These community profiles originate from the four volume publication Surrey's Heritage: A Selection of Surrey's Historically Significant Buildings produced by the City of Surrey in 1993. In some instances, the profiles have been edited to either provide further context or to bring them up to date. This four volume publication can be purchased at the Surrey Archives for $14.95. Click here for more information.
All photographs accompanying the profiles are from the collection of the Surrey Archives. If you would like to obtain a copy of one of the photographs you see, contact the Reference Specialist.
INTRODUCTION
The City of Surrey comprises just under 90,000 acres or 117 square miles. This makes Surrey not only the largest municipality in the province, but also one of the most diverse areas in the country. Bounded on the south by the International border, on the west by the Pacific Ocean and the Fraser River, and containing huge agricultural tracts, extensive park land and urban forest, and well-integrated residential, commercial and industrial centers, Surrey offers all of the anticipated challenges to heritage preservation.
The area was home to both the Katzie Indian Band and the Semiahmoo Band who had traditional fishing campsites on the south bank of Barnston Island, along the Fraser River at the present-day site of Port Mann, as well as at Crescent Beach at the mouth of the Nicomekl River. This prehistoric settlement has left a rich archaeological record of occupation and use, which forms the basis of Surrey’s earliest history and community heritage.
The arrival of the Royal Engineers in 1858 and the launching of extensive land surveys a year later opened the area for pioneer settlement. By the early 1860s the forests were being cleared and the rich farmland in the fertile valleys was soon producing a livelihood for the new settlers. Lumber camps dotted the landscape and attracted Asian labour to further expose the resources of the area and to promote the emerging trails, roads and rails which began to focus the development around town centers, each with its own distinctive character.
Surrey was issued letters patent in 1879 and two years later a “Town Hall” was erected at Surrey Centre. The thriving area boasted a post office, blacksmith shop, church, Loyal Orange Lodge as well as the homesteads of several pioneer families. Eventually, the civic center moved to Cloverdale in 1912 and then to the junction of the King George Highway and Highway #10 in 1962. In its long history, Surrey has evolved into a dynamic, diverse and growing community. The projected growth has estimated a population of about 500,000 people by the year 2011. Surrey will be B.C.’s largest city and it is fitting that the heritage resources of the community play an important role in defining the history and character of the second century.
