History of Abbotsford

In order to assert their claim on British Columbia, the British sent the Royal Engineers, who surveyed the area in 1858. They also built Old Yale Road, the first road link through the Fraser Valley. British sovereignty was protected and the reward offered to the engineers after their tour of duty was a pre-emption of land at a very reasonable price.

One of the early settlers in Matsqui was John Cunningham Maclure, a former Royal Engineer who took up his pre-emption in 1868. In 1889, he applied for and received a crown grant on 160 acres of bush land that would later become the Village of Abbotsford. After 68 days of ownership, Mr. Maclure transferred title to his son, John Charles ("Charlie"), who sold the title just 67 days later to Robert Ward. Mr. Ward filed the town site subdivision plan on July 9, 1891. The "village" was named for a Maclure family friend, Harry Abbott, who was Western Superintendent of the C.P.R. The C.P.R. was granted right-of-way through the 160 acres on condition that they build a station there, ensuring that a town centre would grow at Abbotsford.

The development of the Abbotsford Lumber Company and other Trethewey family companies was closely correlated to the development of the town. The Trethewey family played an important role in the community and a home built by Joseph Ogle Trethewey in 1920 still stands, and is the home of the M.S.A. Museum at 2313 Ware Street.