People uprooted from Mount Lehman (80)

Mount Lehman, now a community within Abbotsford, was was first settled some time in the 1860s or early 1870s by Alben Hawkins. Additional settlers, including Samuel and Isaac Lehman, claimed pre-empted land between 1874 and 1875, and the community grew steadily. In 1892, it became part of the District of Matsqui. A wharf—Lehman’s Landing—was built on the Fraser River, a general store opened by 1883, and the first school opened in 1884.

Logging remained the primary industry until 1910, when the BC Electric Railway Company established a station on its Interurban line at Mount Lehman. The community subsequently developed a strong agricultural economy focused on dairy and vegetable production. By the 1930s, Mount Lehman had several stores and businesses, along with a library.

Japanese Canadians began settling in the area around 1913. By the 1920s, approximately six Japanese Canadian families lived in Mount Lehman. The community included a small Japanese language school, and some non-Japanese residents learned Japanese to foster better understanding of their neighbours. Many Japanese Canadian families owned berry and vegetable farms, and their children attended the local public schools.