Langley Township

History

Throughout the last several millennia, the area that is now Langley Township was inhabited by various Stó꞉lō nations, including the Katzie and Kwantlen. There is limited recorded history from this time, as much was passed down through oral tradition rather than written documents. The Kwantlen were a major factor in the salmon trade that later operated out of the Fort Langley. Simon Fraser, while traveling through the Sto:lo territory in 1808 recorded the image of a Kwantlen village: Their houses are built of cedar planks and in shape, similar to the one already described, the whole range, which is six hundred and forty feet long by sixty broad, is under one roof, the front is eighteen feet high and the covering is slanting: all the apartments which are separated by partitions are square, except the Chief's, which is ninety feet long. In this room the posts or pillars are nearly three feet in diameter at the base and diminish gradually to the top. In one of these posts is an oval opening answering the purpose of the door through which one man may crawl in or out. Above, on the outside, are carved human figures as large as life, with other figures in imitation of beasts and birds. The first Europeans to stay in the area permanently were the traders of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). In 1827, Fort Langley was built on the banks of the Fraser River, in the area now known as Derby Reach. It was one of a string of trading posts built along the Pacific Coast to compete with American fur traders for the rich pelts available in the region. Farming as well as cranberry and salmon exports soon replaced fur trading as the fort's primary source of income. The first fort (1827–1839), built with two bastions, a wooden stockade and several buildings, proved to have been built too…

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  40,755
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  36,982
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  34,172
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  29,853
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  28,749
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  27,590
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  27,086
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,149

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2026-07-02
  2 km E of Oak Harbor, Washington
• M 2.86 — 2026-06-08
  2 km ESE of Oak Harbor, Washington
• M 2.56 — 2026-05-29
  7 km ENE of Ferndale, Washington
• M 2.54 — 2026-05-07
  4 km WSW of Concrete, Washington
• M 2.7 — 2026-04-27
  5 km N of Anacortes, Washington
• M 2.5 — 2026-04-12
  3 km WSW of Concrete, Washington