Albion, British Columbia is a neighbourhood in Maple Ridge,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and is one of several small towns incorporated within the municipality at its creation. It is the oldest non-indigenous community of the district's settlements, and is only slightly younger than

Fort Langley Fort Langley is a village community in Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada. It has a population of approximately 3,400 people. It is the home of Fort Langley National Historic Site, a former fur trade post of the Hudson's Bay Company. ...

, adjacent across the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...

, and

Kanaka Creek Kanaka Creek is a tributary of the Fraser River, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It flows through Maple Ridge, a district municipality at the eastern edge of Metro Vancouver. The creek's name is reflected in the name of the local co ...

, which is just to the west and lies along the creek of the same name. Its official definition is the area bounded by the

, Kanaka Way, and 240th Street, but in its historic sense it means the community centred on and flanking 240th Street and adjoining areas along the Fraser River waterfront and around the Maple Ridge Fairgrounds, while along Kanaka Way and also on the near bank of Kanaka Creek, the creek, is historically the community of Kanaka Creek. Burgeoning newer home construction east of 240th Street near the Lougheed Highway is also often referred to as part of Albion.

History

Samuel Robertson and his Indigenous wife Julia were the first "European" settlers, he establishing the first fruit orchard in British Columbia two years before he permanently relocated from across the river at

. This area was originally known as East Haney, and was renamed Albion in 1907. Peter Baker (originally Boulanger) was another early European settler; his name was originally used for what is now 240th Street. Trains did not stop in Albion until train personnel set a precedent by permitting one Albion resident "whose weight was not to be lightly estimated" to alight there and in this way save a long walk through a stormy evening from the stop in Haney. The next week several men demanded the same privilege, and the Albion stop on the railway was created. Sawmills, canneries and fishboats featured in Albion's economy, and River Road, which runs between the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks and the river, has been a mixed industrial area for all of Albion's existence since the coming of the railway in the 1880s. Farmland on the north side of the highway and semi-wild green fields and trees that typified the old rural community are succumbing to suburban sprawl. Langley Indian Reserve No. 5, which includes a native cemetery, is just east of Albion on the north side of the Fraser. It is one of several reserves under the jurisdiction of the

Kwantlen First Nation Kwantlen First Nation ( hur, qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓) is a First Nations band government in British Columbia, Canada, located primarily on McMillan Island near Fort Langley. The Kwantlen people traditionally speak hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, the Downrive ...

, whose main reserve is across the Fraser from Albion on

McMillan Island McMillan Island is an island in the Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada, also known as McMillan Slough.. Geography Overview McMillan Island is located in the lower Fraser River, north of Fort Langley and south of Maple Ridge, and separated f ...

Albion Hall was built in 1923 by the Albion Community Association. It was bought by the municipality and demolished in 2011. Speaking of the hall, one proponent, looking back several decades, said: :"The people of Albion didn't travel very far afield but took pleasure in getting together with one another. Of necessity their lives were lived within walking distance of their homes. The Albion Hall was a result of this desire to get together in a place where transportation would not be a necessity.":

Features

Albion was the location of the free

Albion Ferry The Albion Ferry was a passenger and vehicle ferry service that sailed on the Fraser River between Albion and Fort Langley in the Lower Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada from June 2, 1957, until July 31, 2009. Originally opera ...

terminal which, until completion of the tolled

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 bridge opened to traffic on Jun ...

in 2009, connected Maple Ridge to

Langley Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...

via

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

across the

. The Albion Fairgrounds draw people from other neighbourhoods for the Maple Ridge Country Fest in July. Albion Park with picnic area and some sports facilities and trails is located on 104th Avenue. The Hill House, a 1912 Edwardian style landmark in four storeys, is located on 240th just north of Lougheed Highway.

Jackson Park

A new park is about to be added to the features of this neighbourhood, as 39 acres of rolling hills in the former John Jackson (a.k.a. Jak Huovari) farm were voted into parkland by Maple Ridge council in December 2010. This is in exchange for approval of 112 new homes on another portion of the former farm. Uses for the park acreage are yet to be determined but could include a replacement for the 1923 Albion Hall.

"The Vinyl Monster"

At one time Albion was more remote and rural. Consistent with the rapid expansion of this neighbourhood in recent years, growth (likened to a "vinyl monster", a reference to the exterior finish of many newer area homes in an urban development which is spreading over the landscape), shopping,Phil Melnychuk
"SmartCentres has new plan for Albion"
, ''Maple Ridge News'', 9 December 2010, accessed 9 December 2010 and crowded elementary school facilities are among issues which have motivated discussion.

Schools

Albion is served by

School District 42 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District 42 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows is a school district in British Columbia east of Vancouver. This includes Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Pitt Meadows is a municipality of Metro Vancouver in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. I ...

. Albion Elementary and Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary schools serve neighbourhood families. Samuel Robertson, named after the early settler, also entices students from other neighbourhoods because of its technical focus.

References