Kilby
Farm - BC Heritage Photo |
Kilby's General
Store is the focal point at this Fraser Valley farm. The store was
once a temperance hotel, built on pilings and linked to the railway
station by a ramp to its second storey.
Thomas and Eliza Kilby converted it to a general store in 1906, and
their son Acton took over the reigns when Thomas died in 1922, managing
the store until 1977. In 1926, automobiles began to appear at Harrison
Mills, and the Kilbys installed gravity-fed gas pumps that served
travellers till 1977.
It's well worth a look through the restored boarding house, post office,
and the general store to get a feel for life on the Fraser River at
the turn of the last century, when steam wheelers linked small towns
like Harrison Mills with the docks downstream at Mission and New Westminster.
Situated on a flood plain, the General Store and other buildings were
elevated and connected with boardwalks. Today, visitors can see a
fascinating gallery of store products and enjoy firsthand involvement
with the intriguing artifacts of the farm and its current livestock.
There is a small admission charge to view the store, which is open
Thursday to Monday from 11 am to 5 pm.
Kilby
Farm - BC Heritage Photo |
Kilby Store and
Farm is located in Harrison
Mills in the Fraser Valley, a few kilometres west of Agassiz
and Harrison Hot Springs,
both reached by Highway 9 north off the Trans Canada Highway, and
about a 90-minute drive from Vancouver.
The historic
Kilby site also operates a campground on Harrison Bay, providing
vehicle and tent sites on the shores of the Harrison River. The
setting is lovely, with a sandy beach suitable for swimming, waterskiing
and angling. Trumpeter swans and a thousand or more bald eagles
come here to feast on the annual salmon run in late autumn.
The Xa:ytem Longhouse Interpretive
Centre at Mission makes an excellent supplementary stop on this
route.
Kilby Historic Site is adjacent to Kilby
Provincial Park; the setting is lovely, and you can camp, swim,
fish, or use the boat launch at Harrison Bay.
Contact details:
Kilby Historic Store and Farm
Harrison Bay
P.O. Box 55
Harrison Mills
BC, V0M 1L0
Telephone: (604) 796-9576
Fax: (604) 796-9592
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