A report on James Douglas (governor), Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866)

James Douglas with Order of the Bath honours

Cabin on the Fraser, B.C., "The Bacon is Cooked", About 1862

Sir James Douglas, first governor of the Colony of British Columbia

Statue of Douglas, at Fort Langley National Historic Site in Fort Langley, BC

A portion of the Cariboo Road in the Fraser Canyon, c. 1867

Grave of Sir James Douglas at Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria, BC

Moody likened his vision of the nascent Colony of British Columbia to the pastoral scenes painted by Aelbert Cuyp

Moody designed the first Coat of arms of British Columbia

Sir James Douglas (August 15, 1803 – August 2, 1877), was a British Columbian fur trader and politician who became the first Governor of the Colony of British Columbia.

- James Douglas (governor)

It was the catalyst for the founding of the Colony of British Columbia, the building of early road infrastructure, and the founding of many towns.

- Fraser Canyon Gold Rush

Although the area had been mined for a few years, news of the strike spread to San Francisco when the governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island, James Douglas, sent a shipment of ore to that city's mint.

- Fraser Canyon Gold Rush

In 1858, he became the first Governor of the Colony of British Columbia and asserted the authority of the British Empire during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, which had the potential to turn the Mainland into an American state.

- James Douglas (governor)

Meanwhile, the mainland continued to function under the de facto administration of the HBC, whose chief executive, James Douglas, was also governor of Vancouver Island.

- Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866)

Almost overnight, some ten to twenty thousand men moved into the region around present-day Yale, British Columbia, sparking the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush.

- Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866)

4 related topics with Alpha

Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment

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The Columbia Detachment of the Royal Engineers was a contingent of the Royal Engineers of the British Army that was responsible for the foundation of British Columbia as the Colony of British Columbia (1858–66).

When news of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush reached London, Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Secretary of State for the Colonies, requested that War Office recommend a field officer who were 'a man of good judgement possessing a knowledge of mankind' to lead a Corps of 150 (later increased to 172) Royal Engineers who had been selected for their 'superior discipline and intelligence'.

Throughout his tenure in British Columbia, Moody feuded with Sir James Douglas Governor of Vancouver Island, whose jurisdiction overlapped with his own.

Richard Clement Moody

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British governor, engineer, architect, and soldier.

Richard Clement was born, in 1813, at St. Ann's Garrison, Bridgetown, Barbados.

Richard Clement Moody became Head of School at Royal Military Academy, Woolwich at 15 years of age.

Moody was the founder of British Columbia

Moody, who is considered to be the founding father of British Columbia, founded the Colony of British Columbia, when he was selected to 'found a second England on the shores of the Pacific' by Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who desired to send to the nascent Colony 'representatives of the best of British culture' who had 'courtesy, high breeding, and urbane knowledge of the world'.

Throughout his tenure in British Columbia, Moody feuded with Sir James Douglas Governor of Vancouver Island, whose jurisdiction overlapped with his own.

British Columbia

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Westernmost province of Canada.

British Columbia's geography is epitomized by the variety and intensity of its physical relief, which has defined patterns of settlement and industry since colonization.

Outline map of British Columbia with significant cities and towns

Köppen climate types in British Columbia

The Okanagan region has a climate suitable to vineyards.

Cheakamus Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park

'Namgis Thunderbird Transformation Mask, 19th century

Kwakwaka'wakw house pole, second half of the 19th century

Cattle near the Maas by Dutch painter Aelbert Cuyp. Moody likened his vision of the nascent Colony of British Columbia to the pastoral scenes painted by Cuyp.

Lord Strathcona drives the Last Spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway, at Craigellachie, November 7, 1885. Completion of the transcontinental railroad was a condition of British Columbia's entry into Confederation.

Memorial to the "last spike" in Craigellachie

Statue of Queen Victoria outside the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria

Internment camp for Japanese Canadians during World War II

W.A.C. Bennett, 25th premier of British Columbia

British Columbia's pavilion for Expo 86, Vancouver

The Coquihalla Highway was one of the legacies of the Expo 86 world's fair, though creation of the toll highway sparked controversy. Tolling was removed in 2008.

The cauldron of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver

Population density map of British Columbia, with regional district borders shown

The British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria

Coat of arms' escutcheon of the current lieutenant governor

John Horgan is premier, BC's head of government.

The meeting chamber of the Legislative Assembly

The flower of the Pacific dogwood is often associated with British Columbia.

The Alex Fraser Bridge on Highway 91 between Richmond and Delta

British Columbia Highway 1 near Brentwood, Burnaby

CPR train traversing the Stoney Creek Bridge

Spirit of Vancouver Island S-class ferry

Hatley Castle on the campus of Royal Roads University

Aerial view of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby

Quest University Canada Academic Building, aerial view

The Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) was subsequently founded by Richard Clement Moody, and by the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment, in response to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush.

Lord Lytton "forgot the practicalities of paying for clearing and developing the site and the town" and the efforts of Moody's engineers were continuously hampered by insufficient funds, which, together with the continuous opposition of Governor James Douglas, "made it impossible for Moody's design to be fulfilled".

Edward Bulwer-Lytton

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English writer and politician.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton. His Harold, the Last of the Saxons (1848) was the source for Verdi's opera Aroldo.

Caricature by Ape published in Vanity Fair in 1870

1849 printing of Pelham with Hablot K. Browne (Phiz) frontispiece: Pelham's electioneering visit to the Rev. Combermere St Quintin, who is surprised at dinner with his family.

When news of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush reached London, Bulwer-Lytton, as Secretary of State for the Colonies, requested that the War Office recommend a field officer, "a man of good judgement possessing a knowledge of mankind", to lead a Corps of 150 (later increased to 172) Royal Engineers, who had been selected for their "superior discipline and intelligence".

Moody was charged to establish British order and transform the newly established Colony of British Columbia (1858–66) into the British Empire's "bulwark in the farthest west" and "found a second England on the shores of the Pacific."

The former HBC Fort Dallas at Camchin, the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers, was renamed in his honour by Governor Sir James Douglas in 1858 as Lytton, British Columbia.