The Borders of British Columbia
If British Columbia were a country it would rank 31st in size. BC is bigger than France and Germany combined. Four times the size of Britain. Almost three times that of Japan.
BC’s Deadly Smallpox Epidemic
During the Cariboo Gold Rush, a ship with hundreds of miners from San Fransisco arrived in Victoria. One of them had smallpos.
It takes 12 days to get symptoms and become infectious: the rip had taken four days. The infected miner shared a room with others who got sick.
Proportional Representation
Do you want to choose your own MLA or do you want a political party to choose for you?
First Nations Architecture, Building, & Culture
https://youtu.be/eTm8SPivhT0?list=PLkSVuMuRES0jen93CMnbCJkBMvRNUM4O5 watch video again
Can You Speak British Columbian?
Chinook Wawa is linked with the history of British Columbia. We might even call one form of it British Columbian.
James Cook and his midshipman George Vancouver sojourned at Nootka Sound. Their Nuuchahnulth word lists became a Nootka Jargon that spread through the Maritime Fur Trade.
Supported by Chief Concomly and the Chinook Nation, Fort George became the Canadian depot for Columbia furs. French-speaking traders married into Chinook families and learned a Broken Chinook.
Political Factions in Early British Columbia
In British Columbia, formal political parties didn't emerge until the 1900s. But before that, loosely affiliated political factions provided some coherence to political decisions.
James Douglas was part black, married to an aboriginal woman and headed the honourable Hudson Bay Company which was the legal government in British Columbia. He was opposed by Amor De Cosmos who introduced the Chinese Head Tax to Parliament and was linked to labour organizations.
Political factions developed, called the Douglas Conservatives and the De Cosmos Reformers.
Vancouver’s Three Cities
Living in Vancouver you might not know it is actually an amalgamation of three cities. Their distinctive cultures survive today.
This video has some highlights of this history. In deciding on future development and density, perhaps we should respect this past.
Roots of Government
British Columbia has two systems of government - parliamentary and municipal.
Parliamentary government is rooted in law making (legislative): Municipal in law keeping (judicial).
King George III and British Columbia
The origins of British Columbia are linked to King George III: Georgia Straight, Prince George, Georgia Street, King George Boulevard.
Losing Columbia
The loss of the heartland of what was Columbia and then became British Columbia was the defining drama of our history. Yet it is largely ignored in many history books.