Old map shows that Langley City was always at the crossroads of commerce in the Fraser Valley

Up until the 1990s, local governments in BC had less autonomy than they do today. The provincial government had to approve many matters which are handled locally today. While I am a strong supporter of local decision making, the one benefit of the province’s past control in local matters was the degree of historical records that are now available online. An Order in Council is similar to a council resolution; it is how governing bodies are able to direct the civil service, and update regulations or policies.

These Orders in Council are searchable online. Over the weekend, I was searching through these archives and found a few interesting pieces of history about Langley City.

One such peice is an old map of Langley City’s Downtown from 1967. It shows the community before the Langley Bypass and many other roads were built. The faded grey shows the proposed alignment of the yet to be built Langley Bypass.

Map of Downtown Langley City from 1967. Select map to enlarge.

Another interesting note is that the map shows when the railway (which provided passenger and freight service) literally when through the middle of Michaud Crescent, then up along Glover Road.

If you look closely, you can also see that all the roads were still named. Also interesting is that the current 203rd Street didn’t connect through and Logan Avenue/Production Way weren’t built.

More than anything, this map shows how the intersection of the BCER which was an interurban railway, Fraser Highway which was the Yale Wagon Road, and Glover Road which provided access to Fort Langley and the Hudson’s Bay Company Farm, were the reasons why Langley Prairie was established. Our community was and is the crossroads of the Fraser Valley.