The Junction
The Junction is an area that went by many names. Depending on who you ask, the Junction may be referred to as the “Empire Junction,” “White House Corner” or “Highway Junction” as it once was a point where two major highways met. Today, The Junction covers the area from King George Boulevard and 98 Avenue, to near the King George Skytrain station.
Before the Junction
Before any businesses or buildings were built, the land was occupied by a blackberry field. Eventually, as more people began to move into the area, businesses and houses were built where shrubbery once was.
1921: White House Corner
In the spring of 1921, the opening of the first gas station in Whalley (what is now Surrey City Centre) was announced. This gas station opened 5 years before Arthur Whalley of Whalley’s Corner opened his service station. The owners of the gas station were named David Franklin MacDonald and Calvin Thomson.2 Along with the gas station, the two of them developed a grocery store, restaurant, and dance hall.2 Due to their successful business and its location along Pacific Highway (what is now King George Highway), the area became known as “White House Corner.2” In 1928, the service station was taken over by a man known as “Happy Mac” MacLaren.3
Empire Junction
Near the white house, various businesses opened. Pacific Stage Lines, a stagecoach company, had a stop at the junction. The stop was called “Empire Junction.” It was one of the main ways locals travelled from Surrey to New Westminster and Vancouver. Surrey, especially the Whalley area, was a growing district. For a while, people would have to travel outside of Surrey to do their shopping or to visit family.
Late 1940s (1948-1949): Polaris Dine and Dance
In the late 1940s, there was a dance hall open in the area known as “Polaris Dine and Dance.4” It had a jukebox that guests could use to dance to music. Events such as wedding receptions and graduation celebrations took place at the hall.5 Have you used a jukebox before?
1974: The Trading Post Cabaret
In 1974 the Surrey Inn and Travelodge officially opened for business. It had a cabaret called “The Trading Post Cabaret” that was open on Friday and Saturday nights until 1:00 am.6 Back then, cover was only $2 to enter and gentlemen were required to wear jackets.6 Many locals remember spending a lot of time at the cabaret which went by many names over the years. In the 80s especially, many people spent their time at the bar, enjoying $4 beers with friends.
The 90s to Current Day
In the 90s, a local band named “Worms Hate Rain,” would frequently perform for the jam nights at the bar. They continued to do so up until the hotel’s closing in 2013.7 The Surrey Inn went through many changes from its opening, changing into the Days Inn in 2000 and the Compass Inn in 2008.7 Ultimately, many locals that frequented the hotel remember it as being the Surrey Inn, a comforting home away from home.
Footnotes
1 T. Zillich, ‘Time to check out’, The Surrey Now-Leader, 2013, 18-19.
2 ‘White House Service Station – First Gas Station on the Paved Pacific Highway’, Opposite the City, 2015, (accessed August 11, 2021), (accessed 26 July 2021).
4‘Weddings’, The Surrey Leader, 1948, pp. 10.
5‘Queen Elizabeth High’, The Surrey Leader, 1948.
6‘Welcome to the Surrey Inn’, The Surrey Leader, 1974, pp. 4.
7‘Last checkout looms at the old Surrey Inn’, The Surrey Leader, 2013.