Partner City
Aldergrove
Rural & Small Town Charm
The community of Aldergrove was originally named "Shortreed" after one of the first settlers in the area, Robert Shortreed, who arrived in 1883. He opened the first general store, which also had a telegraph and post office, and his extended family settled in the area in 1885 as well. Later, the community was renamed Aldergrove due to the amount of alder trees growing there. It became one of the two stops that the Great Northern Railway made as it passed through Langley Township, and the railway brought economic prosperity to the region. Logging became the major industry of the community, as the railway station allowed timber to be easily shipped to other parts of the country. Today, the town is a mix of the rural and residential, home to over 12,000 residents.
This project was made possible through partnerships with the Alder Grove Heritage Society and Heritage Abbotsford.
We acknowledge that Aldergrove is located on the traditional territories of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Matsqui, and Semiahmoo First Nations.
Explore
Aldergrove
Then and Now Photos
An Aldergrove Church
ca. 1900s
This photograph looks west along 29a Street, towards road 272, on a winter's day. To the right is an Aldergrove church and its surrounding buildings.
The Road Through Town
1910
This photograph from 1910 shows the road which would become the Fraser Highway as it passes through the main center of Aldergrove. Cars, horses, and pedestrians travel along the road in this photo, and the Hotel Western Home is clearly visible on the right side of the street.
General Store
1912
The Smith and Parr General Store in Aldergrove, pictured in this photograph from 1912, was opened by Charlie Byron Smith and his uncle Henry Parr in 1906. The two also operated a general store in Cloverdale. In this photo, a kid and dog pose in front of the store, which burned down in 1916.
The Telephone Office
1917
This building was constructed in 1910 for Frederick John Hart and was a pre-fabricated house manufactured by the BC Mills and Timber Trading Company. While it originally served as a bank, home improvement store and realty office, Hart sold it to the BC Telephone Company in 1914 and it served as Aldergrove's telephone office until 1952. Today, it houses the Aldergrove Telephone Museum.
The Fraser Highway
1930s
This photograph looks east down the Fraser Highway through Aldergrove in the early 1930s. The highway was the one of the first highways built for automobiles in BC and was constructed in the 1920s.
Ross Motors
1940s
Ross Motors was a family business which began as Ross Bros Garage in 1922. The building pictured here was constructed in 1932 after a fire destroyed the original structure, and the garage and dealership remained in business until it was sold by the Ross family in 1956.
The Aldergrove Hotel in the 1950s
1951
The Aldergrove Hotel was built in 1949 and was demolished in 2020. This photo from 1951 shows the hotel busy with cars.
The Post Office
1962
This photograph shows the Aldergrove Post Office in 1962. The first post office in the community was opened in 1885.
Looking West Down Fraser
ca. 1960s
This photograph looks west down the Fraser Highway where it passes through Aldergrove. Note the telephone box, paved sidewalks, and paved road. This photo was likely taken in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
