Langley Road Trip
One of our favourite cities to visit near Vancouver is “Fort Langley”.
Not to be confused with Langley City proper, it is a quaint area of town filled with history and the historic fort itself.
We love to ‘protect a day’ for a road trip when our calendar fills up with family here and this is one of our destinations that we return to again and again. The town is so pretty with a few antique stores, a book store, and many nice places to eat including a cute teahouse… among many other shops.
The first Europeans to stay in the area permanently were the traders of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). In 1827, Fort Langley was built on the banks of the Fraser River. It was one of a string of trading posts built along the Pacific Coast to compete with American fur traders for the rich pelts available in the region. Farming as well as cranberry and salmon exports soon replaced fur trading as the fort's primary source of income.
The first fort (1827-1839), built with two bastions, a wooden stockade and several buildings, proved to have been built too close to a fast-moving part of the river, in an area prone to flooding. It was rebuilt in 1839 farther upstream.
In 1858, gold was discovered in the Fraser River in what is now the interior of British Columbia, and the fort also became important as a supply station for the miners heading up the river toward the gold fields.
Fort Langley has the distinguished title of being "The Birthplace of British Columbia".
Terry and I headed out there the other day and once again really enjoyed our time together walking around and enjoying the pretty city.
We each took turns shopping for Easter goodies for each other at the chocolate store there and ended up playing Tile Rummy in the 50’s Diner when the rains returned.
Fort Langley has such an old fashioned feel to it and the buildings have real character and appeal.
If you haven’t ever had a chance to visit and you find yourself in Vancouver, I recommend a day exploring that area. We love it and we’ll surely be back!
