Proposal for a post office in British Columbia

Proposal for a post office in British Columbia

British Columbia
19th century
post office
transport
letter
pony
mail
despatch

This is a letter sent by Arthur Sleigh to the secretary of state for the colonies proposing the creation of a post office mail route to be set up in British Columbia, and requesting funding for it. He proposes a system based on ponies and horses to carry the mail all the way to towns like Lytton, with many stations along the way. This was at a time when the small settler colonies in British Columbia where still very isolated from Britain, and was an important step towards developing colonial communication and transportation networks within British Columbia which would eventually become replaced by trains. This is highly relevant to the theme of transport and its role in the investment and creation of networks throughout British Columbia, starting with mail and leading to trade goods and passengers.

Arthur Sleigh

Colonial Despatches
Link:

http://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/imageBrowser.htm?image=co_60_14_00093v.jpg

14 May 1862

Samuel Armitage

The National Archives, London

English

Textual - handwritten letter

19th century British Columbia