| Language of origin | Haida language |
| Feature Type: | River - Watercourse of variable size, which has tributaries and flows into a body of water or a larger watercourse. |
| Status: | Official |
| Name Authority: | BC Geographical Names Office |
| Relative Location: | Flows NE into Hecate Strait, S of Cape Ball, Queen Charlotte Land District |
| Tags: | Indigenous |
| Latitude-Longitude: | 53°37'06"N, 131°55'57"W at the approximate mouth of this feature. |
| Datum: | WGS84 |
| NTS Map: | 103G/12 |
| Related Maps: |
103F/8 103G/12 |
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Origin Notes and History:
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Adopted 7 March 1933 on C.G.S. 278A, "Prince George Sheet," as established on BC Provincial Map 3L, 1915, and in the 1930 Gazetteer of Canada. Confirmed 3 July 1946 on Map 103/SE. Source: BC place name cards & correspondence, and/or research by BC Chief Geographer & Geographical Names Office staff. |
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The small community of Tlell is named after the Tlell River, but the meaning of the name, a Haida word, is uncertain. QCI historian Kathleen Dalzell records two meanings for it: “place of big surf” and “land of berries.” The area was first settled by William Thomas Hodges, or “Mexican Tom,” in 1904. He built up a homestead, now known as the Richardson Ranch, on the banks of the river, and an early hotel was established nearby. (Entry for Tlell) Source: Scott, Andrew; "The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names"; Harbour Publishing, Madeira Park, 2009, page 595. |