An Irishman, Paul Murray arrived in B.C. with his wife and family from Ontario in 1884, and settled near Fort Langley, at what became Murrayville, beside theYale Road The Murray's had 3 boys and 4 girls. Billy Murray, the eldest son built the first hotel on the southeast corner of the preemption, in 1887. The hotel has been restored and is today a Bed & Breakfast. Today the Encyclopedia of B.C., p.479, describes Murrayville as: "formerly known as Murray's Corners it was an agricultural and residential suburb of Langley municipality 25km southeast of New Westminster. It was named after Paul Murray, who settled there in 1874 and built a hotel on the original Yale Road. A sawmill and store were established in the 1880s. The community was the commercial centre of Langley in the early 1900s and site of the municipal hall and high school before economic power shifted to Langley Prairie."
Paul Murray one of the earliest settlers in Langley (Credit: Donald E. Waite, Maple Ridge, B.C.)
The Traveller's Hotel, still in use today as a bed and breakfast stop, was the Murray's home at Five Corners in the middle of modern Langley. (credit: Branwen C. Patenaude, Quesnel)
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All text and images
© Quesnel & District Museum and Archives unless otherwise
noted. Thanks to the B.C. Archives for permission to show various
images. Thanks to the BC Encyclopedia for permission to quote information
on the roadhouse communities. Thanks to the Living Landscapes Project,
the Royal British Columbia Museum, Ministry of Community, Aboriginal
and Women's Services for their support of site development.
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