Chilliwack: the "Heart of the Valley" is made up of 14 Villages - In this series of 14 caches we will introduce you to each of those Villages. When you have solved the puzzle for all 14 of the caches your smiley faces will produce the shape of a heart in the Eastern portion of Chilliwack. In each of the 14 caches you will find information which you must record in order to find the Final cache in this series, the "Heart of Hearts" cache.
We hope you enjoy your trip around the area and the cache locations we have selected for this series. Have fun and if possible involve the whole family in solving the puzzles and finding the caches, they are meant to be "family friendly".
Chilliwack's first businesses were located at Chilliwack Landing, at the foot of Wellington Avenue on the Fraser River. Beginning in 1858, at the time of the Fraser River gold rush, Chilliwack Landing was where the riverboats landed and to service a small farming community growing nearby. In the early 1860s, Jonathon Reece, John Lawrence, William Teague, and Isaac and James Kipp took up land east of the landing on a large clearing known as Chilliwack Prairie
Although the landing was in an ideal location, a First Nations Reserve, surveyed in 1867, surrounded it, preventing further growth. As well, the adjacent land was subject to flooding. It was inevitable that a new commercial core would be found. The excuse came in the form of a church and a road. By 1873, work had started on Yale Road, connecting the coast to the interior. Where the Landing Road intersected Yale Road proved to be an ideal site for the church. Local Anglicans wanting to locate a church in Chilliwack found a simple frame structure in the town of Port Douglas on Harrison Lake. The church, built in 1858, was used for only a short period of time in 1858 and 1859. The congregation moved the church from Port Douglas, at the head of Harrison Lake, down the lake, across the Fraser River and up the landing road to the intersection. This became St. Thomas' Church. Soon after, a blacksmith shop, public school, several houses, a flour mill, a general store and McKeever's Hotel clustered around the church. This intersection became known as Five Corners and remains the commercial heart of the community.
In 1887, a decision was made to move the post office from the Landing to the growing center at Five Corners. Before 1887, this nascent town site was known as Centreville. However, the name Chilliwack was adopted by the post office in that year.
In June 1894, the community was inundated with water. The flood affected the entire area, flooding downtown streets and agricultural land. The flood was the catalyst that led to the formation of the Chilliwack Dyking Commission and the construction of dykes stretching from Rosedale to Sumas Mountain. By 1903, the main dyking system along the Fraser River was completed although work on the dykes continues to the present day.
In 1910, the British Columbia Electric Railway was completed linking Chilliwack with Vancouver. The steam boat era ended when the first train rolled into Chilliwack. The railway further spurred a development boom. Housing developments adjacent to the downtown core were initiated during this period and new industries developed. The sense of optimism in the community spawned many community driven projects too. The new Post Office (1911), first hospital (1912), City Hall (1912), Chilliwack High School (1912), and Princess Avenue Drill Hall (1913) were constructed during this time. These buildings were built at a time when the City of Chilliwack population hovered between 1500 and 2000 people.
The middle part of the century was characterized by slow steady growth with the downtown area continuing to be the center for the community.
1948 saw the second major flood of the century. The original dykes had not been maintained. When flood conditions again prevailed, the community, fearing a similar flood to 1894, was galvanized into action. Civilian crews along with troops from the Army Base at Vedder Crossing worked feverishly reinforcing the aging dykes. They met with success in all areas except Greendale. The dike broke causing wide-spread flooding and great economic hardship to the community. After the flood the dykes were rebuilt and continue to be maintained to this day.
All information was obtained from the Chilliwack Museum and Archives Website- Visit them "here"
In order to find this cache you will need to seek information in the above text.
The cache is at: N49 0A.BCD and W121 EF.GHI
A = Third number of the year the First Nations Reserve was surveyed.
B = Third number of the year the first hospital was built.
C = Second number of the year The high school was built.
D = Second number of the high range that the population hovered at.
E = Second number of the low range the population hovered at.
F = Third number of the year of the second major flood of the century.
G = Last number of the year work started on Yale Rd.
H = Same as D
I = Third number of the year the Princess Avenue Drill Hall was built.
