On January 1, 1895, the District of Kent celebrated its first day as a municipality. Today, we celebrate its 125th anniversary.
There is a lot to cover in 125 years — a lot of stories that are worth telling about the people, places and events that have made the District of Kent such a unique place to live and work.
Choosing stories that would represent both the history of the community and the future of its people was not an easy task. After all, how can you capture more than 100 years of change in a mere 12 pages?
For this quasquicentennial souvenir edition of the Agassiz Harrison Observer, we decided that was an impossible challenge. So instead of a full-course meal of stories from Kent’s past, we offer you an appetizer platter that will hopefully tempt your palate and pique your interest.
Some of these stories you may have heard before: the arrival of the Agassiz family, for one, is a familiar tale for many from the area. But we hope that some will present new topics to you: the Indigenous people who came to Agassiz looking for the same prosperity later European settlers wanted, and the Chinese workers who helped build Agassiz into what it is today.
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Although the Observer is a one-reporter paper, this 125th anniversary edition was built on the efforts of many, many others.
A huge thank you has to go out to the volunteers and staff at the Agassiz-Harrison Museum for all their help in researching, writing and illustrating these stories. Without Luke Kelly, Karen Craig, Marlene Sand and of course Lindsay Foreman, this paper would not be what you see before you.
Another thank you must go out to Bev Kennedy, who provided reams of information from both the museum and the District of Kent 125th Anniversary Celebration Sub-Committee, and both Harvey Andrew and Richard Probert who answered our call for personal memories for this paper.
And finally, the biggest thank you must go out to all the residents of the District of Kent over the past 125 years and beyond. Without each of them living their lives in our community, we would never have anything interesting to write about.
– Grace Kennedy, editor
Want to read more about the history of the District of Kent for its 125th anniversary? Check out agassizharrisonobserver.com/tag/kent-125/.
grace.kennedy@ahobserver.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
