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A provincial Police Force was formed on November 19, 1858, at Fort Langley, B.C., to provide organised law enforcement throughout the newly-formed Crown Colony of British Columbia. The various elements of this Force became the British Columbia Provincial Police in 1871, when British Columbia entered Confederation. A Marine Division was created in 1923 and a new uniform, rank and insignia adopted in 1924. In 1950, the constabulary was absorbed into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

See Also: British Columbia Provincial Police. New Westminster office, British Columbia Provincial Police. Barkerville detachment
Term Source: BCAUL

Forbes Cruickshank was an inspector with the BC Provincial Police (The BCPP was disbanded in 1950 when the RCMP took over policing in much of the province) (see HPC Record HPC-45/931). The BCPP had a constabulary formed at Fort Langley with the founding of the colony of British Columbia in 1858. The authorities were eager to police a flood of pistol-packing gold prospectors from California.

Forbes Cruickshank, an inspector with the BCPP, became famous for solving the mystery of the Beryl G, a vessel found abandoned with her decks specked by bloodstains. The owner and his son were missing. With a hat and a camera as clues, the inspector tracked down Harry Sowash and Owen (Cannonball) Baker, who were hanged for murder.

Christina Deans (nee Shortreed) was the daughter of Robert and Margaret Shortreed, sister of James F. and John Shortreed. She married Charles Barnett Deans on November 30, 1898 (he had worked as a clerk at her father's store). Before their marriage, Christina had been a school teacher at Aldergrove South School, and had been the first teacher at Beaver School and at Patricia School. Charles became a general merchant, and by 1906 he had stores in Ashcroft, Clinton, and New Westminster, so the family travelled a bit. The couple had six children: Albert (1900), Margaret (1901), Robert (1905), Stanley (1906), Stuart (1908) and Nell (1911). In New Westminster on April 9, 1913, Charles died of tuberculosis. In 1916 Christina and her kids moved in with her family, just south of Aldergrove. She was given 15 acres from her father's homesteaded land, and she lived in the old house on the property until 1921. In that year she moved in and kept house for her father-in-law, Albert Deans, for two years until he moved to the U.S.A.. When Christina's brother Jim decided to build a new home on their homestead site, Christina had the old house moved 500 feet north for her and her family. The move took three days, as there was only one horse moving the house. After the move, Christina kept a garden and some livestock, and was offered a widow's pension by the Knights of Pythias, which she refused. Her brother Duncan lived in the house with her for a time. Also, thanks to changes in medicine, Christina was able to control her diabetes with newly-invented insulin. Christina died March 31, 1947, at the age of 74, and is buried in the Aberdeen Cemetery. Shortreed Elementary School was named for her.
Term Source: HPC Records (HPC-282/1079, HPC-283/1080); "The Place Between"

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police or Mounties (RCMP) or "Gendarmerie royale du Canada" (GRC), is both the federal police force and the national police of Canada. The RCMP is descended from the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) and the Dominion Police, founded in 1873 and 1868 respectively. The NWMP was given the "Royal" title in 1904, becoming the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP). In 1920, it was renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Force when the RNWMP was merged with the Dominion Police. The RCMP acts as the federal police force of Canada, enforcing federal laws. It also has contracts with Canada's three territories and eight of its provinces to serve as their provincial/territorial police force. Most of Canada's provinces, while constitutionally responsible for law and order, prefer to sub-contract policing to the RCMP. They consequently operate under the direction of the provinces in regard to provincial and municipal law enforcement. The exceptions are Ontario, Quebec, and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, which have retained their own provincial police forces. Additionally, many towns and cities throughout Canada also contract the RCMP to serve as their municipal police force.
See Also: police
Term Source: www.wikipedia.org

The Robert Shortreed family were farmers at Aldergrove, B.C. Robert (Bob) Shortreed Jr. established a general store at the corner of Yale Road (Fraser Highway) and County Line (264th) about 1889. He opened a Post Office in the store in 1891 and introduced telegraph service two years later. The corner was known as "Shortreed's Corner".
See Also: Robert (Bob) Shortreed Jr.

Laura Perry was born in 1874. Her mother was Jane Perry and she had a brother - Frank Perry. Laura Perry worked in the Shortreed Store and Post Office with Miss Vanetta before marrying.
She married James F. Shortreed on Sept. 22, 1903. They had a son: James (Jim) Shortreed Jr. She died in Vancouver on Oct 12, 1953, at the age of 79.
Term Source: HPC Records (HPC-275b/1072)

Margaret was born in 1833 in Perthshire, Scotland. Her family moved in 1833 from Scotland to Milton, Halton County, Ontario. She married Robert Shortreed, and they had 8 children: Robert Jr., Thomas, James F. (Jim), John, Duncan, Findlay , Mrs. Alex Richardson and Christina Deans (nee Shortreed). She moved with her husband and children in approximately 1885 to Aldergrove, where they purchased land. Margaret died in Aldergrove in 1916.
Term Source: HPC Records (HPC-279/1076)

Robert (Bob) Shortreed was born in approx. 1828. He arrived in the Langley area between 1883 and 1885. He married Margaret, and they had 8 children: Robert Jr., Thomas, James F., John, Duncan, Findley, Mrs. Alex Richardson and Christina Deans (nee Shortreed). Robert and Margaret Shortreed bought land in the Aldergrove, B.C., area in the 1880's. Robert died in Aldergrove on March 5, 1908 at the age of 80.
See Also: Shortreed (family)
Term Source: HPC Records (HPC-279/1076)