Government in Proto-British Columbia

Government in Proto-British Columbia

For 150 years the Nation State has been the dominant for of government. People today can hardly imagine anything else. But for most of history a host of other forms have thrived.

The Company State was both fully business and fully government. The Hudson Bay Company and East India Company were the largest. Between them they governed ten percent of the Earth’s surface and population.

Can You Speak British Columbian? Part II

Can You Speak British Columbian? Part II

Chinook Wawa is linked with the history of British Columbia. We might even call one form of it British Columbian.

Many languages lent words to Chinook Wawa: Nootka Jargon, French Canadien, Salishan Chehalis, and of course, Chinook.

We might even call one form of it British Columbian. Part aboriginal, part non-aboriginal, many words come from an earlier hybrid language – Nootka Jargon.

The Borders of British Columbia

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

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.
Losing Columbia

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.