In 1925, a pioneer lumberman named Merton J. Bell from Wisconsin purchased a 10 square mile option to harvest timber at Sugar Lake. His company, the Canadian Branch of Bell Lumber and Pole soon began extracting Western Red Cedar poles. Some of these poles were so long it would require 2 railcars to ship to their destination. Merton died in 1947 while inspecting his timber properties in the Lumby area. He was 76. Bell Pole’s original Canadian Corporate Office was located in Lumby, however the Corporate Canadian Office is now located in Vernon, BC .
