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Colonial Settlers
The Land

Colonial Settlers

Community of Villages

Pre-emptions

Agriculture

Timelines

Image Gallery

In 1858, 30,000 gold seekers made their way to the newly opened gold bars of the Fraser River. This gold was located near the present day town of Yale. Most of the gold seekers passed through Chilliwack, some on trails coming from Washington State but most by paddle wheeler from the towns of Victoria or New Westminster. Some of these gold seekers stayed, realizing that the grasslands in the Chilliwack area offered greater opportunities for creating wealth through farming rather than by the arduous job of sluicing and panning for gold.

Between 1860 and 1870, a small handful of people pre-empted or purchased land, mostly on the higher ridges and drier grasslands near Miller's Landing and Chilliwack Landing, two important river boat stopping points. As more people arrived, farms were established further from the landings. One of these early arrivals was Horatio Webb. Fifty-one years after his arrival, on a rainy spring day in 1921, a gathering took place at Webb's Sardis home. The gathering was really an excuse for a reunion of people who were associated with the early history of the community. Along with the usual toasts and birthday cake, an unusual set of photographs was unveiled. Webb and Mayor J. H. Ashwell had secured the pictures of most of the 'pioneers' who had settled in the area before 1871 when British Columbia became a province. Wilson's Studio created the composite pictures that were exhibited at Webb's home for the first time. One set of the pictures was then taken to Chilliwack's City Hall (now the Chilliwack Museum) where they remain. A second set was to be displayed at the Township of Chilliwack Hall but this set is no longer intact.

The people in these photographs represented Chilliwack's 'establishment'. There were others however who lived in the area in 1870 who were not included. Laborers, whether Chinese or failed gold seekers or those whose stay in the community was so short that no lasting remembrance can be found, did not make the list. Also there were no photographs of Sto:lo leaders. This was the nature of the turn of century Euro-Canadian society in Chilliwack. It was a small town with certain social boundaries.
Link: To Learn more about Sto:lo communities go to www.stolonation.bc.ca/sdc/index.htm
 
 
  Horatio Webb, a colonial settler, on an ostrich, P66.

Horatio Webb, a colonial settler, on an ostrich, P66.
 
 

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