as Highway 20 from Williams Lake to Bella Coola, locally known as The Hill, is one of the steepest roads in British Columbia, carved out of the rock face by volunteers using a D6 bulldozer operated by Alf Bracewell and a TD18 bulldozer operated by George Dalshaug between 1952 and 1953.
Building the Bella Coola Road
Before the Freedom Road was completed in 1953, the only way to access the remote communities around Bella Coola was by horse, boat or plane. When the government wouldn’t build a road connecting Anahim Lake in the Chilcotin and Bella Coola on the coast, the locals decided to do it themselves.
In 1952, the local Board of Trade, led by Cliff Kopas from Bella Coola organized the group of volunteers to build the section of road between Anahim Lake and Bella Coola.
A crew of locals blasted rock, operated the bulldozers and cleared the way, the two bulldozers connecting on the steep section that became known as The Hill in September 1953. As well as Alf and George operating the bulldozers, Melvin Gurr was a blaster, setting dynamite in the rock to clear a way for the bulldozers. Gerry Bracewell (Gerry Moore at the time) took her video camera and two young sons, Marty and Barry, to watch the work and filmed the blasting and bulldozer work from the Anahim Lake side. Marty and Barry were the only kids to build the road as they helped set the dynamite. It was here that she met Alf and the two were soon married.
When the bulldozers met in 1953, they opened up Canada’s third road to the Pacific, with the only other roads being to Vancouver and Prince Rupert.
The Bella Coola-Port Hardy Ferry
With the completion of the Freedom Road and the launching of the Bella Coola-Port Hardy ferry in 1996, tourists are now able to complete a circular road trip through the Chilcotin and onto Vancouver Island, providing a big boost for tourism in the Chilcotin. When the ferry was in danger of being shut down, Gerry Bracewell lobbied to Vancouver Island to keep it running for tourism in the Chilcotin region. The ferry continues to run during the summer today.