ELGIN AND THE SEMIAHMOO TRAIL
The Semiahmoo Trail is valued as an early and important transportation route through Surrey, demonstrating how pioneers settled and travelled in Surrey from a very early period. The Semiahmoo Trail began as a series of pioneer trails between the Fraser River in the north and the United States border at Blaine, Washington in the south. The Semiahmoo Trail was constructed in 1873-1874 as a wagon road. It ran from Brown's Landing on the Fraser river (present day Brownsville Bar), across what we now know as Surrey to the settlement of Semiahmoo (present day Blaine) on the US border.
In 1874 the Semiahmoo road opened establishing the community of Elgin’s position as a stage stop and a hotel was built to provide rest for those on the road. Within the hotel there was a small country store and post office to serve the residents, but although the hotel was a success it diminished due to the opening of the New Westminster Southern railway in 1891.
By 1886 Elgin had been declared as Canada’s customs entry port, which meant that all traffic from the Nicomekl River and the Semiahmoo Road were supposed to report. Soon there were two more ports built within the area. The ports of White Rock and Douglas caused the success of the Elgin Port to fade. Today, the Semiahmoo Trail is valued as a linear park and recreational trail in South Surrey. It has remained largely unpaved and provides residents with a quiet and peaceful place to walk and interact with wildlife. The Semiahmoo Trail is a scenic walk that follows the path of the old Semiahmoo Wagon Trail through the Elgin area where you will be able to catch glimpses of history as you walk along the heritage site which runs from Elgin School, near the Nicomekl River, to 20 Avenue in South Surrey. Semiahmoo Trail was the first property protected by a Heritage Designation By-law in the City of Surrey. The heritage designation demonstrates the commitment of the City of Surrey in recognizing and preserving its natural heritage.
MY FAMILY HISTORY
My grandparents immigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1904 and first went to Winnipeg but the harsh winters forced them to head west. They spent a few years in Nelson before landing in Elgin, British Columbia in 1912 where they owned 35 acres including 2 acres of orchards on the Semiahmoo Trail. In 1916 their farmhouse burned to the ground and they and their 9 children were forced to live in a small house with little furnishings for a few months. The girls had to sleep on the floor and the boys on the straw before they were able to lease the Chancellor place on Crescent Beach Road. My grandfather then took a team of horses and moved the small house they had been living in from below the road up to where my grandmother wanted her new home to be on the Semiahmoo Trail and across from the orchards. He then built around this house until it became the house as you see it today. It was early 1920 when they moved in and my father was born here in 1921, the youngest of 10 children. My grandfather spent half of his time clearing and farming his land and the other half being the chief builder of the Elgin community hall and the instructor builder of Elgin School. He also was responsible for locating the water source for the school and digging the well. My father, aunts and uncles all walked the Semiahmoo trail every day between the family home and school. We had many family reunions based at the school and we would all walk along the trail up to the farmhouse while listening to stories about the “younger” years. The then owners of the house always allowed the senior members of the family to come in and reminisce.
THE TOUR
Stage 1 – Historic marker for the Semiahmoo Trail - N49 04.120 W122 49.531
Stage 2 – The Elgin Community Hall - N49 04.021 W122 49.645 - #6 on the Heritage Register & protected sites - One of the oldest community halls in Surrey, built in 1923 in the plain homestead tradition by the Elgin Community Association with land donated by pioneer Dan Johnston.
Stage 3 – The Elgin School - N49 03.971 W122 49.343 - #7 on the Heritage Register & protected sites - Built in 1921 as the first school for the community of Elgin to replace the condemned Mud Bay School. Vernacular style wood frame with ribbon windows.
Stage 4 - Duck pond on the Semiahmoo Trail - N49 03.534 W122 48.950 - #1 on the Heritage Register & protected sites – located between 16 Avenue north to Nicomekl River
Stage 5 – Anderson Farmhouse - N49 03.479 W122 48.923 - #65 on the Heritage Register & protected sites - Built in Vernacular style featuring two front cross gables, shed roof dormers, open rake, boxed eaves and detailed wooden front door.
A = Number of students in the very first class (last number) (Stage 3)
N = Amount my aunt made cleaning the school (second digit – 1) (Stage 3)
D = Which number represents the comment “feeding changes natural migratory pattern” (Stage 4)
E = Second digit in address of the Anderson Farmhouse (Stage 5)
R = Number of letters in the last name of the carpenter named on the plaque (not the signboard) (Stage 2)
S = Number of students in the last class (add the digits together to form a single digit) (Stage 3)
O = Number of seats of the twice weekly stage from New Westminster to Blaine (Stage 1)
N(1) = The third digit of the address (stage 2)
Final can be found at N49 0A.NDE W122 4R.SON(1)
The placement of this cache is Authorized by the City of Surrey
