TOWARD THE

PACIFIC COAST
C

Cluster 2 British North America

Pacific
Northwest

Rupert's Land

The Rising of Importance of the

Pacific Coast

British, Russian and Spanish Imperialism

Details
Russian empire owned Alaska at this
time was sending fur traders down
the coast

Spain stated it owned the Pacific

Coast from San Francisco to Alaska
Britain disputed Spain's claim, the
Navy still searching for a NW Passage
and the HBC still wanted to pursue
trade further west.

Impact /Consequences
1789 -Britain sent an expedition to the
Pacific.

The ship Discovery commanded by

George Vancouver was sent to receive
the surrender of a Spanish post in BC
Vancouver made detailed maps of the
Pacific Coast and a series of
agreements with Spain.
Spain Surrendered its claim on the
Pacific coast to Britain

Imperialism - - is a policy (way of governing) in which large or powerful countries

seek to extend their authority beyond their own borders.

Explorations of : Peter Pond, Alexander

Mackenzie, Simon Fraser and David
Thompson pg. 159
Details

Impact/ Consequences

Peter Pond 1st to explore canoe

routes in the Lake Athabasca Region

Solidified Britain's claim to the land

West of the Prairies.

Alexander Mackenzie 1st European to

travel across North America North of
Mexico

Gained knowledge of the land and

open the way for settlers

Simon Fraser 1st European to establish

settlement in Fraser river Area ( BC)
David Thompson mapped over 3.9
million square kms of North America

Created contact with first nations

people to benefit the Fur trade

Expansion of HBC and the Interest in

the west by the province of Canada
Details

Impact/ Consequences

HBC expands west and establishes more

outposts trying to expand its monopoly
Fort Victoria 1843

The Citizens in Canada East and West

put pressure on the government to
acquire Rupert's Land from the HBC

With the influx of Loyalists from the states

and all the best farmland already taken,
Immigrants started to look to the west for
the resources it had to get raw materials
for manufactured goods

Province of Canada needs to assess

the value of the West

The Province of Canada started lobbying

the colonial government to take over the
land form the HBC

Palliser and Hind Expeditions

Details
Funded by HBC and British Colonial
Office
Palliser -Sent to collect data on first
nations, if transportation would be
possible, to see if the region could be
farmed
Hind mapped Manitoba and
Saskatchewan

Impact/Consequences
Found good farm land
Transportation to it was possible a
good place for immigration
Made the Province of Canada eager
to Annex the land from the HBC

Threat of US Expansion
Details

Impact/ Consequences

Both Britain and US laid claim to the

Pacific North West

Britain and the HBC dont want the USA

to annex the Pacific Northwest

1820s and 1830s they had joint control

HBC establishes the colonies of

Vancouver Island and British Columbia
to solidify their claim North of the 49th
parallel.

USA under president James Polk

eventually wanted ALL of the
Northwest to the 59th parallel
Britain didnt recognize this claim

Eventual compromise of the 49th

parallel

The Gold Rush

Details
The USA wanted the PNW because of
the 1858 discovery of gold in the
Thompson and Cariboo Rivers

1000s of miners rushed to the Fraser

River area making it Canadas 1st
gold rush.

Impact/ Consequence
Caused population to explode in the
area

Caused roads to be built for easier

access for immigration
Solidified British Control over the region.

Fraser Canyon War

Details
American miners flooded the areawhere First Nations lived, miners often
being drunk and rowdy

This caused fights and violence with

the First Nations in the area
Started the Fraser Canyon War in the
winter of 1858-1859

Impact/ Consequences
6 Treaties for peace had to be signed
Snyder Treaties

First nations people died contracted

diseases from Europeans

Dispossession of First Nations

Details
2 things had the largest impact on First
Nations in the Pacific Northwest
1: intense fur trading from 1821-1840

2: The Gold Rush

Impact/ Consequence
Fur trade- caused first nations to
abandon their traditional homeland for
land closer to the forts brought disease
and banned traditional ceremonies
Potlach
Gold Rush- brought disease and war to
tribes living in the PNW.
In 3 years 20,000 first nations people had
died
Governor Douglas of the colonies ( BC
and Van Islnd) told first nations they could
only live on the reserves if they adopted a
European way of life farming.

The Road to Confederation

1867

Reasons for Confederation

1:Political Deadlock
2: Trade
3: Economic Problems