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-Any date that is 15 Jun means that the exact day is unknown -
-People are at the end of the timeline - -
Fort Vancouver constructed
After George Simpson toured the forts in the Oregon Territory, he decided that the resources in the area weren't being put to the best use. He then created Ft. Vancouver, and put it under control of Chief Factor John McLoughlin. -
George Simpson closes all HBC coastal forts except Ft. Simpson
In 1841, when Simpson toured the area again, he discovered that the fur trade was not expanding as he hoped. He decided to close down all coastal posts, other than Ft. Simpson. -
Oregon Boundary Treaty
In 1844, during an election in the US, James Polk used the slogan "54 40' or fight," claiming that the US owned Oregon from 54 40' down. In 1846, after negotiations with British government, the 49th parallel was extended to the coast, and everything south of it became US territory. -
Colony of Vancouver Island established
In 1848, Britain decided that its territory on the Pacific coast needed a more official presence, and created the Crown colony of Vancouver Island. -
Gold discovered on the Thompson River
In 1857, an HBC trader arrived in Fort Victoria, with 2 vials filled with gold dust and nuggets that he found along the banks of the Thompson River. Then, in the winter, American miners arrived to prospect for gold. -
Colony of British Columbia (mainland) established
After an influx of American miners, Douglas saw that the mainland had become more vulnerable to US expansion. After communicating his concerns to the Colonial Office in London, a team of Royal Engineers arrived, and Douglas was made governor of the new Crown colony of British Columbia. -
Cariboo Wagon Road completed
When Governor Douglas realized that profits from mining weren't being collected to their full potental, he decided to build a road to the goldfields.That way, he could make sure that gold left the area through the Fraser, and not US territory. However, the road was completed after maximum profits could be made, and the gold rush was declining. -
Union of Vancouver Island and British Columbia
After the end of the gold rush, BC and Vancouver Island lost a lot of population and revenue. By 1866, the Island had almost $300k in debt, while BC had over $1m. In May, both colonies found out that their credit with local banks had run out. The Colonial Office also agreed, not willing to pay large subsidies. On August 6, the British government formally joined the two colonies as British Columbia. -
British Columbia enters Confederation
Even after union of the 2 colonies, British Columbia's debt was still significant. Eventually, 3 factions emerged. Annexationists wanted BC to join the US, anti-confederationists wanted BC to remain independent, and confederationists were for BC to join Canada. The new governor, Seymour, drew up a policy for the terms upon which BC would join Canada. Ottawa accepted, and even offered a railroad within 10 years. -
CPR moves terminus to Vancouver
After Van Horne arrived in Port Moody, he found that the harbour was made of tidal flats, which were unsuitable for deep-sea vessels. Instead, he travelled further down the inlet to Gastown, where he found a deep-water anchorage and an expanse of flat land. He named the site Vancouver. -
John McLoughlin
John McLoughlin was the Chief Factor of the new Fort Vancouver. He was known for his fairness. When American settlers came to the area, he encouraged them to settle south of the Columbia. After his son was killed in a brawl, he retired, and moved to Oregon City. -
James Douglas
The first governor of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Because he wasn’t keen on American settlers in the area, he encouraged British settlement. He also thought that free grants should be given to them. During the gold rush, he encouraged colonization of BC, which the colonial office in London agreed with. He retired in 1864, with Frederick Seymour becoming the governor of BC, and Arthur Kennedy becoming the governor of Vancouver Island. -
Frederick Seymour
Second governor of BC, after Douglas. Active, enthusiastic, took care of the colony. He was against confederation, and did not want BC and Vancouver Island to join Canada. He managed to keep this policy, until a sudden death in 1869, when he was replaced by Musgrave. -
Anthony Musgrave
Governor of BC after Seymour. A personal friend of John A. Macdonald, who recommended him. He also had instructions from the British Colonial Office, telling him to get BC to join Canada. He then had to persuade anti-confederationists to join Canada, and decided to co-opt them. After drafting a policy on the terms of union and heading to Ottawa with a delegation, he managed to get BC to join Confederation on July 20, 1871.
