Fort Langley

The Hudson's Bay Company built here in 1827 and moved to the present site in 1839, trading furs and, increasingly, salted salmon and cranberries shipped to Hawaii and beyond. On 19 November 1858, with thousands of American miners pouring in for the Fraser gold rush, James Douglas stood in the fort's big house and proclaimed the mainland colony of British Columbia, which is why the place is called the birthplace of the province. The reconstructed fort has a palisade, the original 1840s storehouse, a cooperage and a blacksmith, with staff working the trades and gold panning for visitors. The village outside is a preserved main street.

History

The fort is named after Thomas Langley, a director of the Hudson's Bay Company, whose governor George Simpson ordered it built in 1827, 4 km downstream from the present site, on the south bank of the Fraser so that Britain would hold both banks if Fort Vancouver on the Columbia were lost. By 1830 it was a major export port for salted salmon in barrels, cedar lumber and shingles bound for the Hawaiian Islands; Governor James Douglas chose it as the provisional colonial capital, and in 1858 the town of Derby was laid out beside the original site, until Colonel Richard Moody judged it impossible to defend and on 14 February 1859 chose the site of New Westminster instead (Wikipedia, Fort Langley).

Highlights

• The 1840s storehouse - the one original building inside the palisade.
• The proclamation site - where British Columbia was declared a colony in 1858.
• The working trades - cooper, blacksmith and gold panning demonstrations.
• The village street - antique shops and heritage buildings outside the walls.

When to go

April to October for full programming; the fort reduces hours in winter. Cranberry season in October brings a festival. Demonstrations run to a daily schedule.

Good to know

Most buildings are reconstructions rather than original. The programme is aimed largely at school groups and families. The village outside is small and quickly walked.

Nearby

Golden Ears park lies north; Vancouver is west.