First Nation peoples historically hunted and trapped for furs and regularly traded among themselves. When Europeans arrived, they brought new trade goods along with a desire for furs and so it was a natural arrangement to participate in fur trading with the First Nations. The North West Company trading posts, located along waterways, played an important role as a meeting point for trading furs for goods and supplies.It wasn’t long before the European demand for fur grew so much that the British and French fur traders began to trap furs for themselves. Because of this, the Hudson’s Bay Company expanded west of the Rockies and created outposts to support the trappers and traders. There were three fur trade posts on the Fraser River. Nearest the river source, North West Company’s Fort Fraser at Fraser Lake was established in 1806 by Simon Fraser. North West Company’s Fort George at Prince George was established in 1807 and lastly the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Fort Langley was established in 1827. Fort Langley is now a National Historic Site located in the village community of Fort Langley.
When the boundary between the US and Canada was finally settled as 49N, Governor Sir James Douglas chose Fort Langley as the provisional colonial capital. Thus, it’s moniker of the birthplace of British Columbia.