Fort Langley
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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 The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...
post of the
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
. Lying on the
Fraser River The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...
, Fort Langley is at the northern edge of the Township of Langley.


History

Fort Langley was named after Thomas Langley, a director with HBC. and dates from a time when the boundary between British and American possession of the trans-mountain west, known as the
Columbia District The Columbia District was a fur-trading district in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, in both the United States and British North America in the 19th century. Much of its territory overlapped with the temporarily jointly occupi ...
to the British and
Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long Oregon boundary dispute, dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been demarcat ...
to Americans, had not yet been decided. Sir George Simpson, Governor of the
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
, realized that
Fort Vancouver Fort Vancouver was a 19th-century fur trading post built in the winter of 1824–1825. It was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was ...
opposite of present-day
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
might be lost to the Americans if the border did not follow the
Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...
. Fearing the
49th parallel north The 49th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 49degree (angle), ° true north, north of Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Paris is about south of the 49t ...
could become the demarcation line, Simpson ordered the Hudson's Bay Company to construct the original Fort Langley in 1827 at a location 4 km downstream from its present site. Fort Langley was intentionally constructed on the south bank of the
Fraser River The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...
in the event that Fort Vancouver was lost to the Americans, then Fort Langley would secure British claims to both sides of the Fraser. By 1830, Fort Langley had become a major export port for salted salmon in barrels, as well as cedar lumber and shingles to the Hawaiian Islands. The Cowlitz Portage overland route connected Fort Langley to Fort Vancouver with a mid-way stop at
Fort Nisqually Fort Nisqually was an important fur trade, fur trading and farming post of the Hudson's Bay Company in the Puget Sound area, part of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department. It was located in what is now DuPont, Washington. Today it is a ...
on
Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...
. As Simpson feared, when the
Oregon Boundary Dispute The Oregon boundary dispute or the Oregon Question was a 19th-century territorial dispute over the political division of the Pacific Northwest of North America between several nations that had competing territorial and commercial aspirations in ...
was finally settled in 1846, the border was established as 49 N. In the days before the
Colony of Vancouver Island The Colony of Vancouver Island, officially known as the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies, was a Crown colony of British North America from 1849 to 1866, after which it was united with the mainland to form the Colony of British Columbia. ...
and the
Colony of British Columbia The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada: * Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) * Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) See also * History of ...
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 Major-General Richard Clement Moody (13 February 1813 – 31 March 1887) was a British Governor and Commander of the Royal Engineers. He was the founder and the first Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia; and was Commanding Executive ...
, 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 14 February 1859, Moody selected a new site at the mouth of the
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 Coa ...
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 New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the cap ...
. Prior to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, Fort Langley had been an important export port for cedar lumber, cedar shakes, and salted salmon packed in Douglas Fir and White Pine 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 Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...
in 1867, 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. In 1921, Dr. Benjamin Marr planted Horse Chestnut trees along the Glover Road frontage of their property in Fort Langley. Today these trees can be seen when entering the Downtown. 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 local 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.


Indigenous People

The Kwantlen First Nation administers an
Indian Reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." ...
on McMillan Island, across Bedford Channel from Fort Langley. The local First Nations were important trade partners of the Hudson's Bay Company in Fort Langley, and many workers at the Fort married women from the local First Nations.


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, local amenities and the old Fort itself, make it a thriving tourist centre. Outdoor recreation includes canoeing, fishing, hiking and horseback riding. The town has served as a filming location for commercials, TV shows and movies, with its striking yellow community hall usually featured prominently. Many new buildings in the area have been constructed in Fort Langley in the past few decades. All new buildings must follow strict style guidelines to match the heritage appearance, unless a variance is granted by the local government. A recent example of this style of architecture is the Fort Mall (pictured). Additionally, there are few franchises in the village and this has raised its profile as a tourist and independent retail destination with hundreds of thousands of annual visitors. The Coulter Berry building is a
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a Green building certification systems, green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating ...
(LEED) Gold landmark development that was built on the corner of Mavis and Glover in 2016, by developer
Eric Woodward Lieutenant General Sir Eric Winslow Woodward (21 July 1899 – 29 December 1967) was an Australian military officer and viceroy. Following long service in the Australian Army, including terms as Deputy Chief of the General Staff and General O ...
. The three-storey building includes retail shopping spaces, commercial offices and restaurants, and merges contemporary elements with a heritage style design. In 2016, the Coulter Berry Building won the best mixed-use category award at the Fraser Valley Commercial Building Awards. Downtown Fort Langley lies on the Fraser River and public walkway along the bank was built as part of the Trans-Canada Trail, in addition to a rowing facility which was completed in 2009. TinyKittens Society is based in Fort Langley.


Culture


Community Hall and Library

The historic Fort Langley Community Hall houses meeting space and a branch of the Fraser Valley Regional Library. The Fort Langley Community Improvement Society was founded by the Fort Langley Women's Institute in 1924 in order to build the Community Center which you see represented here in photos. This Community Hall was completed in 1931, by hired hands and volunteers - the architect was Archibald Campbell Hope, brother of Fort Langley entrepreneur Charles Hope. The Fort Langley Community Hall has been featured in many films and TV series, including the film series Air Bud and the television series Once Upon a Time. Today, the hall houses events from community meetings, to craft markets, to weddings. As it was in the beginning, this hall is privately held by the Fort Langley Community Improvement Society, not the Township of Langley, and is operated by a volunteer board of directors.


Parks

A number of parks serve the Fort Langley community. These include Fort Langley Community Park, Hudson's Bay Park, Brae Island Regional Park and Marina Park. Marina Park is home to Fort Langley's Boat Launch providing access to Bedford Channel. Brae Island Regional Park is home to Fort Camping, a group campsite and RV campsite.


Merchants

Glover Road is a popular shopping street that goes through the centre of Fort Langley. It is frequented by residents of Langley as well as tourists for its selection of independent businesses and historic character. Fort Langley has about eighty businesses and its commercial core has a mix of services, restaurants and retail stores. In early January 2011, the IGA which had served the community since the 1970s burned down late at night. In 2012, the same owners reopened a new store (Lee's Market), keeping the traditional and mandatory historic appearance that is specific to Fort Langley. Fort Langley acts as the amenity and service hub for a number of satellite communities such as Forest Knolls to the south, Glen Valley to the east and the Kwantlen First Nations to the north. It is also a popular destination for residents of Walnut Grove to the west.


Museums

* The Fort Langley National Historic Site is a former fur trading post located in the community which attracts about 60,000 visitors a year. * The BC Farm and Equipment Museum houses a collection of antique farming equipment. * The Langley Centennial Museum exhibits local historical artifacts and provides cultural programming.


Events

The Cranberry Festival began in 1995 and happens every October. It is operated by the Fort Langley Business Improvement Association. On July 1 every year, the Centennial Museum, the BC Farm Museum and Fort Langley National Historic Site organize the Township of Langley's Canada Day celebrations, partnering with other arts and heritage groups. A
May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...
celebration is held on
Victoria Day Victoria Day () is a federal Canadian public holiday observed on the last Monday preceding May 25 to honour Queen Victoria, who is known as the "Mother of Confederation". The holiday has existed in Canada since at least 1845, originally on Vic ...
annually in Fort Langley, consisting of a parade and party in a local park with Maypole dancing. The annual Fort Langley Jazz Festival was launched in July 2018.


Transportation


Roads

The main road into and out of Fort Langley is Glover Road, which provides access to the
British Columbia Highway 1 Highway 1 is a provincial highway in British Columbia, Canada, that carries the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH). The highway is long and connects Vancouver Island, the Greater Vancouver region in the Lower Mainland, and the Inter ...
via 216 Street or 232 Street interchanges, as well as
British Columbia Highway 10 Highway 10 is a minor east-west route through the southern portion of Greater Vancouver. Highway 10 is used mainly as a local access route in North Delta, Surrey and Langley, its former connector role between South Delta and Highway 1 having b ...
, to the City of Langley. Secondary routes such as 88 Avenue, 96 Avenue and River Road connect Fort Langley to the nearby town centre of Walnut Grove and the rest of the Langley Township. The majority of roads in Fort Langley break from the numerical grid system used elsewhere in the South Fraser Region and retain historical names. The Jacob Haldi Bridge connects Fort Langley with McMillan Island, across Bedford Channel.


Airport

The private Fort Langley Airport has a paved runway and floatplane facilities and is located east of the community. General Aviation users primarily use the Langley Regional Airport south of the community.


Albion Ferry (closed)

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. The ferry terminal is now abandoned. This has significantly reduced the commuter traffic through the commercial core of Fort Langley.


Bus

Fort Langley is served by TransLink's 562 bus. It will take you to either Langley Centre or Walnut Grove, Langley ( Carvolth Exchange).


Infrastructure


Fire Hall

The community is served by the Township of Langley Fire Department Hall 2, staffed by paid on-call firefighters.


Education

Served by School District 35 Langley, Fort Langley has two schools; Fort Langley Elementary School, and
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 and its arts program attracts many students from ac ...
(a specialty arts-focused Kindergarten-12 school).
Trinity Western University Trinity Western University (TWU) is a Private university, private Christian liberal arts university with campuses in both Langley, British Columbia (district municipality), Langley and Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond, British Columbia. The ...
is located just south of Fort Langley.


In popular culture

The railway station is featured in the music video for the Punjabi song "Mera Deewanapan" by
Amrinder Gill Amrinder Singh Gill (; born 11 May 1976) is an Indian actor, singer, songwriter and film producer who makes Punjabi language, Punjabi-language films and music. He has been nominated for twenty-four PTC Punjabi Film Awards, winning seven includ ...
. An episode of the TV series ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
'' entitled "
Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
", set in the village of Home, Pennsylvania, was actually filmed near Fort Langley and
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, with the Fort Langley Community Hall doubling as a sheriff's station. The TV series '' Riverdale'' features the Fort Gallery at 9048 Glover Rd as the Riverdale Register, and season two features a building in the 23300 block of Mavis Avenue. Other productions filmed in Fort Langley include ''
Air Bud ''Air Bud'' is a 1997 sports comedy-drama film directed by Charles Martin Smith. An international co-production of the United States and Canada, the film stars Kevin Zegers as a young boy who befriends a runaway Golden Retriever (portrayed ...
'', ''
Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...
'', ''
Twilight Twilight is daylight illumination produced by diffuse sky radiation when the Sun is below the horizon as sunlight from the upper atmosphere is scattered in a way that illuminates both the Earth's lower atmosphere and also the Earth's surf ...
'', '' Bates Motel'', '' Big Sky'', '' Sonic the Hedgehog 2'', ''
Fire Country ''Fire Country'' is an American action drama television series created by Max Thieriot, Tony Phelan and Joan Rater for CBS, starring Thieriot. It is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television and CBS Studios. The series premiered on October 7 ...
'' and ''
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
''. The town is a popular site for filming due to its historic architecture and small-town character. Scenes from season 2 of the HBO series ''
The Last of Us ''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States ...
'' set in
Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre Range, Gros Ventre and Teton Range, Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, Wyoming, T ...
,
Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
were filmed in Fort Langley as well as other locales in the area such as Langley.


References


External links

{{Authority control Neighbourhoods in Langley, British Columbia Langley, British Columbia (district municipality) Populated places on the Fraser River 1827 establishments in the British Empire Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) Former colonial capitals in Canada Hudson's Bay Company forts