The valley is home to several small communities that developed when land was opened for homesteading under the Dominion Lands Act along the Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway line at the turn of the 20th century and many people, particularly those from Finland, settled in the area.
[3] Communities in the Whitefish River Valley include Flint, Harstone, Hillside, Hymers, Leeper, Nolalu, Sellers, and Silver Mountain.
The remainder is located in the local services board of Nolalu.
Hillside had its own train platform along the Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway, as well as its own school built in 1914.
The term "Nolalu" is an abbreviation of a company that was called "Northern Lands and Lumber" and is also used to describe a wide area around the village, as well as the local service board that oversees roads and services in much of the valley.