Brighouse Park and Lacrosse Box

Brighouse Park was a gift from Richmond’s Agricultural and Industrial Society. The Society, formed in 1891 and within a decade began organizing agricultural fairs and May Day celebrations for the citizens of Richmond. In 1923, they purchased this six-acre parcel of land to use as an athletic field, later donating it to the municipality in 1939.

The lacrosse box in Brighouse Park was home of local teams as early as 1910. Lacrosse has been a popular and important sport in Richmond since the beginning of the twentieth century, and the City still serves as a major centre for box lacrosse in British Columbia. The Richmond Milkmaids, formed in 1917, became the first women’s lacrosse team in Canada.

Photo Credit: The Richmond Milkmaids, 1929. City of Richmond Archives #1977 7 3