Kilby Provincial Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kilby Provincial Park |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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Kilby Hotel and General Store
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 Kilby Provincial Park
Location in British Columbia
Kilby Provincial Park
Location in Fraser Valley Regional District
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| Location | Harrison Mills, British Columbia, Canada |
| Established | 28 August 1973 |
| Governing body | BC Parks |
Kilby Provincial Park is a special natural area in British Columbia, Canada. It's a provincial park where people can enjoy nature. The park is found in Harrison Mills. It sits right on the Harrison River, looking over Harrison Bay. This area is in the Upper Fraser Valley of southwestern British Columbia.
The park covers about 3 hectares (7.4 acres). It has 30 places where you can set up a campsite. There's also a place to launch your boat. In summer, you can enjoy a sandy beach. In fall and winter, it's a great spot to see bald eagles. You can also watch trumpeter swans migrating from Alaska.
Contents
Kilby Provincial Park: A Step Back in Time
Kilby Provincial Park is not just about nature. It's also home to the Kilby Historic Site. This site is like a "living history" museum. It shows what life was like in the early days of the Fraser Valley.
Discovering the Historic Site
The historic site is also about 3 hectares (7.4 acres). It features a heritage farm. You can visit the 1906 General Store Museum. There's also the Manchester House Hotel & Post Office. People dressed in old-fashioned clothes work there. They help bring the past to life. You can also meet friendly farm animals. Kids can play in the orchard playground.
The main building is the old General store. It was first built as a "temperance hotel." This means it was a hotel that did not serve alcohol. It was built on pilings, which are like tall stilts. A ramp connected it to the railway station. This ramp led to the second floor of the hotel.
The Kilby General Store Story
Thomas and Eliza Kilby changed the hotel into a general store in 1906. Their son, Acton, started helping in 1922. He took over the store when his father Thomas passed away in 1928. Acton and his wife Jessie ran the store until 1977.
In 1926, cars started to become popular in Harrison Mills. The Kilbys added gravity-fed gas pumps. These pumps served travelers until 1977. In 1973, Acton received a special award. It was a plaque from Imperial Oil for his fifty years of service.
Life on the Floodplain
The General Store and other buildings are on a flood plain. This is a flat area near a river that can flood. Because of this, the buildings were built higher up. They were connected by boardwalks.
Today, visitors can see many old products in the store. It's like stepping back in time. You can also get involved with the farm's old tools and its current livestock. This includes farm animals like cows or chickens.
See also
In Spanish: Parque provincial Kilby para niños
