Paterson Park (Delta, British Columbia)

Canada / British Columbia / Vancouver / Delta, British Columbia
 park, place with historical importance
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This land was initially acquired at the turn of the last century by the Delta Agricultural society from the Trennant Public School reserve for use as an agricultural show ground. To further one of their goals to improve the breeding of horses, the land was developed into a harness racing track. Races were held until 1968. In the 90s, portions of the land were sold to Kwantlen College and the Corporation of delta.

(www.memorybc.ca/informationobject/show/rad/13244)
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   49°5'20"N   123°3'36"W

Comments

  • I added this because I've been curious about this plot of land for a while. On the ground it doesn't look very park-ish. The large track is sometimes used by walkers but isn't that well-maintained. The field in the centre is frequently overgrown. There isn't any signage around the park, so until I did some digging, the whole site was a bit of a mystery. I'm sure that others have wondered about it, so I put this info here for them.
  • I grew up across the street from the park and was fortunate to be able to hear and see a few races there as a young child. The park was once a hot bed of harness racing and a training track in later years. It has a history in Ladner going back to at least 1906. There are some amazing photos avilable at the Delta museum and Archives. The land has been controversial for many years as there had been offers to develop the site both as a shopping center and other uses. The development has been seen by the local business community in Ladner as a threat to the downtown core of business, thus the lack of urgency to see it developed for commercial use. My personal opinion is that it should be bought and preserved as a historical site and the land used as greenspace by the Corporation of Delta. It would be nice to see the history of that property celebrated for the agricultural and historical significance the property has. As someone who has moved away from the village and recently had the chance to return for a visit it seems a shame that this property is going to waste.
  • You may have read about Kwantlen University's desire to sell Delta's Paterson Park (at Ladner Trunk & Hwy 17 corner) to a private developer as reported in the local media in 2012, thereby abandoning their original promise to create a post secondary college in Delta. The community group Paterson Park for Deltans is raising awareness on this issue to encourage the Corp of Delta to acquire this property. Some in the community feel something natural, historic, green &/or farm-focused like a farmers' market, seniors' housing, etc. might be good on that site. We posted a petition online to get the community's input into this Delta land use issue. (Link enclosed) There is room on the petition to add one's own suggestions. At this stage, it is important to first secure the land for the public. Would you be able to sign the petition & also circulate to your contacts? http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-public-ownership-of-paterson-park-delta.html We also have a Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/PatersonParkForDeltans
  • I have signed the online petition. It seems to me many people feel the same way about the site being preserved. I would love to see some return of structure to the park as either a rebuilt grandstand or bleachers with a heritage site dedicated to the racing history and the agricultural events that once were held there. With the close access by road or transit this site would make a terrific site for fairs, art events, possibly even horse racing again. It would be amazing to see the horses race here again.
This article was last modified 16 years ago