F. The Rise of British Columbia 1843-99

From HCO Jr

Part 7. All Aboard for the West → A. Red River Settlement & Insurrection → B. National Policy & the CPR → C. North West Mounted Police → D. Aboriginal Treaties → E. North West Rebellion → F. Rise of British Columbia → G. Making a Western Home

British Columbia evolved in its own distinctive manner. Distant and isolated from the rest of Canada by the Rocky Mountains, British Columbia is in many ways unique. Prior to the changes brought on by the gold rush of the 1850s, the colony had less than fifty thousand people, most of them First Nations. The first Europeans arrived in the latter part of the eighteenth century. They began to establish trading links with the United States to the south, although a strong spirit of anti-Americanism permeated the region.

The Convention of 1818 established the forty-ninth parallel as the British North America-United States border from Lake of the Woods in the east to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the west. The land between the mountains and the Pacific was to be occupied under joint British-American supervision. In reality, the "British occupation" turned out to be that of the Hudson's Bay Company. The Company's governor, George Simpson, nicknamed "the Little Emperor," decided to make an anticipatory strike onto Vancouver Island before anyone else beat him to it.

Richard Blanshard

James Douglas

In March 1843, James Douglas, Chief Factor for the HBC in the western territory, scouted out several potential sites on Vancouver Island, finally deciding on what he called "a perfect Eden", in a place the local first nations called "Camosack", or "rush of water". He hired local Salish workers to build an outpost. He named it Fort Victoria, in honour of the young queen. Less than three months later, the town of Victoria was officially founded.

Six years later, in 1849, Vancouver Island was officially declared a colony of the British Empire, with Richard Blanshard as the first governor. Earlier in the same year, Britain renewed the Hudson's Bay Company's monopoly trade charter for a further ten years. The Company paid a fee of seven shillings per person and made a commitment to colonize the Island.

First Council of Vancouver Island, 1851

In 1851, James Douglas began his twelve-year tenure as the governor of British Columbia and Vancouver Island, replacing Blanshard.

To the south was the jointly occupied Oregon Territory. An immense track of land, abundant in a variety of mineral wealth it was desired by both sides. In 1844, James Polk, the Democratic Party candidate for the U.S. presidency, ran on a campaign slogan of "54.40 or fight! - and won. That effectively meant that the Americans claimed virtually all of the disputed Oregon Territory right up to Russian-owned Alaska. This all appeared to be part of "Manifest Destiny," the nineteenth century American belief that it was their God-given right to control all of North America.

The Oregon Settlement

The British countered with what appeared to be a reasonable compromise - the boundary line should be drawn at about the 45th parallel, along the Columbia River. The Americans continued their hard-line stance. Further, American settlers continued to stream into the area along the Lewis and Clark Trail. But the bravado worked as the Americans came out the big winners in the hastily negotiated Oregon Treaty.

The negotiators simply agreed to extend the 49th parallel straight across the mountains to the coast. Geographically, it was a very weak decision as the border ignored the natural flow of typography. Critically as well, Vancouver Island was located south of that decisive imaginary line. Simpson's decision to build Fort Victoria held significant consequences. It meant that the entire island, despite its location, would stay within British hands.

Victoria in about 1860

Victoria, 1862

Gold Fever and the Cariboo Road

HBC Fort Yale & Gold Hunter Camp, 1860

The development of the colony suddenly changed direction in 1857-58 with the discovery of gold at Langley, forty-eight kilometers up the Fraser River from the coast. Within a month, the first shipload of what would be 30 000 miners from California arrived. Victoria's population increased ten fold, from 500 to 5 000! More than 200 new commercial buildings sprang up in Victoria, the main jumping-off point for the gold-seekers.

The gold rush attracted immigrants from all round the world. For example, on the last day of June 1858, the first shipload of Chinese immigrants arrived. It also attracted violence, and in August 1858, a conflict - now called the Fraser River War - broke out between the aboriginal people, who had been taking out gold for centuries, and American militias. Only the the persuasive diplomacy of Chief Spintlum of the Nlaka’pamux First Nation prevented the war spreading down the Columbia River, which might have forced American military intervention.

Cariboo Gold Diggings

The influx of miners was so great it forced the British to create the last Crown Colony within the Empire on the mainland in November 1858. Governor Douglas passed regulations and licenses, hoping to control the wild stampede of the gold rush. His authority, however, did not in fact extend to the mainland, only to the island.

Finally Britain extended the control Douglas sought by creating a second Crown Colony, named British Columbia.

The Birth of British Columbia

On November 19, 1858, James Douglas, Governor of the Crown Colony of Vancouver Island, arrived at the HBC trading post of Fort Langley, 48 km up the Fraser River from the coast, on the SS Beaver.

In a ceremony in the Big House at Fort Langley, Douglas read the English Law Act proclamation creating the Crown Colony of British Columbia, and revoking the Hudson's Bay Company's exclusive privilege to trade in New Caledonia. He then resigned his position as Hudson's Bay Company Governor of Vancouver Island.

Douglas Arrives at Fort Langley

Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie, the newly appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, then swore in Douglas as the first Governor of the Crown Colony of British Columbia.

Douglas had to act quickly. Britain had conferred colonial status on BC to hold off US annexationists, and to bring the law to the gold miners swarming into the territory, formerly controlled by the HBC.

Douglas will bow to pressure on February 14, 1859, proclaimed the site of the capital to be New Westminster, BC.

The last British colony established in North America, the Crown Colony of British Columbia will last 13 years before joining Canada in 1871.

See: Victoria Gazette, Birth of British Columbia

Douglas could not resign his position with the HBC fast enough in order to become governor of both colonies. Land was surveyed, roads and infrastructure built and a mainland capital built.

The gold rush intensified when Billy Barker discovered gold on the Quesnel River, at a location that became known as Barkerville. The Cariboo gold rush had begun, and Matthew Baillie Begbie, the "hanging judge," was sent to the Cariboo to enforce law and order.

Moody and the Royal Engineers, Cariboo Road

British Columbians had not yet recovered from the first gold rush when this even bigger find was unearthed. The Cariboo valley was remote and virtually inaccessible. Douglas, however, quickly had a wagon road built into the area by Col. Richard Moody and the Royal Engineers.

Cariboo Road, 1867

The 650-km. Cariboo Road was a marvel of engineering. It was carved out of sheer rock, meandered through treacherous turns, spanned the notorious Hell's Gate, and included numerous breathtaking bridges and trestles.

The change brought on by the gold rush was not simply in the areas of population and demographics. Before, the economy had been heavily dependent on the fur trade. Now, mining became king. At the highpoint, there were over 20 000 prospectors plying their trade in B.C. Gold was the most important, but coal mining, forestry, and fishing also brought a more diverse economy, and prosperity.

The colonial government feasted on the good times by borrowing heavily to build infrastructure. However, tough times were ahead. By the mid-1860s, the gold rush had collapsed, forcing a sizeable migration out of the colony as well as throwing the economy into a recession.

New Westminster, 1869

Union With Vancouver Island

That economic downturn sparked talk of union between the island and mainland. Dual administrations simply were not economically viable. In 1866, at the same time other Canadian politicians were discussing Confederation, B.C. politicians and the public alike, were thinking a union of their own. The colony was a million dollars in debt. It had overextended itself with British banks during the boom times. The diminishing population could not carry such a heavy burden as more than half of every tax dollar went to interest payments on the debt.

First BC Stamp, 1865

Some British Columbians suggested a merger with the United States was the sensible route to go. One hundred and forty people, mostly merchants and traders, signed an Annexation Manifesto supporting that proposition. But that idea was quickly rejected in the face of the very "British-ness of British Columbia.

Others proposed that each of the western colonies should have their own responsible government - similar to those discussed at the conferences in Charlottetown and Quebec in 1864. The resolution to the crisis was found by combining Vancouver Island and the mainland into one colony, to be administered by Governor Douglas and his appointed council.

First Legislative Council of BC

On January 24, 1867, Douglas met the first Legislative Council of the United Colony of British Columbia in the Legislative Hall, formerly the main Barracks of the Royal Engineers in New Westminster. They quickly discovered that their own union was not the panacea originally envisioned. The debt remained, as did the recession. Something more drastic was required.

Talk again stirred about annexation with their southern neighbour. Natural ties of geography, commerce, and trade appeared to favour that option. Prominent Americans very publicly and frequently approved of that choice. However, once again a strong strain of anti-Americanism prevented such a radical alternative from being adopted.

Two newspaper publishers turned politicians began leading the call for something even more radical - joining with the newly created Canada. John Robson and the colourful Amor de Cosmos, both having earlier supported greater self-government for B.C., were the most vocal champions of the Canada option. That alternative, however, appeared doomed even before it began. The barrier to communication, commerce, and transportation posed by the mountains, the prairies, and the distance seemed insurmountable. Did British Columbia want to become embroiled in the seemingly endless conflict between the French and the English? And what of the tiny market that Canada provided? To many B.C. merchants it looked too small to sustain their prosperity. Finally, the current BC governor, Frederick Seymour, was staunchly opposed to the idea . It simply smacked of disloyalty to England.

Union With Canada

Amor de Cosmos

In 1868, de Cosmos founded the Confederation League and convened the Yale Conference, which was attended by twenty-six delegates who committed themselves to working for union with Canada, as well as the creation of fully responsible government. There was, however, considerable opposition to union , especially within the upper levels of the government. Many officials, most of them un-elected, were concerned about both holding on to their positions as well as their pensions should union come.

A major impediment to joining Canada was removed, however, when Governor Seymour died in 1869 and was replaced by Anthony Musgrave, a staunch supporter of union. It was Amor de Cosmos who was the main catalyst for joining Canada.

Born plain William Smith in Nova Scotia, de Cosmos renamed and reinvented himself after a checkered past that included a stint in the California gold fields. Founder of the ;British Colonist" newspaper, de Cosmos worked tirelessly to promote the option of joining Canada. Other newspapers joined his cause. He founded his own political movement - appropriately named the Canada Party.

Another barrier to union was removed in 1869 when the Canadian government purchased Rupert's Land from the Hudson's Bay Company. In March 1870, after assuring the non-elected members of the government that their positions and pensions would be secure after British Columbia became part of Canada, the legislature began the Confederation debates.

After an intense month-long debate, the most contentious issue being whether or not there should be responsible government after union, the terms of B.C.'s entry were agreed upon with only one dissenting vote. A three-man delegation was sent to Ottawa to negotiate the final conditions of union.

British Columbia Coat of Arms

Somewhat to their surprise, the delegates found the Canadians obliging and accommodating. Cartier promised that the central government would pay a per capita subsidy, assume the provincial debt, pay pensions for the outgoing non-elected B.C. officials who would lose their positions, and grant Canada's sixth province six M.P.'s and three senators. The new province retained control over most crown lands within its borders. But the real shock came with a staggering Canadian commitment.

SEE: John Helmcken, Diary of the BC Confederation Negotiations, June 27 Entry.

After thinking that at best they could get in the way of a transportation link with the rest of Canada was a wagon road through the mountains, Cartier amazed the B.C. contingent with his generosity. He promised the delegates a transcontinental railway, to be started within two years of British Columbia's entrance into Canada and completed within ten years. The delegates were overwhelmed and hastily agreed. The reconstituted B.C. Assembly passed all the terms and in July 1871, Canada's sixth province was born.

The first Premier of the new province was John McGreight, although he was replaced a year later by Amor de Cosmos.

The transcontinental railway became a major source of friction. According to Macdonald's earlier promise, construction should have begun no later than July 1873. However, difficulties intervened. Macdonald and his Conservatives had been kicked out of office in the wake of the Pacific Scandal. It had involved Macdonald accepting bribes from entrepreneur Hugh Allan in return for awarding him the contract to build the railway.

Macdonald lost the election to Alexander Mackenzie who formed the first Liberal administration in Canadian history. His term in office coincided with the onset of a worldwide depression, which meant plans for the transcontinental railway had to be postponed. Ironically, de Cosmos, the man who had championed the idea of union with Canada so strongly, demanded that if the railway were not begun immediately, British Columbia would seek annexation with the United States.,p>

Nothing was forthcoming from Ottawa, so in 1878, the British Columbia legislature voted in favour of secession from Canada. That proved to be the impetus to get the railway started. Building the Canadian Pacific Railway was a marvel of engineering and construction. On November 7, 1885 at Craigellachie in the Eagle Pass, B.C., the last spike was finally driven in, five years behind schedule.

Victoria Harbour, 1885

The Arrival of Canadian Pacific

First Train into Vancouver

With the completion of the CPR came the explosive growth of its terminal on the Pacific - Vancouver. On January 15, 1886, the first issue of the Vancouver Weekly Herald and North Pacific News was published. Vancouver was incorporated as a city on April 6, and on May 3, M.A. Maclean was elected first mayor. Three weeks later, on May 23, Vancouverites cheered when Canadian Pacific Railway Engine 374 became the first to steam into the new West Coast terminal along the harbour.

The joy was short lived. On June 13, a fire wiped out much of the settlement, destroying nearly 1,000 buildings, and killing 50 people. Only 4 houses were left standing; rebuilding began within days, helped by the recent arrival in the city of the CPR, which brought lumber and supplies.

A year later, on July 4, 1886, the link with Eastern Canada became real, and a crowd of 1500 British Columbians cheered, as the Pacific Express, the CPR's first scheduled transcontinental passenger train from Montreal, rolled into Port Moody, the western terminal of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The journey had taken five and a half days. By the end of the year, an all-Canadian telegraph system opened for regular traffic. The first official inaugural message was sent from New Westminster to Canso, Nova Scotia, in three minutes, and then relayed to England by submarine cable.

First Transcontinental Train

Macdonald and Wife in BC

Prime Minister John A. MacDonald and his wife Lady Agnes also came west to see the sights, and on August 13, 1886, at Nanaimo, he drove in the last spike of the Esquimault-Nanaimo Railway.

The Canadian Pacific Company's sights did not stop at the Pacific. On February 11, 1887, they started their Pacific steamship service to the Orient. On June 14, the CP steamer Abyssinia, out of Yokohama, Japan, became the first passenger ship from the Orient to dock at Vancouver.

Empress of China

Vancouver, Georgia St. 1886

The company also forged ahead with its hotel development, and on May 16, 1888, President W. C. Van Horne opened the Canadian Pacific Railway's new Hotel Vancouver. Three years later, on February 9, 1891, the CPR opened its new $200,000 Vancouver Opera House with a performance of Wagner's Lohengrin by the Emma Juch English Opera company. On April 29, the CP steamship Empress of India arrived in Vancouver from Yokohama to open regular service to the Far East; it broke the record Pacific crossing by two days.

As the century closed, news of the Yukon's Klondike gold strike reached the outside world, and on May 6, 1898, the Yukon Field Force left Vancouver for Dawson to keep law and order in the gold fields and assert Canadian sovereignty. The force consisted of 203 volunteers from the local Canadian Militia and Permanent Force commanded by T. D. Evans.

The century ended on a tragic note for BC, when on the night of September 11, 1898, a fire destroyed the city of New Westminster.