Deroche is an unincorporated community at the foot of Nicomen Mountain in the Fraser Valley region of southwestern British Columbia.
In the early 1860s, Joseph Deroche, who primarily operated a freight business, discovered Nicomen Island was suitable for wintering his cattle.
[2] The first resident on the northern part of the island, his farming involvement gradually increased and freighting phased out.
[3] In 1868, he pre-empted 65 hectares (160 acres)[4] but focussed on another property during the late 1870s, which by the 1880s bordered the Nicomen train station.
[6] The early community, which straddled both sides of the slough, was originally called North Nicomen but was renamed Deroche in 1891.
[12] The 1894 wooden bridge comprised three 13-metre (44 ft) spans,[13] but the approaches required immediate repair after the flood that year.
Centre Rd, now called Nicomen Island Trunk Rd, existed by 1908 but seasonally reverted to deep mud.
[12] In 1916, the Dewdney Trunk Road eastward from the Stave River to the Deroche bridge was completed.
[27] Apart from the Leqʼ a꞉ mel reserve to the west, the main core of Deroche was still undeveloped prior to William Charters receiving the land as part of a Crown grant in 1892.
[33] In 1908, the Kelliher Sawmill was established between the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) track and the bridge,[34] where bunkhouses provided accommodation.
[38] That year, St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church was rebuilt and the Presbyterians acquired the old school building.
[41] Grace Morton operated a small dry goods store from the front of her house 1922–1925.
[43] About this time, Charles Cooper installed Imperial Oil gas pumps at his store and erected some tourist cabins.
[47] Frank and Norah Staines opened the Bi-Rite Store in 1942, which new owner Vic Crosby converted into a coffee bar in 1947.
[53] In 1922, a westbound CP passenger train smashed into an automobile on a private railway crossing about 3 kilometres (2 mi) west.
[69] Central infrastructure includes a community hall, general store, garage/gas station, and other small commercial enterprises.
One safely landed, but the other finished upside down in the slough near Deroche, claiming the lives of the pilot and passenger.
The water system serves the community of Deroche, which is in Electoral Area G of the regional district.
The system was changed over to a groundwater well source, dramatically improving water quality and supply reliability.