The Boy who Held back the Sea was the title of a childrens book written by Lenny Hort in 1987, based on the fable of a little Dutch boy who saved his village by inserting his finger in a dyke to stop a leak and stayed there all night to prevent a breach that would inundate the lowlands behind. Although the fable is retold to school children the world over and is set "a long time ago", in reality it dates back to the mid nineteenth century.
Appearing first in a story "The Little Hero of Harlem" in England in 1850, the fable has no historical basis but was popularised in 1865 by American author Mary Mapes Dodge in her book "Hans Brinker; or, the Silver Skates: A Story of Life in Holland".
The Dutch connection is still strong in the Fraser Valley today and although we don't have to hold back the sea on the Abbotford Chilliwack border, we still have to hold back the Fraser that creates a 60cm tidal effect at Barrowtown on the other side of the highway. You could say the lone pump built in the Netherlands in 1958 and working in coperation with other Canadian pumps performs the role of the Little Dutch Boy for us today!
Enjoy the drive along the dyke top and find the Dutch Boy's legacy.