In 1924, having received an application from the Township of Chilliwhack and the City of Chilliwack, the federal Department of Lands announced its intention of having the area surrounding Cultus lake disposed of as a free grant for park purposes. Accordingly, an agreement was drawn up between the Township and the City as joint owners of the 123.6 acre Cultus Lake Recreation Ground at the north end of Cultus Lake. Originally the park was managed by a committee of 7 members: 3 from the Township, 2 from the City and one taxpayer from each jurisdiction. The committee managed the concessions, leases, and the campgrounds. In 1932, however, the Cultus Lake Park Act was introduced and passed as a private members bill in the Provincial Legislature. The Cultus Lake Park Board was thus established as an elected body, independent of the Township and the City, with similar powers to grant concessions and licenses and to remove trespassers, powers which still exist today.
published
BCAUL control number: CHI-1336
The fonds consists of five series. The Correspondence series tracks the development of the park and extends only until the end of the 1920's. The Legal Correspondence and the Subject Files series were also created during the park's early history. The Minutes series and the Financial Statements series of the Park Board extend for the most protracted period of time and reveal the activities of the Park Board after World War II.