Deroche Community Hall

Description:

A one-story building on a large lot east of the Deroche village, the current Deroche Community Hall has served the Deroche and Nicomen Island communities as a centre for meetings, celebrations, and community gatherings since 1958. Two other halls prior to the hall that stands today were destroyed by fire.¹

History:

Misfortune struck in February of 1945 when the second Deroche Community Hall caught fire in the early morning hours following a dance, burned beyond salvation.⁹ Within days, plans were already in place to rebuild the community hall a third time.

On November 7, 1946, a payment of $600 was made by the Deroche & District Community Association to the Department of Indian Affairs when the Lakahamen Band, today known as Leq’á:mel First Nation, sold three acres of land for the construction of the new hall.¹⁰ The plot of land was central in the community, and the sale was made under the condition that “the land and [future] building would provide the community with community functions and activities.”¹¹ 

In 1948, the Association acquired a Royal Canadian Air Force building from Boundary Bay, which was shipped in sections to Deroche for reassembly at the beginning of 1949. Every Sunday, community members worked together at designated “building bees” to help reconstruct the hall. In the meantime, the Deroche & District Community Association rented different spaces, including the Parish and Dewdney Halls, for their gatherings.¹² Updates, meetings, and fundraisers continued until the hall was finally finished in 1958. The official opening of the long-awaited hall was celebrated with a dance on August 1st of that year.¹³

Long-time Mission resident and Deroche Community Hall manager Lloyd McKimmon recalls square dancing, floor hockey, volleyball, baseball, and community dances being held at the hall during the 1950s and 1960s. Community events such as the Strawberry Social in late spring during berry season and Fun Days, which served as a 2 day long fundraiser for the hall in the 1970s, were also popular. Today, the hall is used for birthdays, weddings, dances, and celebrations of life among other events. ¹⁴

People Associated with the Site:

After the second hall burned down, the Lakahamen Band sold part of their land in 1946 for the construction of a new Deroche Community Hall. Farmers, businessmen, and loggers were essential in constructing the hall over the years. 

The Deroche & District Community Association has been primarily in charge of managing the hall since the 1940s when they were officially formed and incorporated as a society in December of 1944. 

The Sasquatch Lions Club has also been affiliated with the hall over the years and has made significant donations towards its improvement. A decline in attendance at hall events and a shortage of volunteers led the Deroche & District Community Association to partner with the Lions to stay afloat in the mid-1980s and keep the hall doors open. ¹⁵ In 1984, the Sasquatch Lions Club and the Deroche-Lake Errock Community Association fundraised a new tennis court to be built on the grounds of the community hall. In April of 2005, the Lions Club celebrated its 25th anniversary at the hall, with guest speakers from the community and music by the Dewdney Elementary School band.¹⁶ The Lions currently operate the hall for the Deroche & District Community Association.¹⁷

The hall today receives plenty of local support, especially from the dairy community, families, and businesses, including the Deroche General Store. 

Architectural Features:

The present-day community hall is a large rectangular building, with a small adjoining entranceway at the south end. It is covered by a green, metal roof, which is gabled over the main section and has a lean-to style over the lower extensions on the western and northern sides. Two-tone siding, tan and beige, covers the exterior of the building with reddish-brown trim. The interior of the hall is a combination of wood siding and white painted walls, with a stage at the north end and a kitchen to the immediate left of the main entrance, which was renovated in recent years.²¹ A generator was recently installed in the building.

Landscape:

Located on the west side of Deroche’s village centre, the community hall is less than half a kilometre away from the Deroche General Store. It is nestled between the northern foothills of Deroche and Nicomen Mountains, facing south towards the Nicomen Slough and views of the Fraser Valley. A paved parking lot on the east side of the building separates the field from the road and a tennis court occupies the space between neighbouring properties to the west.²²  

Additional Information