UVic is located in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, one of Canada’s provinces and very famous for its splendid natural beauty. Since you’ll be living in Victoria for quite a while, you might want to know a little more about the history of the new region you live in.

Early history

Estimates are that British Columbia was populated by the aboriginal people as early as 11 500 years ago. There was a large number of Indigenous people, speaking more than 30 different languages and living in complex social structures. Europeans started arriving around the middle of the eighteenth century. The first person to travel there and document their journey was Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, a Spanish explorer. Early European settlements began when John Meares bought some land from a local chef called Maquinna, in 1788. Conflicts arose in the area as to who should be allowed to own the land, Britain or Spain; both parties seemed to take it for granted from the start, this nearly culminated in a war between the two countries. Spanish influence in the region ended in 1795. Three explorers were then important in British Columbia: Simon Fraser, Sir Alexander Mackenzie, and David Thompson. When European presence had been established in the area, British Columbia was mainly run by the Hudson’s Bay Company in the early 1800s. In 1844, the border between British North America and the United States of America was agreed on after quite some disputes. The Crown Colony of Vancouver Island was created in 1849, and in 1851, James Douglas, known as the father of British Columbia, was appointed Governor. In 1858, after gold was found along the banks of Fraser River, the Colony of British Columbia was established. Vancouver Island and British Columbia merged in 1866, and the capital became Victoria.

Entry into Canada

The economy was running pretty badly in British Columbia and there was a lot of pressure from all sides, so, on July 21, 1871, British Columbia became the 6th province to join the Canadian Confederation that had been proclaimed in 1867. British Columbia was in debt by a massive sum, which the Confederation absorbed after it joined it. Several new towns were created in British Columbia at the turn of the century, such as Nelson or Kimberley. The economy began to restore itself thanks to mining activity, coal and the “three F’s” upon which the region’s economy was based: fishing, forestry and farming. Vancouver was incorporated into the region in 1886, and despite a great fire three months after its incorporation, it quickly became the largest city in the province.

The Twentieth Century

During the 20th Century, many immigrants arrived, diversifying ethnology in British Columbia; in fact, today Vancouver is the second most ethnically diverse city in Canada. Before 1945, however, racism was quite common, and harsh immigration policies were in place. During World War Two, Japanese locals were openly discriminated against. Did you know, on a completely unrelated matter, that alcohol was prohibited in British Columbia from 1917 to 1921? Yes, be glad you weren’t alive in those days. Anyway, back to the point. Problems of the region today include the high growing rate of the cannabis industry, which is the number one source of money in British Columbia, and also, the issue of how to deal with the aboriginal people of British Columbia. They only gained the right to vote in 1960, their education was inadequate and discrimination was alive and well. Progress has been made through various agreements and treaties, though conflicts and disagreement are still quite frequent.

Conclusion

In case you are going to be doing a history degree at UVic, you will probably learn about all of those things in more detail than I could include here. If not, it is still useful, and quite interesting as well, to know a bit more about the place you will be living in from now on. Why not experience the history of British Columbia in another, more active way than just reading about it? You could visit one of Victoria’s many museums, learn about earlier times and cultures, and enjoy the journey back in time.