Matsqui is a former district municipality in
British Columbia, Canada. It was incorporated in 1892 and merged with the district municipality of
Abbotsford in 1995 to create the new
City of Abbotsford. Matsqui used to be the western part of what is now Abbotsford. It had commercial growth in the
Clearbrook area which then spilled over to Abbotsford.
The name Matsqui can also be used to refer to a small historic village located on Matsqui Prairie, known as Matsqui Village, which was also formerly part of the District Municipality of Matsqui. It can be found to the immediate northwest of the present-day junction of Harris Road and
British Columbia Highway 11 (just south of 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 ...
) in what is now the City of Abbotsford. A branch line of the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
also runs from
Mission, British Columbia, to the US border through the eastern boundary of the village. The Matsqui station of the
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN i ...
line is northeast of the village, on the far side of Highway 11.
The word Matsqui derives from the local First Nation language
Halkomelem, spelt Máthxwi and means a "stretch of higher ground". The
Matsqui people
The Matsqui people ( hur, Máthxwi) are a Sto:lo Aboriginal group located in the Central Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. Their band government is the Matsqui First Nation, a member of the Sto:lo Nation tribal council. The co ...
, who are part of the
Stó꞉lō group historically known as the Fraser River Salish, remain resident in the area to the west of Matsqui Village, to the south of
Matsqui Island (which is included in their reserve and is one of the larger islands in the lower Fraser River). Their government is the
Matsqui First Nation, which is a member band of the
Sto:lo Nation, one of two Sto:lo tribal councils.
Matsqui Prairie refers to the
floodplain surrounding the village,
which lies between the bulk of
Sumas Mountain to the east, the
Mount Lehman
Mount Lehman or Mt. Lehman (49°07'00"N, 122°23'00"W) is a small rural community located in the Fraser Valley of south western British Columbia, Canada.http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/27429.html BC Geographical Names The community was esta ...
–
Bradner upland to the west, and the upland containing
Clearbrook and downtown Abbotsford to the south. Matsqui Prairie was inundated in both of the great Fraser River Floods of 1894 and 1948, with Matsqui Village and surrounding farms devastated by flooding.
A communications station of the Canadian Forces, Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt Detachment Matsqui, is located on the northeastern edge of Matsqui Prairie adjacent to the foot of Sumas Mountain.
Regional district
Matsqui municipality, the original Village of Abbotsford and the former District of Sumas and adjoining unincorporated areas, mostly Sumas Mountain, formed the
Central Fraser Valley Regional District prior to the expansion of
Greater Vancouver Regional District, and now are part of the
Fraser Valley Regional District which includes
Mission, British Columbia, and unincorporated areas to its east on the north side of the Fraser; these formerly had been part of the
Dewdney-Alouette Regional District with
Maple Ridge and
Pitt Meadows, which are now in the Greater Vancouver Regional District.
Prior to 1995, Matsqui encompassed McCallum Road west to Station Road (276 Street) and from the border with the United States to the Fraser River. Abbotsford, after its amalgamation with the District of
Sumas, encompassed McCallum Road east to the Vedder River and also from the US border to the Fraser River, including the Canadian side of the
Sumas Border Crossing.
See also
*
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a city located in British Columbia, adjacent to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser River. With an estimated population of 153,524 people it is the largest municipality in the province outside metrop ...
*
Fraser Valley
*
Fraser Valley Regional District
*
Matsqui Institution
*
Matsqui people
The Matsqui people ( hur, Máthxwi) are a Sto:lo Aboriginal group located in the Central Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. Their band government is the Matsqui First Nation, a member of the Sto:lo Nation tribal council. The co ...
References
*
*
"Matsqui" entry in the Canadian Encyclopedia
{{authority control
Neighbourhoods in Abbotsford, British Columbia
Populated places on the Fraser River
Matsqui
Populated places disestablished in 1995