History
I hope these notes about the park's history enhance your next visit. You'll be able to point out where the graveyard is and where the lake was. Those faint marks you see here and there in the grass won't be a mystery any more. Do you know where the wading pool was? Read on and you'll know that and more.
4,000 years ago
By 4000 BC the First Nations people had begun to settle into more permanent villages. The land and sea supplied a steady stream of riches. Salmon provided a dependable harvest that could be smoked and stored to feed the people throughout the year. The sea yielded fish, clams, crabs and much more. From the land came berries, roots and many other edibles. The forests and fields were also an abundant source of raw materials for buildings, canoes, clothing, tools and artwork. It was a relatively easy life compared to many First Nations peoples. This allowed the coast people to prosper and develop a very rich culture.
Numbering in the many thousands, they had large villages scattered throughout the coast region. These settlements would have a number of large wood structures housing the extended clan families, slaves and animals. They would be located on the sea coast or the shores of the Fraser and other rivers. The waterways allowed them to quickly travel far and wide in their dugout cedar canoes, bypassing the heavy underbrush on land.
randy@kwantlenpark.ca
Updated Feb. 28, 2009 Copyright 2009