Fort Langley

VILLAGE OF FORT LANGLEY
A historic village where you can stroll through the many distinctive shops and enjoy a wide selection of restaurants and coffee houses. Fort Langley offers the best of our historical past as the first capital of British Columbia, while enjoying the comforts of today's technology. Surrounded by rivers and low-lands, Fort Langley raises like an island and is a sought after for it's unique lifestyle and limited land base.

Attractions and Amenities

Fort Langley Village
This historic village offers distinctive shops, restaurants and antiques. Glover Road, between 88th and River Road, Fort Langley. 
http://www.fortlangley.com/

Fort Langley National Historical Site
Experience the living magic of the Birthplace of British Columbia. Step inside the high walls to the sights, sounds, smells and activities of an 1850's Hudson's Bay Company trading post.
Location: 23433 Mavis Street
Open 10am - 4:30 pm
Adults $4, Seniors $3, Age 6-16 $2, under 6 free 
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/bc/langley/index_e.asp

Langley Centennial Museum and National Exhibition Center
Discover the magnificent collection of First Peoples' wood carvings, tools, stone sculptures and basketry. Learn how early Asian and European pioneers adjusted to their new land. Let the ever-changing exhibits in the National Exhibition Center wing delight you. Look for dinosaurs or quilts, or a collection of Canadian Art!
Location: Corner of Mavis and King Streets
Open: Monday-Saturday 10 am to 4:45 pm Sunday 1pm - 4:45pm (September -May closed Monday)
Admission: By donation.
http://www.langleymuseum.org/ 

B.C. Farm Machinery Museum
Explore the indoor collection of steam tractors, stump pullers and other mechanical marvels used by pioneers. There is even a Tiger Moth.
Location: 9131 King Street (next to Langley Centennial Museum)
Open: April - October 10 am to 4:30 pm Sunday 1pm - 4:45pm
Admission: Free 
http://www.bcfma.com/

Fort Langley Library
9167 Glover Road, 604-888-0722 
http://www.fvrl.bc.ca/play/programs_fortlangley.php

Golf Courses

Fort Langley Golf Course
9782 McKinnon Crescent, 604-888-5911 
http://www.fortlangleygolf.com/ 

Parks

Fort Langley Park
23055 St. Andrews Street

Fort Langley Marina
Church Street and Fraser River

Derby Reach Regional Park
This site of the first Fort Langley offers shady trails and fishing on the Fraser River. 2200 block Allard Crescent, Langley.

Elementary School

Fort Langley Elementary
8877 Bartlett Street, Fort Langley, 604-888-2111
http://www.fortelementary.ca/

Secondary School 

Walnut Grove Secondary
8919 Walnut Grove Drive, Langley, 604-882-0220
http://wgss.ca/  

Alternative Schooling

Langley Fine Arts School
9096 Trattle Road, Fort Langley, 888-3113 - Both Elementary and Secondary education. Bussing is arranged privately by school and parents. Car pools are also possible.


The History

In 1839, due to continued flooding and the threat of attack from the south by Americans, the first site known as Fort Langley (later became Derby Reach) was abandoned in favor of a new location to the east. The new site was also situated closer to the Hudson's Bay Company farm at Milner. On April 11, 1840, however, it was razed by fire and the Fort was rebuilt for a third and final time at its present location. The Fort remained as the only non native settlement in the lower mainland until 1858. From this location, the activities of the Hudson's Bay Company extended into the interior and north along the coast to Alaska. The Hudson's Bay Company was the first to exploit the commercial opportunities of the Fraser River salmon runs, export local produce and ship furs and other products around Cape Horn to England. 

In the spring of 1858, the Fort welcomed and supplied the streams of eager gold prospectors bound for the rich sand bars of the Fraser River. As the gold deposits began to run dry, settlers were drawn to the area by the opportunities for agriculture and industry, which became the basis for the permanent settlement of the area.

Even after the decline of the Fort, the settlement at Fort Langley continued to prosper. The commercial area boomed again in the era prior to the First World War, which was made evident by the construction of many fine smaller commercial buildings that lined the main street and by a number of new homes in the surrounding area. Improved access to the area and the arrival of electricity also spurred new development until the general economic collapse of 1913.

The community of Fort Langley maintains much of the character of a turn-of-the- century rural commercial center. Many of the early buildings have survived and Glover Road retains the ambience and scale of a small town "main street", with many mature plantings that augment its rural feeling. The landmark Fort Langley Community Hall, built in 1931, acts as a symbolic center of the community, while the Fort Langley National Historic Site, a popular tourist attraction, commemorates the importance of Fort Langley as the birthplace of British Columbia.