Fraser+River+Gold+Rush

__** Fraser River Gold Rush **__  One of the earliest British colonies made was Vancouver Island in 1849. [1] It was a main route to reach the mainland, Victoria, which hosted the Fraser River. [2] Aboriginal peoples were the first to mine this river, which has held gold for thousands of years. [3] They soon found out that British people were fond of the gold so they used the gold to trade with the British for other important supplies. [4] Like al l great things, the gold mining on the Fraser was not kept quiet for long. [5] In 1856, many people, especially Americans, started flooding the Fraser to mine the gold. [6] For many years, mor e and more people flooded the colony and the mainland. [7] The population in Victoria continued to grow well into 1858 and quickly started to worry the governor of Vancouver Island, James Douglas. [8] He was the second governor of this colony since 1851 and he noticed the changes overcoming the colony and the mainland. [ 9]

Before the gold rush, Victoria had a population of only 450 people. [10] After a short time, this increased to over 20,000 people. [11] Douglas was worried for Victoria and the colony because industrialization and population was rising. [12] Since Vancouver Island was close to Victoria, many miners just stayed on the colony instead of travelling to the mainland. [13] In Victoria, over 200 commercial buildings were built which also caused an increase in population. [14] From the population increase, filth and waste became a problem in the city. [15] Also, roads started to become congested and dirty. [16] Douglas said, "This city suffers from an excess of politicians, lawyers, merchants, transients and saloons and a considerable shortage of accommodation, water, women and good roads!" [17] From his concerns, he took a series of steps in an effort to contain Vancouver Island's rising problems. [18] A regulation list was made which required any miners to first apply for a license before being able to mine gold on the Fraser. [19] When this rule came about many miners only stayed on Vancouver Island long enough to reach the mainland and get their fortune of gold. [20] Douglas also hired more constables to be on duty to control the city and the mining situations. [21] Although his steps helped with the population problems, one caused controversy amongst Britain and the flooding Americans. [22] Douglas went to the public of Victoria and claimed it as crowned property even though he was only in control of Vancouver Island. [23] Douglas' announcement upset the British so on August 2nd, 1858, Britain claimed Victoria to clear any misunderstandings that he caused. [24] Victoria and the surrounding land came to be known as British Columbia. [25]

James Douglas then controlled two colonies. [26] To relieve pressure, Colonel Richard Moody acted as Douglas' lieutenant governor who was leader of the Royal Engineers. [27] These people were brought in to build roads, towns, and help with the overall development of British Columbia. [28] A capital was soon made called "New Westminster". [29] It was near the Fraser and also accumulated the name "Stump City" from the heavy construction that killed most of the trees present. [30] Many events helped Canada evolve as an independent nation. A short two years caused a small community to develop into a bustling commercial colony. The Fraser River Gold Rush was an important event that led to the development of British Columbia as a crowned British colony.

[1] Ferguson, Will, //Canadian History For Dummies// (Mississauga, Ontario: John Wiley and Sons Canada, Ltd., 2005), 212-213. [2] Ibid. , 212-213. [3] Canada's Digital Collections Team, "Fraser River Gold Rush," http://www.bcheritage.ca/yale/tour/goldrush.htm [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] History Today Ltd, "Fraser River gold rush/History Today," http://www.historytoday.com/historical-dictionary/f/fraser-river-gold-rush [7] Ferguson, 212-213. [8] Ibid. , 212-213. [9] Ibid. , 212-213. [10] Ibid. , 212-213. [11] Ibid. , 212-213. [12] Ibid. , 212-213. [13] Ibid. , 212-213. [14] Ferguson, 212-213. [15] Ibid. , 212-213. [16] Ibid. , 212-213. [17] Ibid. , 212-213. [18] Ibid. , 212-213. [19] Ibid. , 212-213. [20] Ibid. , 212-213. [21] Ibid. , 212-213. [22] Ibid. , 212-213. [23] Ibid. , 212-213. [24] Ibid. , 212-213. [25] Ibid. , 212-213. [26] Ibid. , 212-213. [27] Ibid. , 212-213. [28] Ferguson, 212-213. [29] Ibid. , 212-213. [30] Ibid. , 212-213.

** Bibliography ** Ferguson, Will. //Canadian History For Dummies.// Mississauga, Ontario: John Wiley and Sons Canada, Ltd. ,2005.

Canada's Digital Collections Team. "Fraser River Gold Rush." http://www.bcheritage.ca/yale/tour/goldrush.htm

History Today Ltd. "Fraser River gold rush/History Today" http://www.historytoday.com/historical-dictionary/f/fraser-river-gold-rush