Fort Langley, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Fort Langley is a village with a population of 2,700 and forms part of the Township of Langley
. It is the home of Fort Langley National Historic Site
, a former fur trade
post of the Hudson's Bay Company
.
, realized that Fort Vancouver
built near present day Portland, Oregon
might be lost to the Americans if the border did not follow the Columbia River
. Fearing the 49th parallel north
would become the demarcation line, Simpson ordered the Hudson's Bay Company
to construct the original Fort Langley in 1827 at a location 3 km downstream from its present site. Fort Langley was intentionally constructed on the south bank of the Fraser River
in the event that, if Fort Vancouver was lost to the Americans, that Fort Langley could secure British claims to both sides of the Fraser. By 1830, Fort Langley had become a major export port for salted salmon in cedar barrels, as well as cedar lumber and shingles to the Hawaiian Islands.
In the days before the Colony of Vancouver Island
and the Colony of British Columbia
united, Governor Sir James Douglas
chose Fort Langley to be the provisional colonial capital. By 1858, a town by the name of Derby, adjacent to the original location of the Fort, had been surveyed and subdivided into town lots and sold. Construction had begun on a barracks for the Royal Engineers, however, when Colonel Richard Moody, commanding officer of the Royal Engineers, visited Derby that year, he disapproved of Douglas' choice in location. He noted American territory lay just a few miles away across easily traversed land and that Fort Langley would be impossible to defend against attack. On the 14th of February 1859, Moody selected a new site at the mouth of the Pitt River
on the north side of the Fraser and suggested the town be named Queensborough. In July of that year, Governor Douglas announced Her Majesty had decided the new capital should be named New Westminster.
Prior to the Gold Rush, Fort Langley had been an important export port for cedar lumber, cedar shakes, and salted salmon packed in cedar barrels for ships heading to the Hawaiian Islands. Once the military functions of Fort Langley had been largely outsourced to the new capital of New Westminster, the town of Derby went into decline and in order to accommodate the increased number of ships visiting the Fort, a new location was selected along the Bedford Channel
, protected from the river current by McMillan Island and Brae Island. The new location is where the town of Fort Langley is now located, where Glover Road meets the Fraser River.
Between the 1850s and the 1920s, the town of Fort Langley witnessed the threat of Russian invasion in the early 1850s, the threat of American invasion in 1857 at the discovery of gold in the Fraser River, the unification of the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia in 1858, the boom and bust of the Gold Rush from 1858 to 1865, Canadian Confederation in 1871, and the arrival of the first train early in the 20th century. In 1921, a major saw mill opened on an 88 acre riverfront property. The mill brought jobs and prosperity to the struggling town since the railway had removed most of the shipping roles of Fort Langley. The town largely grew up around the mill becoming a blue collar working class community through the 1960s and 70s. By the end of the 1980s, redundancy and aging machinery meant the end was nearing for the mill. Interfor downsized its staff and, for a time, tried to reinvent the mill into a value-added venture but by the mid 1990s, the mill shut down for good.
Seeing the end in sight early on, the Fort decided to try a pilot project at the local junior high school. In 1986, the Township of Langley, School District 35 turned a wing of Fort Langley Junior High into an elementary school that became known as the Langley Fine Arts School
. Originally starting with grades 1 through 5, every calendar year that passed the school district added another grade level until the entire junior high school was taken over by a full grade 1 to grade 12 school specializing in fine arts education. This intense training in the arts in the community has spawned numerous community groups such as live theatre and music programs and the building facilities have been expanded to accommodate the need for supporting venues. In the time since this transformation was complete, Fort Langley has seen a number of art galleries and other boutique shops spring up as well as a subsequent increase in interest from destination seekers and day trippers.
With the increase in education levels and a transition from blue collar to white collar commuters and professionals, demand for new housing in this quaint village has skyrocketed. The former site of the lumber mill was controversially rezoned for medium density residential in 2005 and in 2006 construction began on a massive masterplanned community that has been named Bedford Landing. This new development will eventually add approximately 1,500 new people to a community that has prized itself on having a stable population of around 2,500 to 3,000 for multiple generations.
Fort Langley has about eighty businesses and its commercial core has a mix of services, restaurants and retail stores. The "small town feel" and historic character add to Fort Langley’s appeal. The town has served as a filming location for commercials, TV shows and movies, with its striking yellow community hall usually featured prominently. The small Fort Langley Airport
serves the community.
Until 2009, commuters and other motorists heading to and from the Albion Ferry
connecting with Maple Ridge
passed through Fort Langley. After the opening of the Golden Ears Bridge
, however, the ferry was decommissioned on July 31, 2009.
, Fort Langley has two schools; Fort Langley Elementary School, and Langley Fine Arts School
.
Langley, British Columbia (district municipality)
The Township of Langley is a district municipality immediately east of the City of Surrey in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It extends south from the Fraser River to the U.S. border, and west of the City of Abbotsford...
. It is the home of Fort Langley National Historic Site
Fort Langley National Historic Site
Fort Langley is a former trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company, now located in the village of Fort Langley, British Columbia. Commonly referred to as "the birthplace of British Columbia", it is designated a National Historic Site of Canada and administered by Parks Canada.-A new fort:After John...
, a former fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
post of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
.
History
Fort Langley dates from a time when the boundary between British and American possession of the transmontane west had not yet been decided. Sir George Simpson, Governor of the Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
, realized that Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
built near present day Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
might be lost to the Americans if the border did not follow the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. Fearing the 49th parallel north
49th parallel north
The 49th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 49 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
would become the demarcation line, Simpson ordered the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
to construct the original Fort Langley in 1827 at a location 3 km downstream from its present site. Fort Langley was intentionally constructed on the south bank of the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
in the event that, if Fort Vancouver was lost to the Americans, that Fort Langley could secure British claims to both sides of the Fraser. By 1830, Fort Langley had become a major export port for salted salmon in cedar barrels, as well as cedar lumber and shingles to the Hawaiian Islands.
In the days before the Colony of Vancouver Island
Colony of Vancouver Island
The Colony of Vancouver Island , was a crown colony of British North America from 1849 to 1866, after which it was united with British Columbia. The united colony joined the Dominion of Canada through Confederation in 1871...
and the Colony of British Columbia
Colony of British Columbia
The Colony of British Columbia was a crown colony in British North America from 1858 until 1866. At its creation, it physically constituted approximately half the present day Canadian province of British Columbia, since it did not include the Colony of Vancouver Island, the vast and still largely...
united, Governor Sir James Douglas
James Douglas (Governor)
Sir James Douglas KCB was a company fur-trader and a British colonial governor on Vancouver Island in northwestern North America, particularly in what is now British Columbia. Douglas worked for the North West Company, and later for the Hudson's Bay Company becoming a high-ranking company officer...
chose Fort Langley to be the provisional colonial capital. By 1858, a town by the name of Derby, adjacent to the original location of the Fort, had been surveyed and subdivided into town lots and sold. Construction had begun on a barracks for the Royal Engineers, however, when Colonel Richard Moody, commanding officer of the Royal Engineers, visited Derby that year, he disapproved of Douglas' choice in location. He noted American territory lay just a few miles away across easily traversed land and that Fort Langley would be impossible to defend against attack. On the 14th of February 1859, Moody selected a new site at the mouth of the Pitt River
Pitt River
The Pitt River in British Columbia, Canada is a large tributary of the Fraser River, entering it a few miles upstream from New Westminster and about 25 km ESE of Downtown Vancouver. The river, which begins in the Garibaldi Ranges of the Coast Mountains, is in two sections above and below Pitt...
on the north side of the Fraser and suggested the town be named Queensborough. In July of that year, Governor Douglas announced Her Majesty had decided the new capital should be named New Westminster.
Prior to the Gold Rush, Fort Langley had been an important export port for cedar lumber, cedar shakes, and salted salmon packed in cedar barrels for ships heading to the Hawaiian Islands. Once the military functions of Fort Langley had been largely outsourced to the new capital of New Westminster, the town of Derby went into decline and in order to accommodate the increased number of ships visiting the Fort, a new location was selected along the Bedford Channel
Bedford Channel
The Bedford Channel is a small side channel of the Fraser River near the north end of the Township of Langley, on the south side of McMillan Island...
, protected from the river current by McMillan Island and Brae Island. The new location is where the town of Fort Langley is now located, where Glover Road meets the Fraser River.
Between the 1850s and the 1920s, the town of Fort Langley witnessed the threat of Russian invasion in the early 1850s, the threat of American invasion in 1857 at the discovery of gold in the Fraser River, the unification of the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia in 1858, the boom and bust of the Gold Rush from 1858 to 1865, Canadian Confederation in 1871, and the arrival of the first train early in the 20th century. In 1921, a major saw mill opened on an 88 acre riverfront property. The mill brought jobs and prosperity to the struggling town since the railway had removed most of the shipping roles of Fort Langley. The town largely grew up around the mill becoming a blue collar working class community through the 1960s and 70s. By the end of the 1980s, redundancy and aging machinery meant the end was nearing for the mill. Interfor downsized its staff and, for a time, tried to reinvent the mill into a value-added venture but by the mid 1990s, the mill shut down for good.
Seeing the end in sight early on, the Fort decided to try a pilot project at the local junior high school. In 1986, the Township of Langley, School District 35 turned a wing of Fort Langley Junior High into an elementary school that became known as the Langley Fine Arts School
Langley Fine Arts School
Langley Fine Arts School is a public elementary school and secondary school in Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada, and is part of School District 35 Langley. It serves the Fort Langley area, though its strong arts program attracts many students from across and outside the district. Its program...
. Originally starting with grades 1 through 5, every calendar year that passed the school district added another grade level until the entire junior high school was taken over by a full grade 1 to grade 12 school specializing in fine arts education. This intense training in the arts in the community has spawned numerous community groups such as live theatre and music programs and the building facilities have been expanded to accommodate the need for supporting venues. In the time since this transformation was complete, Fort Langley has seen a number of art galleries and other boutique shops spring up as well as a subsequent increase in interest from destination seekers and day trippers.
With the increase in education levels and a transition from blue collar to white collar commuters and professionals, demand for new housing in this quaint village has skyrocketed. The former site of the lumber mill was controversially rezoned for medium density residential in 2005 and in 2006 construction began on a massive masterplanned community that has been named Bedford Landing. This new development will eventually add approximately 1,500 new people to a community that has prized itself on having a stable population of around 2,500 to 3,000 for multiple generations.
Present day
In recent years, many of the village’s old buildings have been restored. The restorations, combined with its rural setting, access to the river and mountain vistas, and the old fort itself, make it a thriving tourist centre. Fort Langley has two museums in addition to the Fort. Outdoor recreation includes canoeing, fishing, hiking and horseback riding. Running and cycling routes and a network of trail systems are maintained by the municipality. Visitors may tour the art galleries, studios, farms and local wineries.Fort Langley has about eighty businesses and its commercial core has a mix of services, restaurants and retail stores. The "small town feel" and historic character add to Fort Langley’s appeal. The town has served as a filming location for commercials, TV shows and movies, with its striking yellow community hall usually featured prominently. The small Fort Langley Airport
Fort Langley Airport
Fort Langley Airport, , is located adjacent to Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada....
serves the community.
Until 2009, commuters and other motorists heading to and from the Albion Ferry
Albion Ferry
The Albion Ferry, also known as the Fort Langley Ferry, was a free passenger and vehicle ferry service that was sailing across the Fraser River from June 7, 1957 to July 31, 2009...
connecting with Maple Ridge
Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Maple Ridge is a District Municipality in British Columbia, located in the northeastern section of Metro Vancouver. Maple Ridge has a population of approximately 68,949.-History:...
passed through Fort Langley. After the opening of the Golden Ears Bridge
Golden Ears Bridge
The Golden Ears Bridge is a six-lane extradosed bridge in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. It spans the Fraser River, connecting Langley on the south side with Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge on the north side. The All Electronic Toll bridge, owned by TransLink, has a clearance of , and a total...
, however, the ferry was decommissioned on July 31, 2009.
Education
Served by School District 35 LangleySchool District 35 Langley
School District 35 Langley is a school district in British Columbia. This includes the municipalities of Langley Township, Langley City.-History:...
, Fort Langley has two schools; Fort Langley Elementary School, and Langley Fine Arts School
Langley Fine Arts School
Langley Fine Arts School is a public elementary school and secondary school in Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada, and is part of School District 35 Langley. It serves the Fort Langley area, though its strong arts program attracts many students from across and outside the district. Its program...
.