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| | From:  Loretta12 (Original Message) | Sent: 10/20/2002 1:05 AM |
FACTS
BC Population (2000):
Source: BC Stats. | 4,063,760 | | Area: | 948,600 sq. km |
| Highest Point: | 4,663 m (15,295 ft), Mount Fairweather | | Lowest Point: | Sea Level, Pacific Ocean | | Time Zone: | Mountain / Pacific (DST in areas of province) | | Capital: | Victoria | | Bird: | Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta Sterelli) | | Flower: | Dogwood (Cornus Nuttalli) | | Tree: | Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata) | | Flag: |  | |
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HISTORY
British Columbia's history is a storied collection of great exploration and adventure. While aboriginal peoples had sparsely settled the landscape for thousands of years, the Europeans who first explored B.C. left stories of hardship and wonder in this vast, rugged and wild land.
What is unique about the history of this province is how relatively recent its discovery was. It was one of the last lands on earth to be discovered by the Old World.
The first European to set eyes on British Columbia's coastline was the British explorer Captain James Cook, who reached Nootka Sound in 1778. On August 28, 1792 Captain George Vancouver, one of the first explorers to sail into Burrard Inlet, where Vancouver is now situated, reached Nootka Sound. Then, on July 22, 1793 Alexander Mackenzie, the first European to complete an overland journey across Canada, arrived at the Pacific Coast. In May 1808, Simon Fraser and his twenty-four adventurers set out in four canoes to descend what would become B.C.'s most important waterway, the Fraser River. On their way to the Pacific, the group passed through the stunning landscapes of the province's interior, which no European had ever seen before.
However, it was not until 1835 when coal was discovered on Vancouver Island did large-scale settlement begin to occur in what is now the province of British Columbia. In 1843 Fort Victoria on Vancouver Island was established, and in 1849 Vancouver Island was proclaimed a Crown Colony.
When gold was discovered in the sandbars of the lower Fraser River in 1857 it started a series of gold rushes over the following 8 years, attracting over 25,000 prospectors from around the world. In 1858, the year after the discovery of gold, The Colony of British Columbia was formed. Not long after, British Columbia became the 6th province of the Dominion of Canada, on July 20, 1871. On April 2, 1868 Victoria was named capital of British Columbia. But B.C.'s true connection to the rest of Canada, and its exposure to the rest of the industrialized world came on November 7, 1885 when the last spike in the transcontinental railroad was driven in at Craigellachie. And the rest, as they say, is history. |
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Thanks For Sharing Loretta God Bless You, Retta |
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