The Fraser Valley: A History

Michael Payne is head of the research and publications program, Historic
Sites and Archives Service, Alberta Community Development, and co-author
of A Narrative History of Fort Dunvegan.

Because most academic historians and publishers in Canada avoid local
and regional histories, the genre remains largely the preserve of the
amateur, the enthusiast, and the printer. Yet local histories are very
popular (hundreds of new titles appear every year) and lucrative (many
recoup production costs of tens of thousands of dollars). The wonder is
that more enterprising authors and publishers have not tried to bridge
the gap between the massive community history written by committee and
scholarly local histories. The former often sell well, but seem intent
on preserving every detail of community life, no matter how picayune;
the latter are more satisfying as history, but rarely sell well or reach
the communities they ostensibly analyze.

Attempting to straddle this divide, The Fraser Valley provides an
overview of the history of the Lower Fraser River Valley, from the late
18th century to the present. Primarily a chronological narrative, most
of the text is organized, in good popular-history style, around the
experiences of selected characters like Whattlekainum, James Murray
Yale, and Richard McBride. The narrative unfolds smoothly as Cherrington
introduces a great cast of characters and relates some very dramatic
events, from gold rushes to floods. The publisher has produced a
handsome and well-designed book that capitalizes on the appeal of
archival photographs; the result is a book with something of the look
and feel of a coffee-table book, without the expense of color
photographs.

Unfortunately, this approach to regional history also has its
drawbacks. Cherrington relies almost exclusively on secondary sources
and a handful of published primary materials for his material. As a
result, there is little new here for anyone familiar with these sources,
especially in the earlier chapters. Later chapters on recent history are
more pointed, and Cherrington’s willingness to address racism and
discrimination, environmental issues, and the problems of urban sprawl
and real-estate development is commendable. These are not issues raised
in typical local histories, and, if emphasized more, might have given a
more analytical edge to the book.