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Delta – a brief history
Friday, May 24th, 2002 by GetawayBC.com
For many thousands of years, Delta was home to aboriginal peoples who established summer fishing trips on the banks of the Fraser River. Much of the area was inhospitable marshland subject to tidal flooding, but Natives settled the upland areas in Tsawwassen and North Delta, and the municipality’s archeological sites are among the oldest known in the province. The mouth of the Fraser River was one of the first areas in B.C. to be explored by Europeans looking for the Northwest Passage.
The flat, fertile land of the river delta proved irresistible to early settlers and agriculture developed as one of Delta’s first industries. Rich soil and a temperate climate led to the establishment of productive local farms. Most settlers started with subsistence farming, agriculture grew in importance as the land became easier to cultivate (through a series of dyking initiatives) and through improved transportation. Many early farmhouses and agricultural structures remain in relatively original configuration, and have been continuously used for generations.
The river was originally the primary means of transportation until the road system became functional. As early as the 1890 the basic road pattern had been established, but not completely reliable until the dyking system provided full flood protection. By the late 1890s, most roads had been planked, and after 1900, many of them were upgraded to gravel.
As the population grew, the Fraser River, once the prime link to other centres, was now seen as a barrier. Access to the rest of the Lower Mainland became a serious economic issue, as Delta still had no connection to the regional network. This isolation kept growth in the municipality relatively stagnant, but also preserved a rural way of life for many decades.
In 1959, the Massey Tunnel was created and the need for rapid suburban growth was met.
Today, Delta is a vibrant community within the Lower Mainland, and road, rail and water to the rest of the region connect it. Delta continues to display a balance between rural activities, and despite many changes, there remain tangible links to the past that help explain its pioneer origins and remind us of the vision of its settlers.