This historic place is valued as the first location (1827-1839) in south-west British Columbia where Voyageurs over-wintered and developed relationships, including marriages and integration with local Indigenous people. The site is the predecessor to what remains of the current Fort Langley, later built by the Hudson’s Bay Company after this original site was abandoned in 1839.
Old Fort Langley site is inextricably associated with the Fort Langley National Historic Site located nearby. The two places share heritage value as a larger context of how this area was explored and settled by newcomers, including French Canadians; First Nations, including Kwantlen as well as Iroquois, Kanaka/Hawaiians, Abenakis, Métis and Europeans who travelled from eastern Canada.
It is a seminal site for an inclusive post-colonial BC historical narrative that accounts for the critical contribution of these settlers toward the early make up of British Columbia, such as the 49 degree border settlement (Oregon Treaty 1846).
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