Home (Image 1)
Introduction
(Image 1) Kilgard Community, 1910 [1]
Historically, little information or research has been done on smaller Indigenous communities within Abbotsford. There is some confusion surrounding the research materials available due to the Indigenous community historically referring to these reserves as one overall Indigenous area called “Semáth” or “Sema:th” or, in English, “Sumas.” However, when referencing the Sumas area in present times, Reserves 4 and 5 are understood to be the Sumas area.
The history of these areas are crucial to the city of Abbotsford’s core development. This website attempts to explain the origins of the Indigenous presence in the Kilgard area based on information that references “Kw’ekw’e’iiqw,” Kilgard, Semáth, and Sema:th. When the latter two terms were used, I cross-referenced the information to ensure accuracy of the information provided and that the information specifically pertained to the Kilgard area.
The Kilgard neighborhood is where the Upper Sumas 6 Indian Reserve of the Sumas First Nation group is located. Ethnically, this is a Stó:lō FIrst Nations group. Kilgard was named in the early 1900s, after the Clayburn Company developed a brick plant in Clayburn and later opened up a second location in Kilgard. The name Kilgard comes from the tall chimneys that appeared to stand guard over the kilns.
Sources Used
Kilgard Community, 1910 Image
[1] Loretta Riggins and Len Walker, The Heart of the Fraser Valley: Memories of an Era Past, (Matsqui / Abbotsford Community Services and Matsqui Centennial Society, 1991), 68.
1. Eytemology
1. Eytemology
While conducting research on this topic, it became clear that there are a variety of place names or titles that have multiple names or spellings. This can be due to colonization, different cultures, and /or languages having a different word to describe the same area or group of people. Because of these vocabulary changes, it can be challenging to make connections between historical documents. In order to keep the information clear, consistent, and accessible, I created a list of the terms and the matching alternate terms with the hope that this list will enable future research of the area to be conducted in a more efficient manner. The below list can be used as a quick reference guide for these interchangeable terms.
Kilgard – Kw’ekw’e’Í:qk, Kw’ekw’e’í:qw, Kw’ekw’w’íqw, Kw’ekw’í:qw, Kw’ekw’e’iiqw, kw’e’í, kw’’í, kw’í, Kilgard Village, Semáth, Sema:th, Upper Sumas, Kilgard Village, Upper Sema:th Village, Indian Reserve 6, Coast Salish Territory (Includes the Kilgard area), Kilguard.
Stó:lō – Sto:lo, Stó:lô, Stó:lõ, Staulo or Stahlo. Additionally known as the Fraser River Indians, Coast Salish People, Salish People, The River People, People of the River or the Lower Fraser Salish.
Sumas First Nation – Semá:th, Semáth, Sema:th, Sumalh, Sumas Indian Band, Nicomen Slough, Somass River, Sumas Tribe, Wolf People, Coast Salish Nation, Smess, Sumass.
Sumas Lake – Semá:th, Semá:th Lake, Soomass, Sumass Lake.
Sumas Mountain – Teq’qéyex, Teq’qéyek, T’exqé:yl, T’exqí:l, Teq’qwyek.
2. Geography (Image 2)
2. Location / Boundaries
(Image 2) This map from 1878 shows the Sumas area before Sumas Lake was drained in 1924. Clearly shown is the kkkkkkk Kilgard area at the base of Sumas Mountain, as well as the proximity of Sumas Lake to Kilgard. [1]
Location
The community of Kilgard is located northeast of Huntingdon and north of the Trans-Canada Highway in Abbotsford, British Columbia. It occupies a small area of space at the base of Sumas Mountain, approximately 10 kilometres east of Abbotsford’s historic downtown area. The Kilgard area is home to the Upper Sumas 6 Indian Reserve of the Sumas First Nation.
Boundaries
The traditional boundaries outlined by the Sema:th peoples include Sumas Mountain, Sumas Lake, and drainage of the streams that lead into the lake. This area extends into Nooksack Territory. This territory was divided into six reserves: one village overlooks the Kilgard reserve, the second is at the mouth of the Sumas River, the third is on the steep side of the mountain below the mouth of the Sumas River, the fourth includes the lower Sumas Village on Nicomen Island, and the sixth is the Kilgard reserve.
Sources Used
[1] “Abbotsford – Matsqui,” The News Real Estate Review, Saturday October 19, 1991, New Westminister District 1876. The Reach Archives, First Nations.
3. History (Image 3 – 5)
3. Page Content
(Image 3)
3.1. The Sema:th ‘Flood Story’
The Sema:th ‘Flood Story’ is thought to be the true story of how the Kilgard area came to be settled. The following ‘Flood Story’ has been summarized from the Sumas First Nations webpage. This story takes place well over 10,000 years ago, when a well respected man, who could see the future, warned the people of the Fraser Valley about a massive flood that was soon to come. The man travelled to the different First Nations communities along the river, telling each community about the rising water levels and how they could survive it. He told them that they would need their largest canoes to be ready in advance as well as strong rope to tie their canoes to safety. He offered Sumas Mountain as a place of refuge and an area in which they could tie their canoes to some grounded feature. The man also shared that Sumas Mountain had fresh spring water and lots of food that would ensure the peoples survival. Some of the people in the communities did not listen to this man and did not survive the flood. However, the ones who listened and followed his advice lived. Some people went to other mountains that were as high as Sumas mountain; however, these mountains lacked the fresh water and food supply that Sumas Mountain had. The ones who had strong rope, and who had thoroughly secured their canoes, survived. When the flooding began to subside, people moved to the lower area of Sumas Mountain to shelter themselves in the Thunderbird Caves. As the water levels receded further, people took different routes in their canoes to settle in all directions, which corresponds with the Aboriginal settlement today. As noted on the Sumas First Nation website, in Sema:th history, “Not just for Sema:th but throughout the Salish Territory and we here at Sema:th are descendants of those who had their canoes tied to the top of this mountain thousands of years ago.”[1] The Flood Story is an important aspect to the beginnings and history of the Sema:th people.
3.2. Chief Ned – Early First Nations Movement
(Image 4) Chief Ned outside the Sema:th Longhouse, 1912 Image Courtesy of The Reach P.1410
Officially, the earliest documented movement to the Kilgard area relates to Chief Ned Salasoton. Chief Salasoton was part of the Nooksack Band in what is now formerly known as the Washington area, just South of the Canada / United States border. He moved North to Sumas in 1850, around the same time the boundary was being surveyed. Ned would become the “chief of the Indian tribe at Kilgard”[2] and would be influential in creating “a unique social context”[3] between the First Nations peoples and Europeans where “children from both communities attended public school together; men worked in the mines and the brick plant together, and all were invited to celebrations in Chief Ned’s longhouse.”[4]
3.3. European Settlement
The widely known Idigenous term used for people of European descent is Xwelítem, “which literally translates as “hungry ones” or “starving ones.””[5] Further research has been conducted to find the origins of this terminology, which dates back to the time of the Fraser River Gold Rush in 1858. In reference to Keith Thor Carlson’s work in the Stó:lō Atlas, “the surge of 30,000 new arrivals in 1858 demonstrated for the first time to the Stó:lō that they themselves could and would become a minority in their own territory, and that the vast majority of the region’s new immigrants would not form marital alliances with the Stó:lō so as to become part of their community, but rather would form a distinct and competing society.”[6] This historical event represents the period in which “Aboriginal title and rights were first genuinely challenged and Stó:lō resources by Xwelítem forces.”[7]
(Image 5) Thomas Bell Straiton, Image Courtesy of The Reach P. 1289
Thomas Straiton is notably one of the first Europeans to come to the Kilgard area. He was drawn to establishing permanent residence on Sumas Mountain for the isolation that the area offered; he “wanted to live in a place where he could yell his head off and no one would hear.”[8] He established a small settlement in the neighbouring town of what is now known as Straiton and encouraged further settlement in the area. John Charles Maclure immigrated to the neighboring area of Clayburn shortly thereafter and established a clay plant for making fire brick. Eventually, Maclure made efforts to move the plant to Kilgard in 1909. Many of the existing workers wanted to continue working at the plant. This had an impact on further industrializing the Kilgard community because a road, now known as Sumas Mountain Road, was constructed over Sumas Mountain from Clayburn through to Straiton and Kilgard.
European settlers continued to be drawn to the area for a variety of reasons. Grace MacKenzie recalls her family moving to Kilgard in 1922, where her father, David Mathers, ran a store. She discusses the numerous appeals Kilgard offered, including logging operations, and mining. Notably, significant founding families in this area consisted of the “Tomasos, Bonners, Mathers, Wards, Straitons, Farmers, Weinsteins and Dawsons.”[9]
3.4. Oral Tradition / Storytelling
With regard to Kilgard’s history, it is important to note that many of the written documents were authored by European settlers. This could indicate a bias in the research and might lead the reader of said documents to assume the relationship between the Indigenous peoples and European settlers was indeed mutually beneficial – as portrayed in the documents. Equal representation is important and therefore a closer analysis of historical documents and combined personal interviews with Indigenous leaders is needed. The lack of Indigenous authors is likely due to the practice of oral tradition within most Indigenous communities. History is frequently passed down through oral communication, teachings, and stories. Mrs. Amy Cooper recalls, as a child,
“…nighttime there, the old people they used to start telling the children that. They would tell stories till the kids went to sleep. They say that the Kilgard group had a lot of stories. At Kilgard they like mixing up together. All the young people’d go to one house, and they’d get the older one there to tell a story. And then they’d go to another house there the following night, and then they’d tell stories there.”[10]
hhhhhUnfortunately, this is a tradition that is dying out, as Mrs. Cooper notes “Whether they know stories now or not I don’t know, but old Gus there, he knew the stories; and old Pete Silver, he knew the stories.”[11] For this reason, it is crucial Indigenous oral history be documented now, before it is lost forever.
Sources Used
3.1. The Sema:th ‘Flood Story’
[1] “Our History Sumas First Nation,” Sumas First Nation, accessed March 12, 2019. http://www.sumasfirstnation.com/about-us/history/
3.2. Early Indigenous Movement – Chief Ned
[2] “Chief Salasoton died at Kilgard,” ASM News, September 27, 1967. From The Reach Archives, Culture – First Nations.
[3] “Straiton’s heritage celebrated,” The Abbotsford News, Thursday August 3, 2006. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities – Kilgard/Straiton.
[4] “Straiton’s heritage celebrated,” The Abbotsford News.
3.3. European Settlement
[5] Keith Thor Carlson, A Stó:lō-Coast Salish Historical Atlas. (Douglas and McIntyre, 2016), 2.
[6] Carlson, 2.
[7] Carlson, 92.
[8] Judy Williams, “Peace and quiet lured first settlers,” Valley Magazine, April 26, 1978. From the Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities Box – Kilgard.
[9] Williams, “Peace and quiet.”
3.4. Oral Tradition / Storytelling
[10] Oliver Wells, Ralph Maud, Brent Douglas Galloway, Marie Weeden, and desLibris Books. The chilliwacks and their neighbors. (Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1987, 110.
[11] Wells, 111.
4. Events (Image 6 – 8)
4.1 Kilgard Slide – 1935
In January of 1935, the Fraser Valley experienced an intense winter storm. As a result, there was an extreme amount of slides and flooding as the snow and ice began to melt way. Kilgard, being situated at the base of Sumas Mountain, was right in the path of two slides that occurred over the span of a few days. This environmental extreme would historically become known as the Ice Storm of 1935 and has continued to come up as a significant part of Kilgard community history.
(Image 6) Damage to a building caused by the Kilgard Slide, 1935. Image courtesy of The Reach Archives, P.11822
The first slide in Kilgard occurred around 9:30 PM on the evening of January 24th, 1935.[1] Prior to this, numerous snow and debris slides in the Abbotsford area had occurred, taking out railway lines, as well as claiming the lives of many victims. In Kilgard specifically, smaller slides continued to occur for a few days following the major slide on the 24th of January. D. Septer records some of the damage: “about 0.5 mi. (800m) along the base of the mountain, mud and muck oozed to a depth of at least 2 ft. (3.6m). Steel rails leading to the brickyards were twisted and behind the brick plant, boxcars stood on end, half buried in mud.”[2] Among the damage, Septer also notes that embankment carrying tracks of the Great Northern Railway had also given away, which at the time was responsible for making the Kilgard brick plant accessible.[3]
People working at the Kilgard Brick Plant recalled that “the slide filled the kilns and buried the railroad tracks around the company with rubble,” leaving the plants out of commission for two months.[4] Despite suffering immense damage to the plant and its transportation routes, the resident manager Mr. J.W. Ball stated the company would continue shipment within the week. In an untitled newspaper clipping, Ball explained that “until definite plans are made to dispose of the big slide, which buried the company’s railroad tracks to a depth of 12 feet… the products as manufactured will be trucked to the railroad here for shipment.”[5] Other damage that was caused included a barn being washed into a blacksmith shop at the base of the mountain, blocking the main road to the neighbouring town of Chilliwack. The following day on January 25th around 10:00 AM., a second mudslide occurred at the Kilgard plant. According to Septer, “Ten homes were swept down the mountain and buried in the brick plant below.”[6]
(Image 7) These images show the aftermath of the Kligard slide of 1935, and the flooding that occurred. Images courtesy of the Reach Archives. Left Image: P11821,
(Image 8) These images show the aftermath of the Kligard slide of 1935, and the flooding that occurred. Images courtesy of the Reach Archives. Right Image: P11824
There were only two victims of the Kilgard slide. The first victim of the slide was three-year old baby Joyce McGee. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tom McGee had been in the process of evacuating when the first slide hit that night. Mr. McGee had taken his daughter outside to “escape the slide, but in the darkness and confusion and amid the falling debris, the child was torn out of his arms and swept away.”[7] The second victim was bachelor Theodore “Tom” Haugh. Haugh had come to settle on Lower Sumas Road in 1921 where he ran a commercial apple orchard.[8] A document from the Reach archives in Abbotsford describes the landslide in more depth and states “The waterlogged soil on the slopes of Sumas Mountain suddenly loosened and came roaring down the mountainside. Tom’s cabin was right in its path.”[9] Prior to the second slide, in a letter regarding information on the event, Roy Straiton writes that Haugh had received assistance to evacuate but had refused any form of help.[10] There is no record of ever finding Haugh’s body, however it is believed that he ignored the warnings to evacuate to save his horse, who was also reported missing following the slide. Residents during the time of the slide assumed he ended up being buried in the remains of his cabin and was never found.
Sources Used
[1] D. Septer, “Flooding and Landslide Events Southern British Columbia 1808-2006,” Province of British Columbia Ministry of the Environment. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities – Kilgard.
[2] Septer, “Flooding and Landslide Events.”
[3] Septer, “Flooding and Landslide Events.”
[4] Bonnie Carlton, Bonnie Carlton to Department of Mines and Petroleum Resources, April 20, 1976. Letter. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities – Kilgard.
[5] Kilgard Slide [title unknown], Newspaper [unknown], From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities – Kilgard.
[6] Septer, “Flooding and Landslide Events.”
[7] Daphne Sleigh, One Foot on the Border, (D.W friesen Sons Limited, 1999), 79.
[8] “Theodore “Tom” Haugh,” Victims of the Kilgard landslide. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities – Kilgard.
[9] “Theodore “Tom” Haugh,” Victims of the Kilgard landlside. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities – Kilgard.
[10] “Kilgard Slide,” Undocumented Information, April 1976. M.S.A. Museum Society, From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities – Kilgard.
5. Transportation (Image 9)
5.1 EarlyTransportation
(Image 9) B.C.E.R with Sumas Mountain in the background. Image courtesy of The Reach Archives P2.
Prior to the road being constructed from Clayburn to Straiton, to Kilgard, the Canadian Pacific Railway, which had finished construction in 1885, had been the primary link of newly forming communities, including Mission and Huntingdon, which in turn would link Vancouver with the United States. The new railway line, the B.C. Electric Railway, would end the riverboat era in 1910, and encouraged agricultural settlement in the area.[1] During the mid 1800s, the river had been the primary source of transportation and had essentially acted as the ‘highway’ of its time to connect communities and spread resources. The B.C. Electric would earn the nickname of ‘milk train’ as the dairy industry greatly increased as a result of this railway line. As well, the B.C. Electric Railway was a source of power for the lumber mills in the area which was gained from its transmission lines. The B.C. Electric Railway also served as a transportation route between communities for the general public. After a tragic accident at the Kilgard brick factory, pioneer Jock Mathers was transferred via the milk train to the nearest hospital in Sumas Washington.[2]
Sources Used
[1] Loretta Riggins and Len Walker, The Heart of the Fraser Valley: Memories of an Era Past, (Matsqui / Abbotsford Community Services and Matsqui Centennial Society, 1991), 22.
[2] Lynne Wright, “Triumph and tragedy,” The News Real Estate Review, July 21, 1990. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities – Kilgard.
6. Important Sites (Image 10 – 15)
Page Content
(Image 10)
6.1. Place Names
The naming of places within First Nations context has been altered significantly with the impacts of colonization. Since time immemorial, First Nations peoples have been naming locations on S’olh Téméxw (Our Land), in relation to specific Stó:lō terminology used between communities and commonly passed down between families. It is important to recognize and understand the Indigenous process of naming, which involves the “analysis of language, the searching of documentary sources and the collection of oral traditions, all under the watchful guidance of, and with the dedicated participation of, the Old People.”[1] The nature of place names changed when the Xwelítem, European explorers, arrived in Canada during the late 1800s. The Xwelítem did initially use traditional First Nation place names; however, these references fail to acknowledge or fully understand the perspectives of the Aboriginal peoples.[2]
Place names fall into three main categories, divided by history, geography, and sacred events. The historical aspect of place naming has to do with the site’s past events. The Halq’eméylem name for Kilgard, for example, is Kw’ekw’e’í:qw, which literally translates to “Head sticking up / Facing up” or “Fish Heads Sticking Up.”[3] The names in this category can change over time to reflect new history. The name Kwekweí:qw for example, refers to Sumas Mountain in traditional First Nations language, but this name was also frequently used for the Kilgard settlement. After the draining of the Sumas Lake in the 1920s, the traditional name for Kilgard, Kwekweí:qw, had a new meaning. According to Brent Galloway, the new meaning of the name had to do with the fact that following the lakes draining, “for several years after, the heads of trapped sturgeon were left exposed.”[4] Another reference on this naming is Teq’qwyek, Sumas Mountain, “referring to the gap left when the mountaintop broke off, dislodging the canoes moored to it; and Kwekweí:qw, literally “sticking up,” due to Sumas Mountain remaining above water during the flood.”[5] The second category of place naming is geographical, which includes implementing structures in the landscape for navigation, etc. The names in this category may change over time as well, whereas the third category on spiritual events, is the most complex and the most static. According to Carlson, this spiritual category of place naming is “associated with the miraculous event from sxwōxwiyám, the distant past when the world was transformed into its present recognizable form.”[6] These place names are unchanging and sacred to the Stó:lō.
6.2. Sema:th Longhouse
…………. A significant site for the Sema:th peoples was their traditional-style longhouse. The longhouse was rebuilt in 2003 after a fire destroyed it in 1994 while also causing damage to the neighbouring community hall.[7] Materials for the project were donated, including 200 tons of gravel for the foundation. The longhouse is important to the Sema:th peoples. Chief of Sema:th First Nation at the time, Bea Silver, said that the long house is “the epitome of spiritual rejuvenation for the band… the essence of our culture and it’s our winter home for our traditional spiritual dancers.”[8] The new longhouse was built to represent elements that are of great importance to the Sema:th people. Cedar was used for the main structure. Additionally, four large posts were featured to represent the main families of the Sema:th band. Silver added that the project was very inclusive in that “Each family will be responsible for carving their own cedar tree post.”[9] Not only this, but materials from the Kilgard brick plant were used to build the two fireplaces inside the longhouse.
6.3. Kilgard School
(Image 11) Kilgard School on Atkinson Road, The Reach Archives P541.
When the second Clayburn plant was constructed at Kilgard in 1911, the immigration to the area increased significantly and as a result, a school was needed to support the children of employees. Eleanor Blatchford writes, “A large building was constructed to provide temporary housing for the carpenters, while a proper boarding-house with approximately 40 rooms was being built for company labourers” and “Houses were constructed for the workman’s families.”[10] However, the company’s building program made no action to construct a school. Instead, the former carpenters house was used to educate the children when the new boarding-house was completed.
When the prior arrangements fell through for unknown reasons and before a new school was developed in 1921, Miss Mills was a teacher and “classes were first held in the cookhouse and then in the Indian Church”[11] as a temporary school structure. During this time, books and other classroom supplies had to be stored on the floor due to a lack of classroom function and inability to renovate the structures. The building program leased approximately two acres of land from Kilgard reserve on the South side of Atkinson road, and construction of the new school soon began.[12] The architectural design of the school was simple, yet it served its need in the community well.
(Image 12) Kilgard School Students. Image courtesy of The Reach Archives P5195.
In 1923, the school had approximately twenty students in attendance, a number that was estimated to continue to rise with the building of additional housing for workers and their families at the Kilgard plant. The main concern, at the time, was securing a permanent area of land that would not be required by the Clayburn Company in the future.[13] In 1927, renovations to the school were made, including a second room to accommodate the influx of students both of Indigenous and of European descent, which had now reached forty students.
In 1935, changes were made to the educational policy when the Abbotsford and Sumas School District joined together that impacted the use of the second room at Kilgard School. Students from outer areas of Abbotsford, “such as the reclaimed lake bottom land and also the Musselwhite district,”[14] had already been taking the bus routes to the Upper Sumas School and the decision was made to now also send the older students from Kilgard to the Upper Sumas School. As a result, the room in the Kilgard School used for the senior students became unused in 1937, remaining this way until 1947. Following the end of the Second World War, the senior room was reopened to take in more students. However, the school “gradually phased out,” closing “altogether as an elementary school in 1968.”[15]
In 1968, the former Kilgard school served a new purpose for education. This time, the building was used for adult education classes. Classes began in 1969 and lasted until 1973 when the building was retired as an educational structure. The building was later used as a recreational building by the Kilgard band in 1980 when the School District returned the building and site to the Department of Indian affairs. In an archival newspaper clipping it is stated that School District 34 (Abbotsford) feels it will not require the site, at the base of Sumas Mountain in Abbotsford, for further educational purposes and is returning it to Indian Affairs for $100, the same value as placed on it when it was turned over to the school district in 1920.”[16] Unfortunately, the damage and wear of the building throughout the years was deemed unrepairable and it was torn down in 1994.
6.4. Sumas Lake
(Image 13) View of Sumas Lake from the B.C.E.R Sumas substation. Image courtesy of The Reach Archives P5005.
Sumas Lake was a unique part of the Fraser Valley landscape. Before undergoing a drastic transformation in the 1920s, the lake, as well as the wetlands around it had already been experiencing changes, although they were on a much smaller scale. The rivers and streams that led into the lake carried sediments which were deposited at the bottom of the lake, therefore changing the water levels of the lake. This traditional land was the most important resource for the First Nations peoples. The lake, and the land surrounding the lake, was the main hunting and fishing grounds for the Sema:th peoples. The lake and river feeding into the lake served as a spawning ground for sth’ó:qwi (salmon) as well as other fish used as a food source. There was an ample amount of skwó:wech (sturgeon), sqelá:w (beaver), tl’alqtéle (deer), q’oyí:ts (elk), swí:we (eulachon), sth’ó:qwi (salmon), as well as other forms of wetland life. In the summer, the Sema:th people built their houses on stilts above the water towards the middle of the lake to escape the massive swarms of mosquitoes, whereas in the winter, they moved back towards the shores. The Sema:th settled around different areas of the lake depending on the time of year. Their settlement patterns had to do with their traditional seasonal rounds in which they moved from area to area where the resources were.
The traditional land in which First Nations hunted and fished on is now the home to dairy farms and other agricultural outlets. The lake was drained in the early 1920s when Fred Sinclair, an engineer in charge of the project, proposed that the lake be drained to provide more fertile land to be available for incoming farmers. For settlers and farmers, this project was seen as a positive thing that would open up opportunity and room for progress, but for the Sema:th, the lake was essentially the heart of their community and aspects of it are still being missed in present day.
Chief Ned of the Sema:th First Nations at the time of the interview in 1997 explained the changes after colonization began. He recognized that, already, the resources had begun to deplete, stating “the old people used to say that the White people will be shoving you around all over this open prairie to get our food, we used to get our meat, ducks, and fish out in this lake [Sumas] and on the prairie.”[17] Our people made “half our living” from the “fish and ducks and things like that.”[18] Laura Cameron also brings in a first hand account of the lake before it was drained. She draws on Edward Kelly’s childhood experience growing up with the lake as an example. Born in 1900, Kelly would have been around the age of twenty when the lake was officially drained. Cameron interviews him to gain his perspective on what life with the lake was like before the proposed and eventual draining of the lake, as well as its significance to him and his family. Kelly recalls what a typical Sunday outing at the lake consisted of. He explains that his father would bring a rifle down to the lake and if he saw a deer close to the water, “he would shoot it. Then he would bleed a deer.”[19] He also stated that his father “always brought his fishing line.”[20] Kelly’s explanation of what the lake meant for First Nations peoples supports that the lake was a resource for his family, as it was for other First Nation families.
(Image 14) These two images show Sumas Lake before the draining in the early 1920s. Images courtesy of The Reach Archives. Left Image: P188
(Image 15) These two images show Sumas Lake before the draining in the early 1920s. Images courtesy of The Reach Archives. Right Image: P426.
The draining of the lake became a reality in the early 1920s when a series of dykes, pumps, and canals were developed to officially drain out the lake water. The habitats of the wildlife were destroyed, which had a devastating impact on First Nations communities and was seen as “the greatest single loss of a productive waterway in S’ólh Téméxw.”[21] In other words, “Fertile farmland was “reclaimed” from the lake bottom to facilitate Xwelítem settlement and agriculture in the area.”[22]
According to Sumas Elder Ray Silver, the lake was the “fridge” to First Nations peoples, and “It meant everything to our people.”[23] There was a shift when the lake was drained, a shift in the way that the respect for nature began to diminish as a result. Instead of travelling to the Fraser River via canoes, they travelled over Sumas Mountain. The land was forever altered, as were the lives of the Sema:th peoples. Although the lake will never be returned, the Sema:th and other bands are seeking compensation for what was lost when the lake was unrightfully drained. One of the most significant aspects to note about this event was that the draining of the lake took place without acknowledgement of traditional Stó:lō land and without consultation of these peoples, which directly impacted the Sema:th peoples as a result.
6.5. Lightning Rock
Lightning rock is a sacred burial ground that was used by the Sema:th people. It is located off of Atkinson road and Eldridge road in Kilgard, Abbotsford and is a crucial cultural element to the landscape. The burial site was used in 1782 when the smallpox epidemic reduced the First Nations population by eighty percent. The Sema:th peoples buried their dead at the sacred burial location known as Lightning Rock. In the words of historian David Shaepe, Lightning Rock is “considered to be of the highest level of historical significance and value to the Sumas First Nation, specifically, and the Sto:lo community more broadly.”[24] Chief Dalton Silver of the Sema:th First Nation explains the significance of the site: “At one time, it was a living being – some say a shaman – who put a challenge to the Thunderbird. That’s where the lightning came from. It split it into four and that’s where he sits now.”[25] This part of the Kilgard landscape is not only the site in which Lightning Rock remains, but also a site where archaeologists have found “culturally modified trees and more than 40 earthen mounds… believed to be burial grounds.”[26]
Conflicts arise when the whereabouts of these sacred locations is not clearly stated by the provincial government. In 2014, for example, a developer by the name of John Glazema attempted to buy and develop a farm equipment dealership on a piece of property he had just bought. This project was estimated to reach $40 million dollars, but was halted when a First Nations individual told Glazema the land he had just purchased was the site of a mass burial ground, Lightning Rock. Dalton Silver addresses that “We were told to stay away from there…In the language of our old people, they said ‘chi,’ which meant the spirits were there. We were told the ancestors were buried there.”[27] Fortunately, Glazema was understanding of the significance of the land to First Nations peoples; however, he was disappointed in the way the provincial government handles these situations.
There remain gaps in the heritage conservation laws. “The province keeps a registry of First Nations graves and spiritual sites, but that information isn’t shown on land title documents when someone buys a property, there’s no system to inform owners whose land is designated.”[28] Silver described how there will continue to be conflicts between private property owners and First Nations peoples if the provincial government fails to make changes to the system that is currently in place. There needs to be better protection of First nations sacred sites to avoid further conflicts similar to this in the future.
6.6. Thunderbird Caves
Early Stó:lō history describes a time when a mass flood occurred; only a small amount of people survived while the remaining population drowned or was lost. The top of Sumas Mountain remained dry and those who had tied their canoes up with strong enough rope to withstand the flood survived. When the water receded, the Sema:th sought shelter in these now-sacred caves, the Thunderbird Caves, where they waited for the rest of the Valley to dry out from the flood. The caves provided warmth and shelter from the environmental elements and the caves were near to the food and water resources that the opposing mountains lacked in the flood. The caves remain an important piece of the land to the Sema:th and Stó:lō people as a whole. Sonny McHalsie says that “There are only three caves in all of the Sto:lo territory where the Thunderbird spirit resides and those caves on Sumas Mountain are sacred to the entire Sto:lo Nation.” Recent events have brought these caves into the public eye. Developers have bought land in which the caves reside on to build subdivisions, which has in turn upset the First Nations community. As it is a sacred site, the area should not be disturbed. The property in question was home to the “unique sandstone cliffs, 10 ravines, of which some are fishery sensitive, and several rare and endangered wildlife species.”[30] Even though the developers made public assurances that the sacred areas would be designated as park and green space,[31] there is still lingering unsettlement with the entire process and a spirit of distrust surrounding whether or not the developers will honor their word that the sacred sites will remain untouched. Dalton Silver touches on this topic, saying that the caves “hold very special spiritual values…and [he] hopes the bluffs will be returned to his people through the treaty process.”[32] Even though the contractors created a buffer zone between the caves, sandstone bluffs, and ravines, these areas will still be interrupted by human interactions who are oblivious to the deep spiritual connection of the caves and the First Nations peoples. Areas, such as the Thunderbird Caves and Lightning Rock, need to be protected.
Sources Used
Place Names
[1] Carlson, 134.
[2] Carlson, 134.
[3] David M. Schaepe, The Sumas Burial Site at Atkinson Road: A place of historical and archaeological value to the Sumas First Nation and Sto:lo Peoples (2015), 1.
[4] Chad Reimer, Before We Lost the Lake: A Natural and Human History of Sumas Valley (Vancouver: Caitlin Press, 2018), 45.
[5] Reimer, 45.
[6] Carlson, 134.
Sema:th Longhouse
[7] Christopher Foulds, “Blaze destroys Sumas longhouse,” The News, October 8, 1994. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities – Kilgard.
[8] Trudy Beyak, “Long house to rise from the ashes, ” Abbotsford News, October 25, 2003. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities – Kilgard.
[9] Beyak, “Long house to rise from the ashes.”
Kilgard School
[10] Sleigh, 340.
[11] Marjory Hunter, “Early school days in Sumas, Kilgard,” ASM News, March 8, 1967. From The Reach Archives, Education – Kilgard School.
[12] Sleigh, 341.
[13] “Building New School At Kilgarde this Year,” Abbotsford Post, February 13, 1920. From The Reach Archives, Education – Kilgard School.
[14] Hunter, 1967.
[15] Sleigh, 341.
[16] Staff photo of Kilgard School, Newspaper [unknown], ASM News, June 18, 1980. From The Reach Archives, Education – Kilgard School.
Sumas Lake
[17] Laura Cameron, Openings: A Meditation on History, Method, and Sumas Lake, (MQUP: September 29, 1997), 33.
[18] Cameron, 33.
[19] Cameron, 23.
[20] Cameron, 23.
[21] Carslon, 104.
[22] Carlson, 104.
[23] Emma Smith and Katelyn Verstraten, “Sumas First Nation seeks compensation for its lost lake,” Vancouver Sun, May 6, 2013. Accessed March 15, 2019. http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Sumas+First+Nation+seeks+compensation+lost+lake/8307346/story.html
Lightning Rock
[24] Schaepe.
[25] Duncan McCue, “Aboriginal gravesites halt $40M development plan in Abbotsford,” CBC News, December 7, 2014. Accessed March 9, 2019. https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/aboriginal-gravesites-halt-40m-development-plan-in-abbotsford-1.2852924
[26] McCue, “Aboriginal gravesites.”
[27] McCue, “Aboriginal gravesites.”
[28] McCue, “Aboriginal gravesties.”
Thunderbird Caves
[29] Trudy Beyak,“Sandstone Bluffs, Caves, Clearcuts” Abbotsford News, March 23, 2003. From The Reach Archives, Culture – First Nations.
[30] Beyak, “Sandstone Bluffs, Caves, Clearcuts.”
[31] Beyak, “Sandstone Bluffs, Caves, Clearcuts.”
[32] Beyak, “Sandstone Bluffs, Caves, Clearcuts.”
7. Kilgard Brickworks / Brickplant (Image 18 – 24)
7.1. Kilgard Brickworks
(Image 18)Old boarding house at the Kilgard brickplant. Image provided, 2019.
The Kilgard brickworks is the community’s most significant example of built European-based heritage. It was a secondary plant that was established after the plant in Clayburn had been developed by John Charles Maclure in 1905. Maclure had been drawn to the Kilgard area by the First Nations peoples who had spoken of the fireclay deposits at Sumas Mountain. After a few years of successful business in Clayburn, Maclure negotiated with the “local Indian band”[1] for a second brickwork plant to be developed in the community of Kilgard on Indian Reserve 6. In 1911, Maclure began the construction of the second large industrial complex, Kilgard Fire Clay Company Limited, which would become the “sole manufacturer of clay products in the area.”[2]
7.2. Development of the Kilgard Brickplant and Company
The Kilgard brick plant construction was built using the Norton Griffiths Construction Company. David and Joseph Mathers were hired on as employees for this project, as stated by the brothers in the newspaper article “Triumph and Tragedy.” They got jobs at the Kilgard plant right away, where they ended up working for $2.75 per day.[3] The company kept expanding and by 1926, it had grown to include a four mile stretch between Clayburn and Kilgard and had constructed ten new kilns. In 1930, the original plant in Clayburn was shut down and what remained was relocated to the Kilgard plant the following year.
(Image 19) Kilgard Brickplant showing the railway lines. Image courtesy of The Reach Archives, P1364.
Originally, clay had been hauled between the plants using a self-propelled two-way railway. As Cyril Holbrow mentions about early settlement life, “One of the first ways used for transportation of clay from the mine up the hill behind the plant, was a two-way self-propelled railway. Two sets of tracks side by side were used. When the loaded ore cars were being winched down it would pull the empty cars up to the mine on the other set of tracks. These, when filled, would repeat the process.”[4]
7.3. Kilgard Brickplant Fire
The Kilgard plant was the main supplier of products during this time, until 1949 when a devastating fire engulfed the plant. The fire broke out on a Sunday evening near the centre of the plant and “flames spread rapidly and within half an hour main buildings resembled a roaring inferno, with flames leaping high into the sky.”[5] The firemen at the scene were able to save the machine shop, garage, office, as well as the kilns with their quick action and aiming their hoses at the more vulnerable points of the plant.[6]
(Image 20) Kilgard Brickplant fire damage in 1949. Images courtesy of The Reach Archives, Left Image: P704
(Image 21) Kilgard Brickplant fire damage in 1949. Images courtesy of The Reach Archives , Right Image: P707.
The fire had devastating effects on the families within the Kilgard community, especially those who had been working at the Kilgard brick plant. Before this tragedy, the brick company had already been planning to remodel the building, creating a modernized expansion; however, following the fire, the managing director of the Clayburn Company Ltd. R.M. Hungerford stated that “We intend to rebuild as soon as possible. We feel deeply the fact that many families have been affected by this loss.”[7] As a result, the plans for expansion changed ever so slightly, occurring earlier than anticipated on an $800,000 rebuild that would also include a separate building in Abbotsford designed as a modern fire brick plant.[8]
7.4. Rebuilding of the Kilgard Brickplant
(Image 22) Reconstruction of the Kilgard Brickplant following the fire in 1949. Image courtesy of The Reach Archives P926.
Changes would begin to be made in 1950, including the decision to divide the operations of the main brick plant operations. Following the rebuild and expansion, the new divisions would be “producing pipe and similar products at a rebuilt plant at Kilgard and a new brick plant to be located in Abbotsford.”[9] R.M. Hungerford further elaborated on the reconstruction of the plants where he explained that the lack of space at the Kilgard plant meant that the possibility for a railway to be constructed was essentially nonexistent. This factor only added to the decision to push forward with the division of the plant production into two parts, “At Kilgard, salt glazed vitrified clay sewer pipe, along with flue lining, will be produced; at Abbotsford, dry pressed firebrick and face brick will be made.”[10] The new modern plant in Abbotsford would be the most modern for its time in any other place in the world.
7.5. Transfer of Ownership
In 1968, both the Abbotsford and Kilgard operations would be sold and purchased by different companies. The Abbotsford plant was bought by the company’s employees and formed two new companies; Clayburn Industries Limited, and Canadian Refractories Limited. The Kilgard plant was purchased by the Sumas Indian Band and would be renamed Sumas Clay Products.[11] In 1974, the company underwent another change in ownership and Flex-Lodge Industries purchased the Kilgard plant. In 1978, Flex-Lodge Industries made the decision to close down the clay plant entirely. Instead, the new company focused on the production of plastic piping and pipe fittings. However, this change had a negative impact on the Sema:th First Nations, as many were put out of work. To combat this issue, the Kilgard Sumas Indian Band repurchased the company in November 1979 and incorporated “under its own name, Sumas Clay Products Ltd.”[12] In the beginning, the band struggled financially as the plant was on crown land and could not be used as collateral.[13] As well, the plant equipment and kilns were in great need of repair before the plant would be in functioning condition again. Chief Ned states, “The band struggled with credibility problems and had difficulty establishing security.”[14] Sumas Clay Products Ltd. began by manufacturing “clay-fired face brick, paving brick, decorative flue-liner caps, flue-liners and drainage tiles.”[15] In the years that followed, the company continued to gain success and helped to combat the unemployment rates on the Kilgard reserve. Chief Ned writes that the unemployment rate in 1978 was sitting at thirty percent, whereas nearly ten years later, the rate was less than three percent. The plant increased their business, as well as upgraded their equipment and technology to continue to meet the demand of the industry.
(Image 23) The above images show the current state of the Kilgard brickplant in 2019. The image on the left shows the flooded inside of the factory while the image on the right shows the remains of a kiln used in the brick business. Images have been provided, 2019.
(Image 24) The above images show the current state of the Kilgard brickplant in 2019. The image on the left shows the flooded inside of the factory while the image on the right shows the remains of a kiln used in the brick business. Images have been provided, 2019.
Sources Used
7. Kilgard Brickplant / Kilgard Brickworks
[1] “Kilgard Brickworks,” City of Abbotsford Heritage Inventory – Statement of Significance 2013, Part 2 pdf. Pg. 13-18. 3.
[2] “Kilgard Brickworks, City of Abbotsford Heritage Inventory, 3.
7.1. Development of the Kilgard Brickplant and Company
[3] Wright, “Triumph and tragedy.”
[4] Riggins and Walker, 65.
7.2. Kilgard Brickplant Fire
[5] Riggins and Walker, 65.
[6] Riggins and Walker, 66.
[7] Riggins and Walker, 67.
[8] Riggins and Walker, 67.
7.3. Rebuilding the Kilgard Brickplant
[9] Riggins and Walker, 67.
[10] Riggins and Walker, 67.
7.4. Transfer of Ownership
[11] Riggins and Walker, 68.
[12] Roxanne Hooper, “Enterpreneurial Indian band develops successful business,” ASM News, March 19, 1986. From The Reach Archives, Culture – First Nations.
[13] Hooper.
[14] Hooper.
[15] Hooper.
8. Abbotsford CityStudio Plan
8.1 CityStudio Plan
Currently, Kilgard is not included in the City of Abbotsford’s plan for future development. This may be due to a Framework Agreement on Land Codes that was entered into in 2008 with the Government of Canada. This Framework Agreement was pursued by the Sumas Chief and Council and “is a First Nation driven initiative.”[1] The Sumas First Nation Band encourages other First Nations to pursue this line of action and openly shares that “The Framework Agreement on First Nations Land Management is a government to government agreement with Canada that allows First Nations to resume and exercise their own jurisdiction, control, and decision making over their reserve lands and resources.”[2]
The Kilgard community is run by the Sumas First Nation Band. They are a self-governed community and are actively prioritizing Indigenous settlement and growth in the Kilgard area, while trying to rebuild and reestablish the cultural roots lost after the destruction that occurred with the implementation of “land rights.”
Kilgard is a significant part of Abbotsford Indigenous settlement and offers rich cultural history and traditions that other parts of Abbotsford are otherwise lacking. Hopefully, in the future, the Kilgard community and the City of Abbotsford will have more opportunity to work together in a collaborative effort that will inspire sustainability and prosperity within both communities.
Sources Used
[1] “Lands – Taking Back Control of Our Reserve Lands and Resources,” Sumas First Nation. Accessed February 28, 2019. http://www.sumasfirstnation.com/lands/.
[2] “Lands,” Sumas First Nation.
Sources Used
Bibliography
Beyak, Trudy. “Long house to rise from the ashes,” Abbotsford News, October 25, 2003. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities – Kilgard.
Beyak, Trudy. “Sandstone Bluffs, Caves, Clearcuts” Abbotsford News, March 23, 2003. From The Reach Archives, Culture – First Nations.
“Building New School At Kilgarde this Year,” Abbotsford Post, February 13, 1920. From The Reach Archives, Education – Kilgard School.
Cameron, Laura. Openings: A Meditation on History, Method, and Sumas Lake, MQUP: September 29, 1997.
Carlson, Keith Thor, A Stó:lō-Coast Salish Historical Atlas. Douglas and McIntyre, 2016.
Carlton, Bonnie. Bonnie Carlton to Department of Mines and Petroleum Resources, April 20, 1976. Letter. From The Reach archives, Abbotsford Communities Box – Kilgard.
“Chief Salasoton died at Kilgard,” ASM News, September 27th, 1967. From The Reach Archives, First Nations Culture box.
Foulds, Christopher. “Blaze destroys Sumas longhouse,” The News, October 8, 1994. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities Box – Kilgard.
Hooper, Roxanne. “Enterpreneurial Indian band develops successful business,” ASM News, March 19, 1986. From The Reach Archives, Culture – First Nations.
Hunter, Marjory. “Early school days in Sumas, Kilgard,” ASM News, March 8, 1967. From The Reach Archives, Education – Kilgard School.
“Kilgard,” BC Geographical Names, http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/3841.html
“Kilgard Brickworks,” City of Abbotsford Heritage Inventory – Statement of Significance 2013, Part 2 pdf. Pg. 13-18.
Kilgard Slide [title unknown], Newspaper [unknown], From The Reach archives, Abbotsford Communities Box – Kilgard.
“Kilgard Slide,” Undocumented Information, April 1976. M.S.A. Museum Society, From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities Box – Kilgard.
“Lands – Taking Back Control of Our Reserve Lands and Resources,” Sumas First Nation. Accessed February 28, 2019. http://www.sumasfirstnation.com/lands/.
McCue, Duncan. “Aboriginal gravesites halt $40M development plan in Abbotsford,” CBC News, December 07, 2014. Accessed March 09, 2019. https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/aboriginal-gravesites-halt-40m-development-plan-in-abbotsford-1.2852924
“Our History Sumas First Nation,” Sumas First Nation, accessed March 12,2019. http://www.sumasfirstnation.com/about-us/history/
Reimer, Chad. Before We Lost the Lake: A Natural and Human History of Sumas Valley, Vancouver: Caitlin Press, 2018.
Riggins, Loretta and Len Walker, The Heart of the Fraser Valley: Memories of an Era Past, Matsqui / Abbotsford Community Services and Matsqui Centennial Society, 1991.
Septer, D.“Flooding and Landslide Events Southern British Columbia 1808-2006,” Province of British Columbia Ministry of the Environment. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities Box – Kilgard.
Schaepe, David M. The Sumas Burial Site at Atkinson Road: A place of historical and archaeological value to the Sumas First Nation and Sto:lo Peoples, 2015.
Sleigh, Daphne. One Foot on the Border, D.W. friesen Sons Limited, 1999.
Smith, Emma., and Katelyn Verstraten, “Sumas First Nation seeks compensation for its lost lake,” Vancouver Sun, May 6, 2013. Accessed March 15, 2019. http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Sumas+First+Nation+seeks+compensation+lost+lake/8307346/story.html
Staff photo of Kilgard school, Newspaper [unknown], ASM News, June 18, 1980. From The Reach Archives, Education – Kilgard School.
“Straiton’s heritage celebrated,” The Abbotsford News, Thursday August 3, 2006. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities Box – Kilgard/Straiton.
“Theodore “Tom” Haugh,” Victims of the Kilgard landslide. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities Box – Kilgard.
“Upper Sumas 6,” BC Geographical Names, http://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/64610.html
Wells, Oliver., Ralph Maud, Brent Douglas Galloway, Marie Weeden, and desLibris Books. The chilliwacks and their neighbors. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1987.
Williams, Judy. “Peace and quiet lured first settlers,” Valley Magazine, April 26, 1978. From the Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities Box – Kilgard.
Wright, Lynne. “Triumph and tragedy,” The News Real Estate Review, July 21,1990. From The Reach Archives, Abbotsford Communities Box – Kilgard.