Glen Valley Dyking and Drainage District Fonds (MSS 331).

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salishan Place by the River currently maintains a collection of over 9000 photographs, 2000 archival documents, 9000 objects, 500 works of art, and 300 oral history recordings. This collection, spanning hundreds of years, is a wonderful window on the past and present life of our community.

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Object Description

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Object Name

Fonds

Object ID

MSS 331

Title

Glen Valley Dyking and Drainage District Fonds (MSS 331).

Date

[between 1943 and 1966].

Description

MSS 331 is a fond containing archival materials relating to the Glen Valley Dyking and Drainage District. Items in the fond are arranged according to the filing system of the original owner. It is approximately 6 inches of material.

The fond consists of:
MSS 331.1 - Letters and financial records for the Glen Valley Dyking Commission, many were written by or to B.G. Shepherd or L .A. Shepherd from 1943 until 1949. At the front of the binder was a 2013 letter written by the donor introducing the collection.
MSS 331.2 - Letters and financial records for the Glen Valley Dyking Commission from 1950 -1956. Many were written by or to B.G. Shepherd.
MSS 331.3 - Letters and financial records for the Glen Valley Dyking Commission from 1957-1966. Many of the documents are associated with Mr. G.H. Shepherd.
MSS 331.4 - Letters, memos and receipts from the Glen Valley Dyking and Draining Commission in 1949.
MSS 331.5 - Letters, memos and receipts from the Glen Valley Dyking and Draining Commission in 1950.
MSS 331.6 - Letters, receipts, and memos from the Glen Valley Dyking and Draining Commission in 1951 with a few from 1952.
MSS 331.7 - Two copies of the same flyer celebrating the Shepherd Bros 50 year anniversary. Invoices, checks and cancelled bonds associated with the Glen Valley Dyking and Draining Commission.
MSS 331.8 - Ledgers relating to financial records of the Glen Valley Dyking and Draining Commission.
MSS 331.9 - Maps of the Fraser River in the Glen Valley Area.

People/Subject

Glen Valley

Glen Valley Dyking and Drainage District

The Glen Valley Dyking and Drainage District, earlier known as the Glen Valley Dyking District, administered dyking and drainage activities for the Glen Valley area of Langley, B.C. It was incorporated in 1909 and it was taken over by the District of Langley sometime after 1968. During its time the valley flooded badly in 1948.

See MSS331.1.1

McLellan, Donald Angus

Donald Angus McLellan was born in 1898 and died in 1978. He married Mary Elizabeth Grieve in 1930. He was the son of John Frederick McLellan.

Shepherd, Ben

Benjamin "Ben" Gordon Shepherd was born in England. He came to Canada in 1900. He was the father of two sons and one daughter, including Gordon Shepherd, husband to Jenny "Jennie" Margaret Carlson (1906-2000) and brother to Len Shepherd and two others. He lived in White Rock where he had run the Pioneer Meat Market. In 1929 he moved his family to Glen Valley where the bought a dairy farm on the corner of River Road and Jackman Road. He did not enjoy being a farmer. In 1930 he moved his family (but kept ownership of the farm) to Surrey where he opened a farm implement business on the Surrey side of the New Westminster Bridge. The business was called Shepherd Bros Farm Equipment.

In the 1940s Ben took over as the secretary for the Glen Valley Dyking District, a post he held until his death in 1956. He had two sons, including Gordon Shepherd.

See "Glen Valley BC" by Gordon Shepherd. MSS331.1.2.History of the family which Gordon Shepherd donated in 2013. Accession 2017.22.
See "Benjamin Gordon Shepherd" Bowell Funeral Home. Find a Grave. Accessed November 16th 2013.

Shepherd, Gordon

Gordon Shepherd (1929-2023) was the son of Benjamin and Jennie Shepherd, and the nephew of Len Shepherd. He worked for the family business, Shepherd Bros, a farm machinery business located in Surrey, BC. He took over from his father in 1957 as the secretary for the Glen Valley Dyking District until he resigned in 1967.

See "Glen Valley BC" by Gordon Shepherd. MSS 331.1.2. Accession 2017. 222

Shepherd, Leonard Alex (Len)

Leonard (Len) Alex Shepherd was a local business owner and politician. According to Memory BC "Born in Oxford, England, Leonard Shepherd came to British Columbia in 1910. After overseas service during World War I, he returned to work as a wireless operator on coast steamships. In 1921 he entered the farm machinery business in Surrey and Langley, B.C. After serving on the Surrey municipal council (1935-1937), Shepherd represented Delta as MLA in the Provincial Legislature. Unsuccessful in his quest for a third term in office, he returned to local politics in 1945. A devoted socialist throughout his life, he fought against capitalism's corruption. Although his main interest focused on agricultural concerns, Shepherd also sought legislation designed to help fishermen, veterans, students and the unemployed." Len bought a diary farm with his brother Ben in 1929. It was located at River Road and Jackman Road. They would lease it out to others to run. In 1930 the brothers opened Shepherd Bros a farm machinery business in Surrey BC. His brother was Ben Shepherd, and his nephew was Gordon Shepherd.

"Biographical History" Shepherd, Leonard Alex. RBSC-ARC-1496. Memory BC. Accessed November 16th 2023.
"Glen Valley BC" by Gordon Shepherd. MSS331.1.2. Accession 2017.22.

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