Semiahmoo Trail — Surrey, BC
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Dunbar Loop
N 49° 11.351 W 122° 51.686
10U E 510096 N 5448496
Built in 1873-74 the Semiahmoo Trail linked New Westminster to the American settlement of Semiahmoo where Blaine, Washington is today.
Waymark Code: WMP1DC
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 06/09/2015
Views: 4
Prior to the construction of this trail to travel between New Westminster and the United States you had to use water routes. Down the Fraser River and into the Strait of Georgia. Under ideal conditions this was a pretty good way to travel. However during stormy weather it could lead to a loss of life.
The Semiahmoo Trail ran from Brown's Landing, which later became known as Brownville, across today's City of Surrey to Semiahmoo Bay at Campbell River's mouth. Then it followed the shoreline to the village of Semiahmoo.
Where this marker stone at the intersection of Semiahmoo Road and Old Yale Road became important in 1874-75 when the Province of British Columbia funded the construction of the Yale Wagon Road -- today's Old Yale Road. This intersection was in 1874 the equivalent of an interchange of two freeways today.
Both the Semiahmoo Trail and the Yale Wagon Road remained a part of the Fraser Valley's highway infrastructure for the remainder of the 19th century.
By 1891, with the completion of the New Westminster Southern Railway that linked Brownsville to Blaine, the Semiahmoo Trail slowly started to disappear.
Ultimately Semiahmoo Trail would be replaced by the construction of Pacific Highway, today's Highway 15, in 1913. With the completion of the Pattullo Bridge in 1937 and the opening of King George VI Highway (Today called King George Boulevard) in 1940 Semiahmoo Trail had almost disappeared.
There are very few records explaining how this road's right-of-way moved from municipal ownership to private ownership, but as the grid road system of Surrey became more predominant the Semiahmoo Trail disappeared. In this area there is an 800 metre section remaining. And in South Surrey there are about 3,000 metres intact.
For more on the Semiahmoo Trail's history you can read The Semiahmoo Trail: Myths, Makers, Memories by Ron Dowle or you can go to the Surrey History website.