Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871)
Colony of British Columbia | |||||||||||||
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1866–1871 | |||||||||||||
Colonial flag of British Columbia (1870–1871)
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Anthem: Victoria of the United Kingdom | |||||||||||||
Governor | |||||||||||||
• 1866-1869 | Frederick Seymour | ||||||||||||
• 1869-1871 | Anthony Musgrave | ||||||||||||
Historical era | British era | ||||||||||||
• Established, by merger with Colony of Vancouver Island | 6 August 1866 | ||||||||||||
• Entered Canadian Confederation | 20 July 1871 | ||||||||||||
Currency | British Columbia dollar | ||||||||||||
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The Colony of British Columbia was a
Background
The Colony of Vancouver Island was created in 1849 to bolster British claims to the whole island and the adjacent Gulf Islands, and to provide a North Pacific home port for the Royal Navy at Esquimalt. By the mid-1850s, the Island Colony's non-indigenous population was around 800 people; a mix of mostly British, French-Canadian, Hawaiians, but with handfuls of Iroquoians, Métis and Cree in the employ of the fur company, and a few Belgian and French Oblate priests. First Nations' populations had not recovered from smallpox epidemics in the 1770s and 1780s.[1] Three years earlier, the Oregon Treaty had established the boundary between British North America and the United States west of the Rocky Mountains along the 49th parallel. The mainland area of present-day British Columbia was an unorganized territory under British sovereignty until 1858. The region was under the de facto administration of the Hudson's Bay Company, and its regional chief executive, James Douglas, who also happened to be Governor of Vancouver Island. The region was informally given the name New Caledonia, after the fur-trading district which covered the central and northern interior of the mainland west of the Rockies.
All this changed with the
United colonies
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
Moody and the Columbia Detachment disbanded in July 1863, and Moody returned to England. Douglas continued to administer the mainland colony in absentia from Victoria, but
Seymour continued as governor of the united colonies until 1869, but after the
With Musgrave's appointment, the British colonial secretary, Lord Granville, pushed Musgrave to accelerate negotiations with Canada towards union. It took almost two years for those negotiations, in which Canada eventually agreed to shoulder the colonies' massive debt and join the territory to a transcontinental railway, to be finalized. His efforts led to the admission of British Columbia as the sixth province of Canada on 20 July 1871.[citation needed]
Governors of the united Colony of British Columbia
- Frederick Seymour, 1866–1869
- Sir Anthony Musgrave, 1869–1871
Legislative Council of the united Colony of British Columbia
1866 to 1869 14 members were appointed by the governor and 9 were elected by the public.[4]
1869 to 1872 13 members appointed by the Governor, 8 elected by the public.[5]
Elections to the Legislative Council of the united Colony of British Columbia
Supreme Court
In 1869 Supreme Courts were established on the mainland ("The Supreme Court of the Mainland of British Columbia") and on Vancouver Island ("Supreme Court of Vancouver Island"), which merged in 1870 as the Supreme Court of British Columbia.[6]
In 1858 the British Government had sent over
See also
- Former colonies and territories in Canada
- Territorial evolution of Canada after 1867
- Alaska boundary dispute
Reference List
- ^ "Smallpox in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia". thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ Donald J. Hauka, McGowan's War, Vancouver: 2003, New Star Books, p.146
- ^ Jean Barman, The West Beyond the West: A History of British Columbia, (Toronto: University of Toronto), p.71
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ The Laws of British Columbia: Consisting of the Acts, Ordinances. p. 112.
- ^ "Wild, Wild West Law". Duhaime.org. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
External links
- Order in Council determining British Columbia's terms of union with the Dominion of Canada, 1871
- Ormsby, Margaret A. (1976). "Seymour, Frederick". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. IX (1861–1870) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- Haworth, Kent M. (1982). "Musgrave, Sir Anthony". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XI (1881–1890) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.