THE GREAT BC ROAD TRIP

BY JAYDEN VAN DRIMMELEN

VICTORIAWE START ON VANCOUVER ISLAND, NEAR VICTORIA TO BE EXACT. IN 1846, THE 1846 TREATY CALLED FOR PASSING THE CONTROL OF VANCOUVER ISLAND TO THE CONTROL OF THE HBC AND IN 1848 VANCOUVER ISLAND BECAME A CROWN COLONY AND WAS LEASED TO THE HBC FOR 10 YEARS. THE FIRST GOVONER OF VANCOUVER ISLAND WAS RICHARD BLANSHARD WHO ARRIVED IN 1850 AND THE LEADERSHIP WAS NOT AFFLICTED WITH THE HBC BUT HE RESIGNED A YEAR LATER BECAUSE OF THINGS LIKE WORKERS LEAVING FOR THE GOLD RUSH AND THAT HE DIDN’T LIKE HOW THE HBC TREATED STRIKING MINERS IN PT. RUPERT. JAMES DOUGLAS TOOK HIS PLACE WHEN HE LEFT. JAMES DOUGLAS WAS RAISED IN GLASGOW SCOTLAND AND WORKED FOR THE NWC IN 1819 AT THE AGE A 15 AND MARRIED IN 1827. IN THE 1830S HE RESIDED IN FORT VANCOUVER AND BECAME THE HBC’S CHIEF FACTOR IN THAT AREA. IN 1842 JAMES WAS SENT TO FIND A LOCATION FOR A HBC PACIFIC HEADQUARTERS AND IN 1843 THE BUILDING OF VICTORIA WAS ORGANIZED. A ROYAL NAVY WAS ALSO IN VICTORIA. DURING THE GOLD RUSH IN 1858 THE HARBOR WAS THE ENTRY POINT FOR MINERS SO THEY NEEDED A SYSTEM FOR THEM TO GET IN AND THAT IS THE ROYAL NAVY.

NAMIMOTHERE WAS ALSO A HBC FORT IN NAMIMO IN 1849. IN 1852, COAL WAS FOUND AND IT LEAD TO THE PERMANENT SETTLEMENT IN NAMIMO. THE COAL LEAD TO BE USED FOR STEAMERS AND SMELTING STUFF. ORIGINALLY NAMIMO WAS NAMED COLVILLE, AFTER THE GOVERNOR OF THE HBC, UNTIL 1860 WHEN IT WAS RENAMED. IN 1862 THE VANCOUVER COAL MINEING AND LAND COMPANY PURCHASED THE MINES AND IN 1892 THE POPULATION GREW TO 1732 WHICH CONSISTED 228 CHINESE PEOPLE AND 178 FIRST NATIONS.

VANCOUVEROUT NEXT STOP IS VANCOUVER AND IT IS A SHORT STOP. IN 1792 THE BRITISH GEORGE VANCOUVER EXPLORED THE PUGET SOUND, WHICH HE NAMED IT AFTER ONE OF HIS OFFICERS PETER PUGET. LIEUTENANT WILLIAM BROUGHAM NAMED PORT VANCOUVER AFTER HIS COMMANDING OFFICER, GEORGE VANCOUVER. THE AREA WAS FINALLY CLAIMED BY VANCOUVER ON JUNE 4TH, 1793. FORT VANCOUVER, NAMED THAT TO REMEMBER THAT GEORGE VANCOUVER’S CLAIM ON THE AREA, WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1825 AND BECAME THE HEADQUARTERS FOR THE HBC IN THE PACIFIC. FORT VANCOUVER BECAME THE HUB OF ACTIVITY AND WAS A VERY POPULAR PLACE. FORT VANCOUVER WAS A VERY SIGNIFICANT PLACE BECAUSE MANY THINGS HAPPENED THERE. IN 1843 VICTORIA WAS CREATED TO EVENTUALLY REPLACE VANCOUVER, 1846 TREATY STATED THAT THE HBC RETAINS RIGHTS TO THEIR POSTS AND TRADES IN THE AREA, 1849 VICTORIA BECAME THE OFFICIAL CENTER FOR THE HBC AND AMERICANS BUILT A MILITARY POST AT VANCOUVER.

NEW WESTMINISTERNOW IS OUR FINAL STOP IS NEW WESTMINSTER. ROYAL ENGINEERS WERE SENT TO THE AREA TO BUILD NEW WEST SO IT CAN BE THE NEW CAPITAL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. IT WAS BUILT UPON THE FRASER RIVER TO HELP ADMINISTER THE HUGE TRAFFIC UP TO THE GOLD MINES. SPEAKING OF GOLD, THE GOLD RUSH WAS A BIG PART OF THE HISTORY OF BC. PEOPLE FORM ALL OVER WERE HEADING TO THE THOMPSON RIVER TO PAN FOR GOLD SUCH AS JAMES HOUSTON, WHO WAS ROBBED BY A BAN OF ABORIGINAS. IN 1857 HE BEGAN PANNING AROUND THE THOMPSON RIVER. PETER BAKER ALSO FOUND GOLD ALONG THE THOMPSON RIVER AND HE TAUGHT SOME ABORIGINALS HOW TO PAN FOR THE “YELLOW METAL”. ABORIGINALS HAD NO USE FOR THE GOLD SO THEY WERE HIRED TO PAN FOR IT AND PAID IN OTHER WAYS. THE FRASER RIVER WAS ALSO USED FOR FISHING. PEOPLE FOUND MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF FISH AND IT WAS A VERY RICH INDUSTRY. BACK TO NEW WEST, MINERS STOPED IN NEW WEST TO OUTFIT THEMSELVES FOR THE MINES AND NEW WEST WAS A VERY POPULAR STOP FOR EVERYTHING REALLY. THE CARIBOO WAGON ROAD WAS ALSO MADE NEAR THE AREA. THE ROYAL ENGINEERS CREATED IT TO CONNECT YALE TO BARKERVILLE IN 1862. IT WAS COMPLETED IN 4 YEARS.