Street Lighting Agreement between the Corporation of the District of Langley and British Columbia Electric Railway Company Limited.

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Object Description

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Object Name

Agreement

Object ID

2007.015.003

Title

Street Lighting Agreement between the Corporation of the District of Langley and British Columbia Electric Railway Company Limited.

Date

12 Jul. 1937.

Description

1 agreement (document) between The Corporation of the District of Langley and the British Columbia Electric Railway Company Limited regarding street lighting; dated July 12th, 1937; 5 pages total; 4 typed pages with some notes added in ink; 1 blue back page; handwritten text on the back of the blue page reads: "For Langley Street Lights"; all of the pages are attached along the top edge with 3 staples; the agreement includes 19 numbered clauses pertaining to the street lighting system supplied by the British Columbia Electric Railway Company Limited within the Corporation of the District of Langley municipal limits; the 4th page includes the names of two witnesses: "Alex C. Hope / Reeve." and "R.A. Payne / Clerk.", an unknown signature, a stamp which reads: "British Columbia / Electric Railway Company Ltd. / L.& P. Sales Mgr." and a signature: "Edmund Stacker[?]".

People/Subject

British Columbia Electric Railway Company Ltd. (BCER)

The British Columbia Electric Railway's interurban passenger service for the Fraser Valley, B.C., area came through Langley in 1910. The company was building rail lines into Langley as early as 1906, when they signed an agreement with Langley government. The company itself began as a merger of the National Electric Tramway and Lighting Company (Victoria), Vancouver Electric Railway and Light Company Ltd., and Vancouver & Westminster Tramway Company, and was responsible for hydroelectric power generation, power transmission, and electric rail lines on Vancouver Island and in Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. All three companies had gone into receivership in 1895, and the BCER was met with receivership in 1896, following the Point Ellice Bridge Disaster in Victoria. The company was only able to survive through assistance from London financers, and began operations in 1897 as an English-owned company. A station built at 240 St. in the general area formerly known as Harmsworth in Langley was named after Rochfort Henry Sperling, general manager of the B.C. Electric Company, and the area subsequently came to be known as Sperling community. In 1910, a substation was built at Coghlan, and still stands (2021). The substation stepped the voltage from the power transmission lines down for use by the trains passing through. It did not provide power to the surrounding community. Interurban passenger services on the B.C.E.R's Fraser Valley Line ceased in 1950. The company ended all service in 1958, and broke up into the branches it is modernly: BC Hydro, Translink, and BC Transit.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia_Electric_Railway

Hope, Alexander Campbell

Alexander Campbell Hope was born on August 4, 1894, to Charles Edward and Lily Dawson Hope, nee Mavis. He served with the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He married Mabel Isabel Andrews on April 29, 1922. He served on the Langley school board from 1930-1932 and was a municipal councilor for Ward Four for another three years. He became reeve of Langley in 1936 and served for 11 years. Hope went on to serve in the Coalition government from 1945-1952 and was also a member of the agricultural advisory board. He was one of the founding fathers of the B.C. Artificial Insemination Center for dairy cattle, and was involved with several agricultural organizations, including the B.C. Certified Seed Potato Growers' Association, where he served as chairman for a number of years, the B.C. Federation of Agriculture, the Salmon River Dyking Commission, and the Langley Farmer's Institute.

In addition to his commitments to farming and agriculture, Hope was also president of the Fort Langley Community Improvement Society, served two terms as president of Fort Langley Restoration Society, was a member of The Native Sons of B.C., and was chairman of the Langley Centennial Celebration Committee from 1964-1967. He was actively involved at St. George's Parish Church, serving in all offices, and supported the Conservative Party, participating in party affairs within Langley and the lower mainland. At the same time he managed and operated a large farm raising dairy cattle and sheep, with the help of his family. He also grew acres of vegetables and hay and owned a large holly orchard. Alexander Campbell Hope died on August 25, 1978.
Term Source: HPC Record (HOPEC-3/284); HPC Record (HPC-365/1134)

Payne, Archie

Richmond Archibald Payne (Archie) was born in 1881. He was appointed collector in 1910 and became a municipal clerk in 1911, serving until retirement in 1945. He also served as Magistrate from 1946-1957. He served in the army and was granted leave from his municipal career during the war years. In 1914, prior to WWI, Archie Payne was one of a group of military minded horsemen in Langley who organized training sessions in order to prepare for the rumoured war. While in France during WWI, it was Archie Payne and Langley's Dr. Benjamin Butler Marr who decided that if they ever returned to Langley they would have the streets named after their fallen comrades. They both returned to carry out this project. Archie Payne died on October 15, 1957, at the age of 75.
Term Source: HPC Record (HPC-432/1188)

Township of Langley

The Township of Langley, B.C., comprising Langley, Fort Langley, Murrayville, Langley Prairie, Derby, Milner, Aldergrove, Otter, Salmon River Uplands, and Glen Valley, was incorporated in 1873. The City of Langley, B.C., covering the Langley Prairie region, was incorporated as a separate entity in 1955. Langley was named after Thomas Langley, a prominent stockholder in the management of the Hudson's Bay Company. He had inherited his brother's stock in the Company in 1793 and was selected as a member of the committee in 1807. He held this position until his death in 1829.

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