Cities: Agassiz & Harrison Hot Springs
Harrison Hot Springs is a resort village of under one thousand people, and offers natural beauty and the ambience nestled at the foot of a mountain lake. Harrison Hot Springs is situated at the southern end of 60 km long Harrison Lake. Harrison Hot Springs takes its name from Harrison Lake, named by Governor Simpson of the Hudson's Bay Company after its then Deputy Governor Benjamin Harrison.
This is the largest lake in the Lower Mainland and has water access to the Pacific Ocean via the Harrison and Fraser Rivers. The beach is ideal for sunbathing and the lagoon provides a protected warm-water spot for swimming. With 200 km of shoreline, pristine Harrison Lake is popular with a range of boaters. Motor boaters tour the entire length of the lake, while canoeists and small-boaters will enjoy the more protected quarters of the Harrison River. Windsurfers pick-up the afternoon winds right off the beach. Harrison Lake beach hosts world-class sand sculptures each September.
Nature lovers love Harrison Lake. Watch beavers at work and play by the Miami River banks and along the Beaver Pond Trail. Harrison Lake is a major resting area on the north-south migration path, and the Harrison River is the second largest home for bald eagles in North America. Agassiz (pronounced Aga-a-cee) is part of Kent, and the town is being revitalized on a turn-of-the-century architectural theme. The two main streets of the village make for a very pleasant stroll and shopping. The Aberdeen has visitor information and provides public washrooms in summer season. Lewis Nunn Agassiz who was a Cariboo Gold Rush prospector, settled in the area in 1867, and soon added the first store and post office. The fertile land grew hops, corn and as used for dairy farming. When the Canadian Pacific Railway was constructed in 1885, the local station was named "Agassiz." In 1888, the Aberdeen Hotel was built, and was named after Lord and Lady Aberdeen of Scotland, after their stay at the hotel. In 1895, the area of Harrison Mills, to the east of the Harrison River, became a municipality, and was settled by many Englishmen who likened the hops growing area to Kent County, England. In 1901 the Agassiz-Rosedale Ferry established links across the Fraser River, and the area began to grow. In 1928 the population topped 1300. In 1948, the second largest flood of the century connected Harrison Lake with the Fraser River and flooded most of the town sites. After the flood of 1948, the area shifted from hops (used for beer manufacture) to corn, and Agassiz soon became known as the "Corn Capital of BC." The next year, the Village of Harrison Hot Springs was incorporated at the foot of Harrison Lake. Annual Events:
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This is the largest lake in the Lower Mainland and has water access to the Pacific Ocean via the Harrison and Fraser Rivers. The beach is ideal for sunbathing and the lagoon provides a protected warm-water spot for swimming. With 200 km of shoreline, pristine Harrison Lake is popular with a range of boaters. Motor boaters tour the entire length of the lake, while canoeists and small-boaters will enjoy the more protected quarters of the Harrison River. Windsurfers pick-up the afternoon winds right off the beach. Harrison Lake beach hosts world-class sand sculptures each September.
