07/10/2019

Early European History

 Spanish and British explorers – Perez, Cook, Quadra,
Vancouver, Malaspina, Valdes, Galiano, etc. in the late 1700s.
There is speculation that Sir Francis Drake may have visited
the coast of BC in 1579 (See Sam Bawlf, The Secret Voyage
of Sir Francis Drake)
Geography 1160  The many place names on the BC coast are evidence of these
names. Do you know where some of these are?
 Sea otter pelt trade with China was a major incentive for early
explorers and there was competition between the British,
Early European Colonization Spanish and Russians for land and furs. Even Americans from
the Boston area came looking for sea otter pelts.
and the Gold Rush  Trade was with the coastal indigenous peoples
 Explorers also pushed westward from the Prairies, looking for
furs, potential routes to the Pacific Ocean.
 Start of globalization for BC.

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 In the interior of the province, two companies

dominated the fur trade (beaver) – North West
Company and Hudson’s Bay Company.
 Simon Fraser, David Thompson and Alexander
Mackenzie were all explorers for the North West
Company who were looking for good places to locate
trading forts and routes. Alexander Mackenzie is
credited as being the first European to cross N.A. and
reach the Pacific Ocean by land at Bella Coola in July
1793.
 In 1821, the Hudson’s Bay Company bought out the
North West Company. It’s important to realize that
by the time these companies got to B.C. that the fur
trade had been operating for almost 200 years in MacKenzie’s inscription on a rock above what is now Bella Coola
eastern and central Canada. By the 1800s the
industry was starting to decline. Fur hats and coats
went out of style in Europe.

 During these times (early 1800s) forts were

established run by Fort Factors who applied
British law.
 BC was not a colony at this time, it was more
of a free-trade zone

Early Fur Trading Forts

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 In 1818 (Anglo-American Convention) there was a

treaty between the U.S. and Britain which determined
that the 49th parallel would be the boundary, but it
only went west to the Rocky Mountains. To the west
of the Rockies, the area was considered Oregon
Territory by the U.S. (from Alaska Panhandle to
Columbia River).
 U.S. government leaders and many supporters in the
1840’s believed in “manifest destiny” – the right or
destiny of the U.S. to expand within North America
(continental expansion). It became an election issue
in the presidential election of 1844 – 54/40 or fight!
54 degrees 40 minutes N was promoted as the border!

 1846 – Oregon Treaty (also known as Treaty of

Washington) signed between Great Britain and U.S.
 The boundary between Canada and the United States
was set at the 49th parallel, from the Rocky
Mountains to the coast; the line was extended
southward through the Gulf Islands and then followed
the mid-point through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to
the Pacific Ocean
 Navigation through the Gulf Islands and the Strait of
Juan de Fuca was to be ensured for both nations.
 In 1849 the HBC was given jurisdiction over
the area by the British Government. Part of
the “deal” was that the HBC had to establish a
colony that included Vancouver Island and the
Queen Charlotte Islands. The rest of the
province was called New Caledonia.
 1851 – James Douglas (the chief Factor of the
HBC Fort Victoria) was appointed governor of
the Colony of Vancouver Island and in 1858
he became Governor of British Columbia. His
swearing in ceremony was at Fort Langley.

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James
Douglas

Fort Langley

Gold Rush
 Fraser River (1858) and Cariboo (1862) Gold Rush
 Many Americans moved north from California where
the gold rush (1849) was waning
 25,000 – 30,000 miners moved into the lower reaches
of the Fraser River and into the Cariboo along the
Cariboo Wagon Trail
 Douglas was worried that the Americans would “take
over” the province and so he required all miners to
take out mining licenses as a way of controlling the
industry. They had to stop in Victoria to get the
license.He brought in mining regulations and had
Quesnel Museum
about 40 men to inspect the mining camps. He also
visited them.

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Fort Victoria 1862

Cariboo Wagon Trail

Barkerville

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 Judge Matthew Begbie was also sworn in as the Chief Judge

of B.C. at the same ceremony that Douglas became Governor
(the ceremony was held at Fort Langley). He became known
as the “hanging judge” for his approach to law and order.
 Most gold was mined by gold panning or by placer mining
(putting material through a sluice). The latter form was very
detrimental to the environment (disruption of stream beds,
impacts on water quality and fish)
 Fires were common as were mine collapses, etc.
 Communities such as Yale, Barkerville, etc. became
destination points and contained many of the support services
– food, entertainment, hotels, doctors, legal, etc.
 The Gold Rush lasted for about 10 years and many people left
B.C., however, some remained or had brought families. Also,
the rest of Canada was forming into a nation and attention
began to be focused on BC becoming part of Canada.

 The Gold Rush changed both the physical and human

landscape of the region.
 The largest impact was people – from all over the
world, largely Americans, but also British, Chinese,
Japanese, Africans, East Indians, other Europeans.
 They distributed throughout the province
 Set up businesses and industries started to emerge
 Physically, the landscape began to be settled through
the building of roads and towns; cutting down of trees
for building materials and agriculture. Ranching,
canneries, sawmills and services were prevalent.

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 Laws and regulations – initially to control

mining, but also to settle disputes over claims,
property rights, and criminal matters – Judge
Begbie went out on horseback to many mining
camps to dispense justice.
 1866 – the Colonies of Vancouver Island and
BC were joined.
 BC joined the confederation of Canada in
1871, largely with the promise of a national
railway (Canadian Pacific Railway).
 Judge Mathew
Begbie
The “Hanging Judge”
Now history is being reinterpreted
and reference to Begbie in place names
and monuments is being removed due
mainly to his conviction of the “Chilcotin
Chiefs”.