What’s in a road name? Surrey Historical Society to release new book on old city street names
Published 9:30 pm Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Does the name Clover Valley Road sound familiar? What about Hall’s Prairie Road, or Latimer Road?
Historically, the roads in Surrey had names. That changed in 1957 when the city decided to move over to a numbered system.
Some of that history has been preserved—such as in historical signs that note Hall’s Prairie Road, Bose Road, and Latimer Road—but some of that history has been lost too.
The Surrey historical Society (SHS) set out on a quest at the beginning of 2025 to preserve some of that road missing history. Now, they are releasing a new book called “Driving in Surrey – A History of Surrey Roads Prior to 1957.”
Evelyn Wedley, president of SHS, told the Cloverdale Reporter a draft of the book is now at the publishers. She hopes it’ll be printed and ready to go by Sept. 26.
“We have been gathering information and doing research for close to two years,” Wedley said.
The journey from idea to bound book began when someone from Ireland asked for information about a relative who lived in Surrey in the past. The person thought Thomas Road (now 182nd Street) had been named after that relative.
Wedley, said she and her fellow society members had trouble finding information about the person at first.
“The staff at the (Surrey) Archives did a deep dive and found him,” Wedley revealed. “At that time, we decided that some of our history was lost, or at least hard to find, and we should try to remedy that.”
Thus, the idea for the book was born.
To celebrate the release, the SHS is holding a book launch at the 1881 Town Hall on the Museum of Surrey’s heritage campus on Sept. 26.
The event will kick off with and a book introduction and a special powerpoint presentation. SHS will have displays set up and will have refreshments for all attendees.
Wedley said they’re also looking for people to send in stories about their early driving experiences in the city. Perhaps getting a license, or any strange memories they have, either positive or negative.
“We will do a random draw for a copy of the book.”
The book launch will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 26. People are asked to RSVP to eewedley@yahoo.ca, if they plan on attending.