Description of Historic Place

Jackson Farm is part of a former farm site in the Albion neighbourhood of Maple Ridge, B.C. Part of the farm is now a community park; all of the original buildings have been demolished, but the landscape retains remnants of its agricultural features. The rolling farm site has a panoramic outlook to the west, over a downslope coniferous forest.

Heritage Value

Jackson Farm has historic and social value for its associations with the early agricultural development of Maple Ridge, the establishment of the local Finnish community, for its representation of an agricultural landscape, and as a community park and open space.

The establishment of Jackson Farm occurred at a time when European settlers were attracted to Maple Ridge by its fertile land and rich agricultural opportunities. John Jackson, who originally immigrated to the United States from Finland, had changed his Finnish name, Hyvari, to 'Jackson.' From the United States, John went to Vancouver Island, where he worked as a miner. He travelled with two of his friends to Maple Ridge to inspect the land, and bought this property from William Wales in 1901. Wales (1856-1928) had received the land grant for this eighty-acre property in Albion in 1895, planted an orchard of fruit trees and built a small house. The Jacksons lived there until they built a larger new house in 1915. For the family's main income, John Jackson worked hauling gravel for municipal road building projects, and cleared his land with a team of horses. At one time the family had seventy milk cows as well as an extensive orchard. The Jackson family included seven children; their son Vaino, known as 'Vin,' took over the family farm and lived there until his death in 1996.

Once the farming activities were abandoned, part of the farm was developed for residential use, but a portion remains as a community park. Although the land is no longer cultivated and the original structures have been demolished, throughout the landscape there are remnant plantings that have survived. Today, the remaining portion of Jackson Farm is a much-valued community park and open space.

SOURCE: Maple Ridge Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of Jackson Farm include its:
- location in Albion, the site of early agricultural activities in Maple Ridge
- rolling landscape with open area on the high lands to the east, and panoramic views over the downslope coniferous forest to the west
- remnants of original agricultural crops such as fruit trees and other garden plantings