Dewdney Fraser Valley Regional District, British Columbia
Community - An unincorporated populated place, generally with a population of 50 or more, and having a recognized central area that might contain a post office, store and/or community hall, etc, intended for the use of the general public in the region. N side of Fraser River just E of Hatzic Lake, E of Mission (municipality), New Westminster Land District
Mapped Location
Dewdney: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.
Information
General information on Dewdney
- Feature Type: Place
Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Dewdney
A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Dewdney | Official |
Origin Notes and History of Dewdney
References to Dewdney that document the origin of its place name
Dewdney (Post Office & Station) adopted 12 December 1939 on 92G/1, as labelled on BC map 2B, 1914, and as identified in the 1930 BC Gazetteer. Form of name changed to Dewdney (community) 15 December 1982 on 92 G/1.
"Named after Lieutenant Governor E. Dewdney." (Gosnell Yeal Book, 1897) ....after Hon. Edgar Dewdney (1835-1916), Minister for the Interior, Canada, 1882-92." (18th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 1924) ....lieutenant-governor of British Columbia, 1892-97, in charge of surveys for the site of New Westminster, and other engineering works. See Dewdney Trail for additional biographical information; also Victoria Colonist, 5-6 June 1983.
"Hon. Edgar Dewdney, CE, PC; was born in Devonshire, England, 1835; came to British Columbia 1859; married Jane Shaw 28 March 1864; appointed Lieutenant-Governor 2 November 1892, and served for some six years; died 1916.
....arrived in BC in 1859 and the next year, with Walter Moberly, built the famous Dewdney Trail from Fort Hope to Rock Creek (later continued to Wild Horse Creek). He served both as a member of the Legislative Council and as a Member of Parliament. In 1881 Dewdney was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories, serving through the Riel Rebellion. He was federal Minister of the Interior 1888-1892, and Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, 1892-1897....
"...At Kanaka Prairie, the modern Dewdney, and back of it on Burton's (now Hatzic) Prairie, there was also considerable settlement, some of it dating from before Confederation... the Cariboo teamsters, Deroche and MacDonald on Nicomen Island, Johnson and McKamey at Kanaka Prairie, and Burton and Phair on Burton's Prairie..." (John Edgar Gibbard, "Early history of the Fraser valley 1808-1885," UBC thesis, 1937, p.261-265). "There seems to be no [other] record of the Dewdney area being known as Kanaka Prairie...." (Provincial Archives' Place Names File, compiled 1945-1950 by A.G. Harvey from various sources, with subsequent additions)
"Dewdney was originally called Johnson's Landing, presumably after Norman Clarke Johnson. Johnson's Landing first appears in the Official Postal Guide in July 1884, with Robert C. Garner postmaster. The Official Postal Guide in January 1892 lists two post offices name changes to Dewdney: Johnson's Landing in British Columbia, and O'kotoks [sic] in Alberta. At the time Edgar Dewdney was Minister of the Interior. The name changes may be due to Dominion Land Surveyors working in the area, or simply to honour Dewdney for his previous career."
Fraser Valley Regional District
- City of Abbotsford
- Abbotsford
- Aberdeen
- Agassiz
- Alvin
- Arnold
- Atchelitz
- Barrowtown
- Bear Creek
- Boothroyd
- Boston Bar
- Bradner
- Bridal Falls
- Canyon Alpine
- CFB Chilliwack
- Chapmans
- Chaumox
- Cheam View
- City of Chilliwack
- Chilliwack
- Choate
- Clayburn
- Clearbrook
- Cultus Lake
- Deroche
- Dewdney
- Dogwood Valley
- Durieu
- Fairfield
- Floods
- Gifford
- Greendale
- Haig
- Village of Harrison Hot Springs
- Harrison Mills
- Hatzic
- Hells Gate
- Hemlock Valley
- District of Hope
- District of Kent
- Kilgard
- Laidlaw
- Lake Errock
- Lindell
- Lindell Beach
- Matsqui
- Minto Landing
- Miracle Valley
- District of Mission
- Mission
- Mount Lehman
- North Bend
- North Poplar
- Othello
- Popkum
- Port Douglas
- Promontory
- Ridgedale
- Rosedale
- Ruby Creek
- Ryder Lake
- Sardis
- Silver Creek
- Silver River
- Silverhill
- Skookumchuck
- Slesse Park
- South Poplar
- South Sumas
- Spuzzum
- Squeah
- Stave Falls
- Steelhead
- Straiton
- Sunshine Valley
- Tipella
- Vedder Crossing
- West Heights
- Williams Landing
- Yale
- Yarrow
Political Boundaries
Last updated: 2023-09-30