Known for his work ethic, Gordon Bell had his first full time job at the age of 11 and by the time he was 16, he built his first house.
This remarkable man built a ghost town, a 200-roomlakeside hotel, his own hydroelectric dam and much more — without any government assistance or formal training.
Born in Calgary in 1933, the great depression had a lifelong impact on this amazing trail blazer. After graduation, Gordon and his bride Ethel eventually moved to Regina, where he designed and built approximately 800 houses.
With the announcement of the building of the Trans Canada Highway, Gordon packed up his family and moved to Three Valley B.C. in 1956. They bought what was then swampland, and began construction on what is known today as Three Valley Lake Chateau and Heritage Ghost Town, the largest privately-owned museum in the world.
There were no big budget architects or construction companies. Each item came from Bell himself, the initial plans sometimes simply drawn on the back of a napkin.
Articulate and astute, he was a super-salesman with the natural ability to enthuse everyone around him. Politicians listened to him and he was one of the original members on the Provincial Tourism Advisory Council that existed before Tourism BC.
“I believe we can’t move into the future without understanding our history.” Gordon Bell would say. “It’s important that we preserve our history for future generations. I’m just doing my part.”
