Speaker Series Returns!

Join us on Tuesday September 19th at Milner Chapel for a presentation from the talented blacksmith at the Fort Langley National Historic Site. Danny Cram will share fascinating stories and examples of  blacksmithing in Langley — from the Hudson’s Bay Company era to today. He can fashion almost anything: nails, pick axes and coat hooks. When: Tuesday, Sept 19th at 7 pm. Where: Milner Chapel, 6716 216 St, Langley     On Tuesday October 17th join us for  Tales and Torts: Stories of a Country Lawyer.  From shoot-outs to assorted swindlers and thieves, retired Langley lawyer Robert Kearl has seen it all in his 40 year career.  As he says, “sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.” Copies of the book will be available for sale at $25.00.   It's also a convenient time to update your LHS membership! See you there.  

2023-09-05T22:32:42+00:00August 31st, 2023|

Fort Langley circa 1958

Thanks to Doug Keller for sending us this 1958 booklet that celebrated the role of Fort Langley in the creation of the Colony of British Columbia 100 years earlier. The National Historic Site was partially restored for the B.C. Centennial; new palisades were built, one bastion, and the Big House. (The old storehouse was the only original building still standing.) The language in the pamphlet is typical of its time, and the role of Indigenous people is minimized. Today the Kwantlen are important partners, running the gift shop, a restaurant and helping interpret the Fort Langley and Kwantlen stories.  

2020-07-04T00:45:58+00:00July 4th, 2020|

York Boat Almost Complete

Looking ship-shape! Pat Calihou has been crafting a York boat or bateau at the Fort Langley National Historic Site. (These craft were used to transport furs, and Pat's family history connects with their use of the Prairies.) As you can see, he's almost finished the project which will be on display when the NHS reopens. Listen to an interview with Pat on February's Valley Voices broadcast, HERE

2020-05-27T05:59:35+00:00May 11th, 2020|

February Valley Voices

Métis artist and carver Patrick Calihou is building a York Boat at the National Historic Site similar to the ones his ancestors built and worked aboard.  Valley Voices meets a man building a York Boat or bateaux at the Fort Langley National Historic Site, and we get a sneak preview of an historic sports fashion exhibit at Langley Centennial Museum. Go to this link then right click on the February 5th broadcast. Download and listen. Valley Voices is heard Wednesdays at 11 am on CIVL Radio 101.7 FM at the University of the Fraser Valley and is a production of the Langley Heritage Society. Fashion historian Ivan Sayers is the man behind a new exhibit at the Langley Centennial Museum, The Sporting Life: A History of Athletic Fashions. More info about the exhibit HERE.  

2020-05-27T05:59:36+00:00February 5th, 2020|

April’s Valley Voices

Surry Historical Society president Michael Gibbs at the Scott Family plot.  Surrey Historical Society has launched a series of "Memory Socials" that connect people and neighbourhoods. Valley Voices hears what they're learning, and the story of a former slave family that lived in Cloverdale from society president Michael Gibbs. Also, Fort Langley National Historic Site has created a special place for kids to have fun -- and learn some history. Nancy Hildebrand and son Caleb give us a tour. Tune in Wednesdays on CIVL 101.7 FM at 11 am, or follow the link HERE to the podcast, hosted by former CBC broadcaster Mark Forsythe. Nancy Hildebrand with son Caleb at the Fort Langley National Historic Site. 

2020-05-27T05:59:46+00:00April 3rd, 2019|

Valley Voices: People, Places and Stories of the Fraser Valley

Valley Voices is a production of the Langley Heritage Society on CIVL 101.7 FM (based at the University of the Fraser Valley). Former CBC Radio broadcaster Mark Forsythe interviews people connected with Fraser Valley history and heritage, and draws on the Oral Histories collection at the Langley Centennial Museum.  (If you have difficulty playing a sound file, try opening with Google Music Player. CIVL Radio sound files of the show are HERE.) The show has been on hiatus during the pandemic, but links to broadcasts from 2018 - 2020 are below. The British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF) awarded Langley Heritage Society’s Mark Forsythe the 2019 Best News and Media Award. March 2020: Meet Chief Dan George's great-grandson, Sam George, an Aboriginal Support Worker in the Langley School District who connect youth with their heritage. And Robert Reyerse gives us a tour of the Harrison Sasquatch Museum. Listen HERE. February 2020: Valley [...]

2021-11-15T23:07:28+00:00March 4th, 2019|

Langley’s Partners in Heritage

Langley Heritage Society hosted its annual Heritage Week Tea at the Milner Chapel to highlight heritage partners in the Langley region. LHS President Fred Pepin launched the event and encouraged all to share highlights of their work, and to collaborate even more in the days ahead. Please send your events for our quarterly newsletter to: info@langleyheritage.ca Brigette Wieronski, manager at the Fort Langley National Historic Site. Many exciting things are happening at the fort, including a project to craft a new bateau by a Metis staff member. Matt Offer from the Canadian Museum of Flight. The recent Family Day events drew more than 1,300 people to this unique museum at the Langley Airport. The museum's collection even includes a window from an original Avro Arrow -- along with many vintage aircraft that still fly. CN Station manager Helen Williams thanked all the volunteers who keep our 1915 heritage site humming. [...]

2020-05-27T05:59:50+00:00February 23rd, 2019|

We Are Kwantlen

Kwantlen and other Coast Salish peoples have direct links to this land, reaching back millennia.  Step inside the Visitors Centre at the Fort Langley National Historic Site and you’ll discover three unique artifact displays that hint at at least 12,000 years of history.  A delicate, 800 year old cedar cradle basket discovered in the mud at Stave Reservoir (traditional Kwantlen territory) has been carefully restored by utilizing Japanese paper and glue techniques. The baby basket has been returned to its original shape. Baskets, hats and headbands demonstrate the powerful influence of cedar in the lives of Kwantlen people. Cedar was used to create canoes, clothes, dwellings and various ceremonial objects. Cedar hats are now seeing a revival among the Kwantlen, and the woven hat pictured below is being used by the family of its maker, Hazel Gludo. Imagine the feast of salmon, eulachon and cranberries that might have filled the [...]

2020-05-27T05:59:55+00:00October 31st, 2018|

James Douglas Descendants

The family story below is by Cynthia Fleming, great-great granddaughter of Sir James Douglas (Cynthia is pictured on the right with her sister Gloria Bushby at the National Historic Site in Fort Langley). This story was originally published in The Trail of 1858 (Mark Forsythe & Greg Dickson). "The Father of British Columbia' is acknowledged each year on or near Douglas Day (November 19th) by the Langley Heritage Society with a special dinner and guest speaker. “I was born in San Fernando, Chile, on November 18, 1939 and lived in Chile for the first 10 years of my life. My dad was John Sinclair Bushby. His mother, Violet Bushby (born in England), the widow of George Bushby, visited Chile shortly after I was born and stayed with us until we moved back to British Columbia in the summer of 1950. My grandfather, George Bushby was the son of Arthur Bushby and Agnes Douglas, daughter [...]

2018-10-31T02:37:36+00:00October 31st, 2018|

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