| Early BC Settlement |
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| Not long after Vancouver, MacKenzie, Thompson and Fraser had charted various aspects of the Islands and Coastal Mainland, people began to travel here to build homes and start new lives in the Pacific Northwest. These early settlers came from all over, and for many different reasons.
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The first Europeans to inhabit the area were fur traders who had built trading posts at various points in B.C. and across Canada. These men, originally from France and the British Isles, travelled from the St. Laurence River or Hudson's Bay across Canada in 1793, 1805 and 1808. |
| In 1824, HBC Trader James McMillan built a fort at Derby Reach near Langley; this was the first permanent British settlement in the area. With the progress of settlement, the focus of Fort Langley changed from shipping salmon to supplying provisions. By 1848, 2000 acres were being farmed by the Fort. They also kept cows. Independents began farming outside the Fort's limits. Fort Langley was a source for grain, vegetables and meat. The gold strikes on the Fraser brought more people and a greater need for agricultural products. |
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Chapter text by: Lynne Wright from the Matsqui / Sumas
/ Abbotsford Museum.
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