Impressions of Fort Langley, 2021

July 17, 2021. Sunny. Before heading to Fort Langley today, I visited Vancouver’s Winter Olympics venue in Richmond.

Then I drove to Fort Langley, about 45 minutes from Vancouver. Fort Langley is known as the birthplace of British Columbia. Pop star Jay Chou is said to enjoy visiting too.

In 1827, the Hudson’s Bay Company established a fur-trading post here to facilitate the beaver-pelt trade. After gold was discovered in the interior along the Fraser River in 1858, prospectors turned Fort Langley into an important trading and supply point. It later became British Columbia’s first capital.

My first stop was Fort Langley National Historic Site. A friendly warning: the mosquitoes here are plentiful, so come prepared with insect repellent.

The historic buildings have been preserved in their original form.

Visitors can tour both the managers’ grand residence and the workers’ quarters.

The exhibits also document the history of intermarriage between white settlers and Indigenous people.

Staff demonstrate how barrels were made and iron was forged in those days, offering a closer look at the equipment and tools once used, as well as the settlers’ way of life and the history of the frontier.

One of the more engaging things about the museum is that it has not only animal models but real pigs, cattle, and sheep. Seasonal vegetables are also grown in the fields outside, making the experience feel remarkably vivid.

After leaving the historic site, I wandered around town, where the many quaint little shops each have a character of their own.

The Village Antique Mall alone houses sixty antique dealers. Some are said to have been in business since the beginning of the last century.

The place is filled with antiques, ornaments, and everyday objects of every kind. Browsing slowly through it all, you could happily lose half a day.

Curiously, none of the sixty dealers staffs their own shop. If visitors find something they like, they simply take it to the main counter to pay. The central staff handles payment, wrapping, and the rest for every dealer. It saves a great deal of labour and, during the pandemic, greatly reduced the number of people working inside.

What interested me most were the old photographic slides. Usually the photographer has passed away and the family, unsure what to do with them, puts them up for sale at a dollar apiece. With limited time, I could look through only a small fraction of the thousands on offer. I chose a dozen or so to take home as keepsakes.

Strolling along the town’s old streets and basking in the sunshine was a pleasure.

A band was playing in the street, warmly engaging with passersby.

Naturally, it is also an ideal setting for wedding portraits.

The bikers were not about to miss such a fine opportunity to cruise around and look cool.

Just look at the care that went into coordinating the colours of the leather gear, clothing, helmet, and motorcycle. I could not resist taking another shot from a different angle.