| British Columbia, often referred to as B.C. | | | | expand as the province's mining, forestry, |
| or BC (French: Colombie-Britannique, C.-B.), | | | | agriculture, and fishing sectors were |
| is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and | | | | developed. Mining activity was particularly |
| is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected | | | | notable in the Boundary Country, in the |
| in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu | | | | Slocan, in the West Kootenay around Trail, |
| ("Splendour without diminishment"). It was | | | | the East Kootenay (the southeast corner of |
| the sixth province to join Confederation. | | | | the province), the Fraser Canyon, the Cariboo |
| Residents are referred to as British | | | | and elsewhere. Agriculture attracted settlers |
| Columbians or BCers. Its capital is Victoria | | | | to the fertile Fraser Valley, and cattle |
| while the largest city is Vancouver, which is | | | | ranchers and later fruit growers to the drier |
| also Canada's third largest city. | | | | grasslands of the Thompson River area, the |
| | | | Cariboo, the Chilcotin, and the Okanagan. |
| Pre-Confederation | | | | Forestry drew workers to the lush temperate |
| | | | rain forests of the coast, which was also the |
| The discovery of stone tools on the Beatton | | | | locus of a growing fishery. |
| River near Fort St. John date human | | | | |
| habitation in British Columbia to at least | | | | The completion of the CPR in 1885-86 was a |
| 11,500 years ago. The First Nations | | | | huge boost to the province's economy, |
| population spread throughout the region, | | | | facilitating the transportation of the |
| mostly on the coast, where aboriginals | | | | region's considerable resources to the east. |
| achieved the highest density of any place in | | | | The booming logging town of Granville, near |
| Canada. At the time of European contact, | | | | the mouth of the Burrard Inlet was selected |
| nearly half the aboriginal people in | | | | as the terminus of the railway, prompting the |
| present-day Canada lived in BC. | | | | incorporation of the community as Vancouver |
| | | | in 1886. The completion of the Port of |
| The explorations of James Cook in the 1770s | | | | Vancouver spurred rapid growth, and in less |
| and George Vancouver in the 1790s, and the | | | | than fifty years the city would surpass |
| concessions of Spain in the 1790s established | | | | Winnipeg as the largest in western Canada. |
| British jurisdiction over the coastal area | | | | |
| north and west of the Columbia River. In | | | | The early decades of the province were ones |
| 1793, Sir Alexander Mackenzie was the first | | | | in which issues of land use — |
| European to journey across North America | | | | specifically, its settlement and development |
| overland to the Pacific Ocean, inscribing a | | | | — were paramount. This included |
| stone marking his accomplishment on the | | | | expropriation from First Nations people of |
| shoreline of South Bentinck Arm near Bella | | | | their land, control over its resources, as |
| Coola. His expedition theoretically | | | | well as the ability to trade in some |
| established British sovereignty inland, and a | | | | resources (such as the fishery). Establishing |
| succession of other fur company explorers | | | | a labour force to develop the province was |
| charted the maze of rivers and mountain | | | | problematic from the start, and British |
| ranges between the Prairies and the Pacific. | | | | Columbia was the locus of immigration not |
| Mackenzie and these other explorers — | | | | only from Europe, but also from China and |
| notably John Finlay, Simon Fraser, Samuel | | | | Japan. The influx of a non-caucasian |
| Black, and David Thompson — were | | | | population stimulated resentment from the |
| primarily concerned with extending the fur | | | | dominant ethnic groups, resulting in |
| trade, rather than political considerations. | | | | agitation (much of it successful) to restrict |
| | | | the ability of Asian people to immigrate to |
| Their establishment of trading posts under | | | | British Columbia through the imposition of a |
| the auspices of the North West Company and | | | | head tax. This resentment culminated in mob |
| the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), however, | | | | attacks against Chinese and Japanese |
| effectively established a permanent British | | | | immigrants in Vancouver in 1887 and 1907. By |
| presence in the region, which (south of 54-40 | | | | 1923, almost all Chinese immigration had been |
| latitude) was, as of the Anglo-American | | | | blocked except for merchants and investors |
| Convention of 1818, under the "joint | | | | (see Anti-Chinese legislation in Canada). |
| occupancy and use" of citizens of the United | | | | |
| States and subjects of Britain (which is to | | | | Meanwhile, the province continued to grow. In |
| say, the fur companies). This co-occupancy | | | | 1914, the last spike of a second |
| was ended with the Oregon Treaty of 1846. | | | | transcontinental rail line, the Grand Trunk |
| | | | Pacific, linking north-central British |
| Some of these early posts would grow into | | | | Columbia from the Yellowhead Pass through |
| settlements, communities, and cities. Among | | | | Prince George to Prince Rupert was driven at |
| the places in British Columbia that began as | | | | Fort Fraser. This opened up the north coast |
| fur trading posts are Fort St. John | | | | and the Bulkley Valley region to new economic |
| (established 1794); Hudson's Hope (1805); | | | | opportunities. What had previously been an |
| Fort Nelson (1805); Fort St. James (1806); | | | | almost exclusively fur trade and subsistence |
| Prince George (1807); Kamloops (1812); Fort | | | | economy soon became a locus for forestry, |
| Langley (1827); Victoria (1843); Yale (1848); | | | | farming, and mining. |
| and Nanaimo (1853). Fur company posts that | | | | |
| became cities in what is now the United | | | | The 1920s through the 1940s |
| States include Vancouver, Washington (Fort | | | | |
| Vancouver), formerly the "capital" of | | | | When the men returned from World War I, they |
| Hudson's Bay operations in the Columbia | | | | discovered the recently-enfranchised women of |
| District (aka the Oregon Territory). | | | | the province had helped vote in the |
| | | | prohibition of liquor in an effort to end the |
| With the amalgamation of the two fur trading | | | | social problems associated with the hard-core |
| companies in 1821, the region now comprising | | | | drinking that Vancouver and the rest of the |
| British Columbia existed in three fur trading | | | | province was famous for until the war. |
| departments. The bulk of the Central and | | | | Because of pressure from veterans, |
| Northern Interior was organised into the New | | | | prohibition was quickly relaxed so that the |
| Caledonia district, administered from Fort | | | | "soldier and the working man" could enjoy a |
| St. James. The Interior south of the Thompson | | | | drink, but widespread unemployment among |
| River watershed and north of the Columbia was | | | | veterans was hardened by many of the |
| organised into the Columbia District, | | | | available jobs being taken by European |
| administered from Fort Vancouver (present-day | | | | immigrants - Italians and others - and |
| Vancouver, Washington). The northeast corner | | | | disgruntled veterans organized a range of |
| of the province east of the Rockies, known as | | | | "soldier parties" to represent their |
| the Peace River Block, was attached to the | | | | interests, variously named Soldier-Farmer, |
| much larger Athabasca District, headquartered | | | | Soldier-Labour, and Farmer-Labour Parties. |
| in Fort Chipewyan (in present day Alberta). | | | | These formed the basis of the fractured |
| | | | labour-political spectrum that would generate |
| Until 1849, these districts were a wholly | | | | a host of fringe leftist and rightist |
| unorganised area of British North America | | | | parties, including those who would eventually |
| under the defacto jurisdiction of HBC | | | | form the Co-operative Commonwealth and the |
| administrators. Unlike Rupert's Land to the | | | | early Social Credit splinter groups. |
| north and east, however, the territory was | | | | |
| not a concession to the Company. Rather, it | | | | The advent of prohibition in the United |
| was simply granted a monopoly to trade with | | | | States created new opportunities, and many |
| the First Nations inhabitants. All that was | | | | found employment or at least profit in |
| changed with the westward extension of | | | | cross-border liquor smuggling. Much of |
| American exploration, and the concomitant | | | | Vancouver's prosperity and opulence in the |
| overlapping claims of territorial | | | | 1920s is due to this "pirate economy", |
| sovereignty, especially in the southern | | | | although growth in forestry, fishing and |
| Columbia basin (within present day Washington | | | | mining continued. The end of US-side |
| state and Oregon). In 1846, the Oregon Treaty | | | | Prohibition, combined with the onset of the |
| divided the territory along the 49th parallel | | | | Great Depression, plunged the province into |
| to Georgia Strait, with the area south of | | | | economic destitution. Compounding the already |
| this boundary, excluding Vancouver Island and | | | | dire local economic situation, tens of |
| the Gulf Islands) transferred to sole | | | | thousands of men from colder parts of Canada |
| American sovereignty. The Colony of Vancouver | | | | swarmed into Vancouver, creating huge hobo |
| Island was created in 1849, with Victoria | | | | jungles around False Creek and the Burrard |
| designated as the capital. New Caledonia | | | | Inlet railyards, including the old CPR |
| continued to be an unorganized territory of | | | | mainline right-of-way through the heart of |
| British North America, "administered" by | | | | the city's downtown (at Hastings and |
| individual HBC trading post managers. | | | | Carrall). Increasingly desperate times led to |
| | | | intense political organizing efforts, an |
| With the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in 1858, an | | | | occupation of the main Post Office at |
| influx of Americans into New Caledonia | | | | Granville & Hastings which was violently put |
| prompted the colonial office to formally | | | | down by the police, and an effective |
| designate the mainland as the Colony of | | | | imposition of martial law on the docks for |
| British Columbia, with New Westminster as its | | | | almost three years. A Vancouver contingent |
| capital. A second gold rush — the | | | | for the On-to-Ottawa Trek was organized and |
| Cariboo Gold Rush — followed in 1862, | | | | seized a train, which was loaded with |
| forcing the colonial administration into | | | | thousands of men bound for the capital but |
| deeper debt as it struggled to meet the | | | | was met by a Gatling gun straddling the |
| extensive infrastructure needs of far-flung | | | | tracks at Mission; the men were arrested and |
| boom communities like Barkerville and | | | | sent to work camps for the duration of the |
| Lillooet, which literally sprang up | | | | Depression. |
| overnight. The Vancouver Island colony was | | | | |
| facing financial crises of its own, and | | | | There were some signs of economic life |
| pressure to merge the two eventually | | | | beginning to assert normalcy towards the end |
| succeeded in 1866, with the name British | | | | of the '30s, but it was the onset of World |
| Columbia being applied to the newly united | | | | War II which transformed the national economy |
| colony. | | | | and ended the hard times of the Depression. |
| | | | Because of the war effort, women entered the |
| Rapid growth and development | | | | workforce as never before. |
| | | | |
| The Confederation League led by such figures | | | | BC has long taken advantage of its Pacific |
| as Amor De Cosmos, John Robson, and Robert | | | | coast to have close relations with East Asia. |
| Beaven had long led the chorus pressing for | | | | However, this has caused friction, with |
| the colony to join Canada, which had been | | | | frequent feelings of animosity towards Asian |
| created out of three British North American | | | | immigrants. This was most manifest during the |
| colonies in 1867. Several factors motivated | | | | Second World War when many people of Japanese |
| this agitation, including the fear of | | | | descent were relocated or interned in the |
| annexation to the United States, the | | | | Interior of the province. |
| overwhelming debt created by rapid population | | | | |
| growth, the need for government-funded | | | | A second growth spurt: the 1950s and 1960s |
| services to support this population, and the | | | | |
| economic depression caused by the end of the | | | | The post-World War II years saw Vancouver and |
| gold rush. With the agreement by the Canadian | | | | Victoria also become cultural centres as |
| government to extend the Canadian Pacific | | | | poets, authors, artists, musicians, as well |
| Railway (CPR) to British Columbia and to | | | | as dancers, actors, and haute cuisine chefs |
| assume the colony's debt, BC became the sixth | | | | flocked to the beautiful scenery and warmer |
| province to join Confederation on July 20, | | | | temperatures. Similarly, these cities have |
| 1871. The borders of the province were not | | | | either attracted or given rise to their own |
| completely settled until 1903, however, when | | | | noteworthy academics, commentators, and |
| the province's territory shrank somewhat | | | | creative thinkers. Tourism also began to play |
| after the Alaska Boundary Dispute settled the | | | | an important role in the economy. The rise of |
| vague boundary of the Alaska Panhandle. | | | | Japan and other Pacific economies was a great |
| | | | boost to the BC economy. |
| Population in British Columbia continued to | | | | |