When rumors of gold discoveries reached Nowell he left his job and traveled to the Thompson River. Family oral histories suggest that during the winter of 1857/58 he broke his leg near the Sto:lo village of Skwah, near the mouth of the Chilliwack River. He spent the winter there, formed a 'country marriage' and fathered a child. In 1858, Nowell using boards from a disassembled long house built a hostel on the river for use by the gold seekers. Thus he became Chilliwack's first businessman and first Euro-Canadian resident of the area.
In 1862, he pre-empted 160 acres of land east of Young Road, in the heart of what became downtown Chilliwack. Nowell was active in the community and served on the Municipal Council.
He married Swedish born Lisa Osland (? - 1926). The couple had six children. Lisa Nowell died in Arizona where she spent her retirement years.
