Recent studies suggest that humans have been occupying the Pacific West Coast and the area we now know as Vancouver Island for at least 13,800 years (VancouverIsland.com, 2020). While there is a long history of First Nations people living along the Islands coast, the oral history once kept by their people have been severely affected by European contact.

By the time Fort Victoria was established in 1843, the diseases they brought from European settlers spread rapidly throughout the continent and had already seriously impacted indigenous populations.  The area we know as Greater Victoria is the traditional territory of the WSÁNEĆ (Saanich), Lkwungen (Songhees), Wyomilth (Esquimalt) peoples of the Coast Salish Nation. The Coast Salish peoples traditional territory includes much of the area surrounding the Georgia Basin and Puget Sound, also known as the Salish Sea. The location selected for Fort Victoria had previously been use by the Coast Salish for hunting, fishing and harvesting plants (Wonders, 2008). This beautiful land of Garry Oak meadows and fields of Camus was the perfect location for the HBC’s newest outpost.

In 1849 the colony of Vancouver Island was established and the entire island leased to the HBC. The colony remained relatively small until 1858 when over 20,000 prospectors came seeking their fortune in the Fraser Valley Gold Rush. A substantial proportion of these miners came from San Francisco, or other areas of the United States and needed to stop at Fort Victoria for supplies along their way. The rapid influx of American settlers to the region lead to the creation of the colony of British Columbia in 1858. The colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island would combine in 1866 with Victoria become the provincial capital on April 2, 1868 (VancouverIsland.com, 2020). Victoria is a city with a rich history that I wish to continue to explore and share so that we may all be more aware, of the heritage of the land that so many are privileged to call home today.

 

References

Wonder, K. (2008). Coast Salish. First Nations Land Right and Environmentalism in British Columbia http://www.firstnations.de/development/coast_salish.htm

VancouverIsland.com. (2020). History and Heritage of British Columbia.  http://vancouverisland.com/about/history-heritage/history-and-heritage-of-british-columbia/