(Teresa Conkin, NHS employee and commmunity band member)

"I am writing to express my appreciation of THE FORT. It is long overdue for Fort Langley...in your enlightening newspaper, with its charm and diversity, I have enjoyed learning about Fort Langley and it has upped my sense of connection and pride."  Diane

Welcome to the Summer issue of THE FORT. Click on the individual pages below. We'd also love to get your comments, Fort Langley heritage photos and questions: markforsythe@shaw.ca

 (John Aldag, National Historic Site, Annual May Day Parade)

Spring issue of THE FORT. Click on the pages below for a look. A pdf version follows. Your comments and suggestions for stories are welcome. markforsythe@shaw.ca

 Fort Langley May Day Parade

TheFort_No3_V4.pdf

The answer to our Winter issue crossword puzzle is below (to enlarge, click on crossword), and digital copies of THE FORT follow. Your comments and ideas for future editions are welcome.

 Mark Forsythe, Editor  markforsythe@shaw.ca

**Gremlin Watch: The photo of the Lampliter that appears on Page 1 was taken by Fort Langley's Ron Bryson.

markforsythe@shaw.ca 

To view issue #2 of THE FORT, click on the individual pages below.

"Congratulations on your newspaper- it's REALLY great!" - Sharon

"I picked up "The Fort" today at Birthplace Gallery and loved every bit of it." -  Dianna

Welcome to THE FORT. If you tackled our crossword puzzle in the first issue, the answers are below. A digital copy of issue #1 follows. For more information about THE FORT period newspaper, click on the September archive. Watch for Issue #2 coming before Christmas! Send your story suggestions and photos to markforsythe@shaw.ca

Mark Forsythe, Editor

Local Links:

National Historic Site  http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/bc/langley/index.aspx

Community Fort Langley Site http://www.fortlangleyvillage.com/

Community Association  http://www.fortlangleycommunity.org/

Salmon River Enhancement Society  http://www.salmonriver.org/

  Click on pages below:

Fort Langley's Bays Blackhall gets a first look at THE FORT.

**Answers to the crossword puzzle at the bottom of this post.

Welcome to The Fort.  As a Fort Langley resident for 16 years I've come to appreciate the history that seems to cover every square metre of the village. (I recently learned that our house sits on lands that were once part of the Hudson's Bay Company farm that supplied food from here to Alaska.) First Nations' culture has thrived here for thousands of years; later came the fur trade, the chaos of the gold rush and finally European settlement. Modern British Columbia was declared here inside the Big House, at the HBC fort by James Douglas, the colony's first governor, in November of 1858.

Today the village is something of an oasis, separate from the urban sprawl of the Lower Mainland.  We're part of this large metropolitan region, yet distinct from it. The Fort's character is kept whole by rich agricultural lands, green spaces, wetlands and two rivers that run through us - the Salmon and Fraser.  

A Tale of Two Forts

THE FORT is a period themed newspaper that tells stories of both the village and National Historic Site. It was officially launched during Cranberry Festival weekend in the Fort. This too is a significant part of our history as First Nations traded cranberries with the HBC fort 155 years ago. The company cleaned them and shipped the tart berries off to market in San Francisco where they were eaten to prevent scurvy.  

Be sure to visit the Parks Canada National Site, meet its creative interpreters and volunteers, and explore our historic village. There's much to keep you occupied: antiques, books and collectables, hiking and biking trails, paddling adventures, excellent restaurants, two museums, a heritage CN station, hazelnut picking in the fall and many other diversions.  

 (Community Hall - photo courtesy of Langley Centennial Museum)

Pick up a free copy of THE FORT and take a stab at the Historic Crossword on page 4. Come back here for the answers (see below). Thanks to the staff at Parks Canada National Historic Site for helping make THE FORT a reality. Your comments, suggestions for stories and photos welcome: markforsythe@shaw.ca

 Mark Forsythe, Editor