History Lover’s Delight

More and more archival material is becoming available for students, researchers and history buffs at the click of a button. From the University of British Columbia Open Collections comes this example: the Uno Langmann Postcard Collection. Barrowclough, George Alfred. Carnegie Library, Vancouver, B.C., [between 1910 and 1920?]. More than 18,000 photographs were donated to UBC by the Langmann family; many of them are now digitized and available online. Search the collection HERE:  There are also historical British Columbia newspapers, books, the extensive Chung Collection and more. Visit HERE. As of January, the Canadiana collection is adding more material for people to explore after its merger with the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN).  Now 60 million pages of digital documents are available at no charge. Read the story HERE.  See the online collections HERE.  Once you dive in it may take a while to come back up for air! Enjoy.   From [...]

2020-05-27T05:59:50+00:00January 25th, 2019|

A Milner Timeline

Once upon a time Milner was where the action was in Langley region. It began to grow as a rural community after the Hudson's Bay Company lands went up for sale. We've created a Milner Timeline with the help of longtime Langley Heritage Society member Ellen Worrell who has lived in Milner since 1950. Go HERE. 

2020-05-27T05:59:50+00:00January 20th, 2019|

A Milner Timeline

Ellen Worrell (nee Monahan) is a longtime member of the Langley Heritage Society who moved to Milner in 1950 after marrying her husband Jack. She grew up in nearby Murrayville, where her father made deliveries for Porters Store. Ellen collects all things Milner, and has filled binders with photos, newspaper clippings and specific details about people, buildings, and community events. We're using that information to create a Milner Timeline. This rural community begin to take shape with the sale of the Hudson’s Bay Company farmlands in 1877 (in production since the 1830s). For a while, Milner was the centre of activity in the Langley region, boasting a general store, blacksmith shop, two churches, community hall, livery stables, B.C. Electric Station, B.C. Telephone exchange, cheese factories and numerous farms. Commercial agriculture in the Lower Mainland began here. Pioneer John Smith told the British Columbian Newspaper in 1910, “You can plough a [...]

2020-05-27T05:59:51+00:00January 20th, 2019|

Save the Aldergrove Fire Hall

Langley Heritage Society is adding its voice to those calling for preservation of the old Aldergrove Fire Hall. (Photo: Alder Grove Heritage Society)   Mayor and Council Township of Langley It has come to our attention that the Aldergrove Fire Hall is at risk of being demolished by the Township of Langley. Langley Heritage Society adds its voice to those calling for preservation of this building. Constructed in 1959 by volunteer labour, the former fire hall has a unique connection with the community, and still offers much potential. Alder Grove Heritage Society is recommending the building become a “community heritage resource” to house their overflowing archival collection, and possibly a community meeting space. We support this concept and urge Township of Langley to further consult with the community. Restoration work by the previous owners (the Robinson family) resulted in a Heritage Conservation Award from the Langley Heritage Society. Their work [...]

2020-05-27T05:59:51+00:00January 19th, 2019|

Keeps on Ticking

Our classic Seth Thomas clock is now back in working order at the Fort Langley CN Station -- donated to LHS by W.R. Stephenson. Manager Helen Williams has been reorganizing the Ticket Office & Waiting Room, while David Hockin has done his magic painting the interior. There's much more to do in preparation for the new season beginning in May -- we're also inviting more volunteers to join us at the station. If you're interested, go HERE.  Ticket Office at Fort Langley's CN Station. The Seth Thomas clock was used on railways across North America because of its accuracy and reliability. This kind of clock became obsolete with the advance of quartz clocks.

2020-05-27T05:59:51+00:00January 12th, 2019|

Speaker Series: Gulf of Georgia Cannery

The Langley Heritage Society Speaker Series launched  the new year on January 22nd at Milner Church. Heidi Rampfl from the Gulf of Georgia Cannery explored the multicultural history of the cannery - First Nation, Japanese, Chinese and European.     Working the Line: Diversity and Change in BC’s Salmon Canning Industry The fishing and canning industry attracted many people from around the world to British Columbia’s West Coast. In the early years, the workforce was diverse but segregated. Jobs in the canneries were based on a person’s gender, ethnicity, and cultural background, and people were not treated equally. This presentation will provide a look at the experiences of the various people working in the canneries, and the conditions that led to the workforce becoming more integrated and inclusive over time. Heidi Rampfl has been the Collections Manager in charge of the artifacts, archives, and library at the Gulf of Georgia [...]

2020-05-27T05:59:51+00:00January 9th, 2019|

Valley Voices Reading List

B.C. historical titles mentioned on January's Valley Voices broadcast. (Suggestions from READ LOCAL BC and Valley Voices.) Listen to the most recent podcast HERE.  (Open with Music Player for Google Drive) Claiming The Land: British Columbia and the Making of a New Eldorado by Daniel Marshall On The Line: A History of the British Columbia Labour Movement by Rod Mickleburgh Fernie at War by Wayne Norton Shared Histories: Witsuwit'en - Settler Relations in Smithers BC by Tyler McCreary Memories of a Metis Settlement by Constance Brissenden Against the Current: The Remarkable Life of Agnes Deans Cameron by Cathy Converse Mudflat Dreaming: Waterfront Battles and the Squatters Who Fought Them in 1970s Vancouver by Jean Walton The King's Shilling by David Star Julia by Michael Kluckner Live At The Cellar: Vancouver's Iconic Jazz Club ad the Canadian Co-operative Jazz Scene in the 1950s and 60s by Marian Jago Anna, Like Thunder by [...]

2020-05-27T05:59:51+00:00January 2nd, 2019|

1911 Cougar Hunt in the City

  As a young boy Langley's Max Michaud set out to cross a log over the Nicomekl River which flowed directly behind his parents' home, but the family dog would not let him continue.  It turns our that a cougar was waiting in the bush on the other side of the river, and for years, Max maintained the dog had saved his life.  He later grew into a crack shot, and legend has it that he could shoot a salmon leaping out of the water for a fly. Cougar Hunt in Stanley Park In October of 1911 Max found himself joining a Fraser Valley posse on the hunt for a cougar with an appetite for deer and goats at the Stanley Park Zoo. Vancouver police had unsuccessfully tried to track it -- as had a big game hunter and other local huntsmen. The Province newspaper offered a $50 reward to the [...]

2021-06-12T23:15:11+00:00January 1st, 2019|

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