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"Vancouver's Island, the Hudson's Bay Company's establishment"; published in the Illustrated London News
This illustration of Hudson’s Bay Company’s establishment on Vancouver Island was published in The Illustrated London News in 1848. It shows Fort Victoria, accessible through Victoria Harbour and is useful in providing us with an insight into the…
A First Nations Family with Sluice boxes and rockers; Looking for gold on the Fraser River
This image shows a group of 7 First Nation people searching for gold in the Fraser River. Both men and women are active in the search for gold on the river beds. The Author is described as the British Columbia Provincial secretary, suggesting that…
Against Chinese
An overview on the ‘Chinese question’ at the Trades and Labour local council meeting. It raised the point of what they should do about the local Chinese and covers numerous suggestions on how to remove them from the area. The article states the…
An Act to amend ‘The Indian Act’ 1887
This document is a piece of legislation that shows us several amendments to the Indian Act, using formal vocabulary. It states that the Superintendent General has the ultimate power over native people in matters of property entitlement. The natural…
An Act to encourage the gradual Civilization of the Indian Tribes in this Province, and to amend the Laws respecting Indians, 1857
This source is an extract of a government report to produce legislation to ‘civilise’ the native peoples in Canadian provinces. The document sets out that for the natives to have equal legal distinction to other Canadian subjects (European colonists)…
Announcing a Potlatch
This source is a painting of a costumed bird and rowers on a ceremonial dugout canoe, made from a single cedar log. The purpose of the scene depicted was to announce a potlatch which would celebrate a birth or wedding or commemorate a death. The…
Beaver Hat & Case
This is a beaver fur top hat and case from circa 1800s. Due to the fashion trends in the seventeenth century, there was a high demand of beaver top hats across Europe. However, beavers were essentially extinct in Europe, thus North America provided…
Beren to Lytton
The letter denotes the story of a violent skirmish between Native peoples and American colonial settlers. This was not uncommon due to the late 1850s seeing a rise in expansionist movements of colonial settlers. The colonists would come into direct…
Big Bend Gold Mines
This source is an advertisement targeted towards miners, promoting a government subsidised transport links from San Francisco to Victoria and New Westminster. The advert says that there is a ‘splendid Government Wagon Road’ from Yale to Savana Ferry.…
Blanshard to Earl Grey
This document, written in 1850, describes a very different situation at Fort Rupert then that of the previous source pertaining to this location. Richard Blanshard, Governor of Vancouver Island, sends a dispatch to London, notifying them of the death…