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".
Greendale was originally known as Sumas. The name change was made in 1951 as too many towns had the same Sumas name. The area is one of the oldest settled farming communities in British Columbia.
In 1858, the Royal Engineers, of the Boundary Survey (1858-1862) established a camp at Sumas near the Vedder River. A depot to supply this camp, consisting of little more than a hut, was established near the mouth of the Sumas River where it enters the Fraser. This "hut" and the Hudson's Bay Company fish saltery located near the same site were the first colonial structures built in Sumas.
Early settlement in the Sumas area focused upon the development of farmlands. These farms included livestock rearing, dairy, and grain production. Butter was a particular good source of income for the early farmers. Chester, James, William and George Chadsey along with their brother-in-law David Miller arrived in the area in the 1860s. For these families, butter and other farm products sold to gold seekers who had fanned out through the province provided a source of income.
A colonial post office was established, in 1867, at Miller's Landing, known as Sumass. The post office was situated in David W. Miller's store that he had built in 1866. By 1872, one year after British Columbia entered confederation the post office opened as a Dominion Government post office.
The Sumas Methodist Church was one link in a chain of churches that tied Lower Fraser Valley population centers together. Many of the first Euro-Canadians to settle in the Sumas area arrived from Ontario, products of farming or small town backgrounds and members of the Methodist Church. The church, built in 1886 on land donated by George Chadsey, was the third Methodist Church in the Chilliwack area.
The church building has survived two major floods in 1894 and 1948, and bears the scars of these floods on a corner post where deep gouges mark the high water marks. Although repairs to parts of the building have stemmed the tide of deterioration, the only alteration to the original design appears to be a re-configuration of the front entrance. Completed before the turn of the century, this change was brought about because of the orientation to nearby roads. In 1925, the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches across Canada joined together to form the United Church. The Sumas congregation followed suit and the name was changed to the Sumas United Church. In 1971, the church closed when declining attendance led to the congregation joining with Carman United Church in Sardis. Since that time the property has been sold several times but remains as part of the community’s heritage.
With settlement came the need for a school and the Sumas School District was created, October 13, 1871. At first the school operated from a rented building leased at a cost of $5.00 per month. In the spring of 1873, a new school was opened on ½ acre of land donated by George Chadsey. This original school was used for many years until the new two-division Sumas School was completed in 1927. This building has since been replaced by a new structure.
After Sumas Lake was drained in 1924, more land for settlement became available and the area’s population grew. Mennonite settlement occurred in Sumas beginning in April 1930 when a large wooded lot of 274 hectares (686 acres), owned by the Northern Construction Company was subdivided into 28 lots from 7.2 to 10 hectares (18 to 25 acres) each. The land occupied an area bounded by Adams Road, Hopedale Road, South Sumas Road and Sumas Prairie Road and was on offer at $42.00 per acre. The sale of this land was only available to Mennonite families. The sale of this tract of land led to the development of the commercial core of Sumas. As well, the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway on the northern side of the community in the late 1920s created a new corridor for highway-related businesses.
The area was hard hit by the 1948 flood. At that time neglect had caused the dykes to be covered by trees, brushes and brambles. High waters in 1948 created flood conditions and the Sumas (Greendale) dyke failed. Today evidence of these 1948 floodwaters remains in existence, and may be seen at various Greendale landmarks, such as the Sumas Church.
In 1960, a new four-lane freeway bisected Greendale, bypassing the community. Some businesses closed and the community lost some of the vibrancy that had defined Greendale up to that time.
There are reminders though that the Trans Canada highway once passed through Greendale. A few cement mileage markers can be seen along the length of what is now called Yale Road.
All information was obtained from the Chilliwack Museum and Archives Website- Visit them ""Here"
In order to find this cache you will have to answer the following questions.
Cache is at: N49 0A.BCD W121 EF.GHI
A = The number of dollars it cost per month to lease the building for the first school.
B = The number of lots subdivided by the Northwest Construction Co. Divide this number by four.
C = The last digit of the year a four-lane freeway bisected Greendale.
D = The second number of the year David W. Miller built his store.
E = Subtract the third digits of the years of the two major floods.
F = The last digit of the year Northern Construction Co. subdivided 686 acres.
G = This number squared equals the largest acreage of the lots subdivided by the Northern Construction Co.
H = The number of divisions in the 1927 Sumas School, multiply this number by the size of acreage donated by George Chadsey.
I = The number of Chadseys that arrived in the 1860's
