Fort Langley National Historic Site

Enclosed in a dramatic riverside stockade, the current incarnation of Fort Langley National Historic Site dates back to 1840. The fur trading post was rebuilt after an 1839 fire, and now features a striking combination of reconstructed and original buildings.

At its peak, Fort Langley sold produce to Russians in Alaska, shipped cranberries to California, and generated 2,000 barrels of canned salmon a year, much of which was exported to Hawaii. Today, visitors can touch soft beaver and black bear pelts, watch barrel-making and blacksmithing demonstrations, and chat with interpreters in period costumes. Circa 1858, Fort Langley became renowned as a jumping-off point for the Fraser River Gold Rush, and panning for gold here remains another fun experience for the entire family.

A historic highlight is the hilltop Big House, where Sir James Douglas proclaimed British Columbia a Crown Colony on November 19, 1858, and became the province's first governor. View vintage china, musical instruments, and other furnishings, and browse through a display upstairs on the local Kwantlen First Nations.

Fort Langley operated until 1886, and was declared a National Historic Site in 1955. It is open daily year-round (closed Dec 25 and 26, and Jan 31), and is directly adjacent to the historic village of the same name. Log on to the Parks Canada website on Fort Langley for more details.

The National historic site is a 10 minute walk from Fort Langley Bed and Breakfast.