Between Doré River and McIntosh Creek
53.2903 N 120.3556 W — Map 93H/8 — Google — GeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1994
Official in BC – Topo map from Canadian Geographical Names
Canadian Pacific Railway surveyor Henry Purden Bell [c. 1841–1910] passed the winter of 1875-76 surveying the Fraser River above Fort George. Born in County Atrim, Ireland, Bell was a civil engineer and pioneer surveyor and miner in British Columbia. It’s possible this mountain was named after him, although the name doesn’t appear on early maps.
Some say that Bell Mountain was named in the 1960s because of its resemblance to a bell. The BC Geographical Names office says the name refers to its shape. It was also known as Mount Baldy.
In 1988, McBride Village Council received a development proposal for a ski hill on the mountain, to be called “Belle.” Council endorsed the historic spelling “Bell” in 1992, but as of 2020, a sign for “Belle Mountain Ski Area” appears at the foot of Bell Mountain Road.
- MacGregor, James Grierson [1905–1989]. Overland by the Yellowhead. Saskatoon: Western Producer, 1974. Internet Archive
- British Columbia Geographical Names. Big Bell Mountain