Report of Native coal miners to Fort Vancouver

Report of Native coal miners to Fort Vancouver

British Columbia
19th Century
coal
mining
work force
settler colonialism

This is a letter to Fort Vancouver about the state of the area and issues happening there. It mentions a coal seam found on Vancouver Island and the native task force that they were using to mine it initially. Douglas mentions the little amount that they paid them, and how accepting they were of the work. This source mentions their use of very inconvenient tools, which suggests their lack of experience with the post-industrial industries such as coal mining. This letter shows the way in which colonists viewed the natives, as a cheap labour force and a manageable resource, which links strongly into the theme of settler colonialism and how heavily it impacted the area and its native people via rapid resource consumption and development, as well as the manipulation of the indigenous people.

James Douglas

The Colonial Despatches

Image Link : http://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/imageBrowser.htm?image=co_305_01_00160v.jpg

7 September 1846

Samuel Armitage

The National Archives, London

English

Textual - handwritten letter

19th century British Columbia