Places mentioned in the correspondence

Active PassMap
Active Pass is a narrow channel of ocean between Mayne Island and Galiano Island, East of Vancouver Island and north of Prevost Island. It was named after the USS Active, an American surveying vessel.1 The pass is used in the modern day as a route for the BC Ferries line between the Schwartz Bay and Tsawwassen ferry terminals.2
Mentions of this place in the documents
Admiralty InletMap
This strait is the transition between eastern Juan de Fuca Strait and Puget Sound. During Quimper's expedition of 1790, Juan Carrasco, a pilot, sighted the entrance to the strait, but mistook it for a bay, which he named Ensenada de Caamaño, after Spanish naval officer Jacinto Caamaño.1
Quimper may have mistook the inlet as an ending, despite advice to the contrary from local Indigenous people.2 Though he took this information as false, Vancouver did not; two years later, Quimper sighted and named it Admiralty Inlet.3
  • 1. Derek Hayes, Historical Atlas of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver: Cavendish Books, 1999), 70.
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Ibid.
Mentions of this place in the documents
AhousatMap
The village of Ahousat is located on the southeast shore of Flores Island off the west coast of Vancouver Island, near the town of Tofino. Ahousat is populated predominantly by members of the Ahousaht First Nation, which is the largest contemporary member nation of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.1 The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council consists of 14 First Nations located along the west coast of Vancouver Island, spanning 300 kilometers from Brooks Peninsula in the north to Point-no-Point in the south.2
The village was not always located on Flores Island; originally, the village site was located on Vargas Island, not far from its current location.3 The word Ahousaht means facing opposite from the ocean or people living with their backs to the land and mountains, in the Nuučaańuł language, aptly reflecting the Ahousaht's strong maritime traditions.4
This despatch, from Commander John W. Pike to Rear Admiral Joseph Denman, discusses several Indian outrages upon white men. One of these outrages is what historians call the “Ahousaht Incident,” an event in which a group of Nuu-chah-nulth captured the Kingfisher and killed its crew in Clayoquot Sound.5 According to Barry M. Gough, the incident incited one of the worst punishment actions carried out by the Royal Navy, on behalf of the Crown, against Indigenous Peoples on the northwest coast.6 In total, at least nine villages and 64 canoes were destroyed and 15 Indigenous individuals killed.7
By 1895, the Presbyterian Church had opened a day school for Ahousaht children.8 In 1903 this day school was incorporated into Canada's Indian Residential School System.9 A school system created for the purpose of separating Aboriginal children from their families, in order to minimize and weaken family ties and cultural linkages, and to indoctrinate children into a new culture—the culture of the legally dominant Euro-Christian Canadian society.10 You can read more about Canada's Indian Residential School System in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report, published 2015.11 The Nuu-chach-nulth Tribal Council also completed their own report into residential schools and published their findings in a book titled: Indian Residential Schools: The Nuu-chah-nulth Experience in 1996.12
Mentions of this place in the documents
AlaskaMap
The U.S. state of Alaska is located in the northwest corner of North America, west of British Columbia and Yukon Territory, and east of Russian Siberia. At 943,739 km2 (about 365,000,000 acres), Alaska is the largest U.S. state, with over 54,000 km of coastline that touches the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, and the Arctic Ocean; its western and southern borders span 2,500 km running adjacent to Canada.1
The name Alaska, an English corruption of the original name, has a complicated etymology.2 It originates from the Aleut (Unangan) wordaláxsxaq, which refers to an object to which the sea is directed--in this case an island or peninsula; it also translates as to Alyeksa, which means great land.3 From Alyeksa, the Russians derived names for the Alaskan peninsula, “Aliaska,” and the territory as a whole, “Alashka.”4 The current variation of the name “Alaska” follows from the same etymology, rooted in the Eskaleut language family.5
The Russian explorer Vitus Bering is credited as the first non-Indigenous visitor to present-day Alaska, in 1741.6 Spanish explorer Juan Perez followed in 1774, and Captain James Cook arrived in 1776.7 The Russian explorer and fur trader Grigorii Shelikhov, who established the Shelikhov-Golikov Company, established the first non-Indigenous settlement in 1784.8 Alaska became the last major confluence of Empire in the North Pacific. In 1867, Alaska was sold by the Russians to the United States, where it existed variously as a District, Department, and Territory until statehood was granted in 1959.
Many Indigenous Peoples continue to live in Alaska, with histories dating back at least 10,000 years.9 Within western classifications, there are five distinct groups of Indigenous Peoples within Alaska: Northwest Coast Indians, Inupiaqs (In Canada, Inuit), Yupiks, Aleuts, and Athabascans.10 Many of these groups' traditional territories have been divided by the creation of arbitrary borders: Richard Osburn describes these disjointed territories as divided by artificial lines.11 The “Northwest Coast Indians” comprised of the Haida, Tlingit, and Tshimshian Peoples, as well as the Inupiaq, Yupik, and Athabaskan Peoples, continue to exist within a complex geopolitical sphere of influence amongst the United States, Russia and Canada.12 Indigenous Peoples comprise approximately 16% of the Alaska's total population of 736,239.13
In the collection, many of the documents on Alaska reveal anxieties caused by an increased American presence within the territory. For example, in this despatch, Governor Frederick Seymour discusses rumours of annexation by the United States and the unprecedentedly high number of Americans flooding over the border. In a follow-up despatch, Seymour goes on to explain that the “Indians” have, regrettably, taken up the English flag in opposition to their new American administrators.
Mentions of this place in the documents
Albert HeadMap
This hook-ended, rocky headland, which the Songhees First Nation call Tleepet, lies west of Victoria, jutting into the Juan de Fuca Strait.1 Kellett named it in honour of Prince Albert because it looked across, more or less, to the bay that housed a fort named after the Prince's wife, Victoria.2 Many years before this romantic gesture, Quimper, the first European to land there, arrived in 1790.3
In its European role, Albert Head was the site of British Columbia's first sawmill, 1853-59, a quarantine station, 1883-93, and a heavily fortified post during World War II.4 Today, it is one of the training centres for Canada's Department of National Defence.5
  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 38.
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Ibid.
  • 4. Ibid.
  • 5. Ibid.
Mentions of this place in the documents
Alexander ArchipelagoMap
The Alexander Archipelago is a group of more than one thousand islands in southeast Alaska, and although they are part of the United States politically, they are geographically closer to British Columbia. The archipelago was named by the US Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1867, in honour of Russian Tsar Alexander II .1
Mentions of this place in the documents
AlexandriaMap
This Canadian National Historic Site is located on the west bank of the Fraser River in south-central British Columbia. In 1793 Sir Alexander Mackenzie was the first European to visit the site that would come to be known as Fort Alexandria, which was then a Secwepemc village.1
Thirty years later, the North West Company set up Fort Alexandria, bearing a variance on Alexander Mackenzie's name, a year before the company merged with the HBC.2 Fort Alexandria was the northernmost trading post of the HBC's Pacific brigade trail.3 but once gold was discovered there in the 1850s, the site swelled in population and importance, along with gold-booms elsewhere in the Cariboo region.4
This letter from 1859 reports that the accounts from the upper districts of Fraser River are most encouraging, rich alluvial diggings having been found in the neighbourhood of Ft Alexandria. The present-day town of Alexandria is on the right bank of the Fraser, just up from the site of the fort.5
Mentions of this place in the documents
Alexis LakeMap
Alexis Lake, located on the trail to Alexandria, is a body of water in which Alexis Creek flows into. Both of these areas were named after Chief Alexis of the Tsilhqot'in who was the chief during the “Chilcotin War.”1 As it was since the earliest days of human presence, Alexis Lake is a popular fishing destination. Alfred Waddington writes that the Chilacooten Tribe, (Tsilhqot'in), were often seen at Alexis Lake as it was one of their main fishing locations.2
Mentions of this place in the documents
American BarMap
American Bar is located along the Fraser River's eastern bank, roughly six km above Hope.1 It was one of dozens of gold-rush sites mined in the area, largely from 1858 to 1859. One correspondent for the Victoria Gazette wrote in 1858 that the American Bar is paying well. King & Co., took out 118 ounces with four rockers, in one week, and it pays well as the water falls.2
Mentions of this place in the documents
Anderson TributaryMap
Anderson Tributary is a tributary of Lightning Creek, and the site of gold discoveries in 1863. The gold from the tributary was several carats finer than that of Williams Creek, and had a very distinctive appearance.1
Mentions of this place in the documents
AntiguaMap
Antigua is an island in the West Indies, and the vast wall of coral reef protecting the island is what drew the British Empire to its shores. In 1784, Admiral Horatio Nelson sailed to the island and established a naval base there. Antigua remained a British colony until 1981.1 Sir Stephen John Hill was Governor of Antigua from 1863-69.2
Mentions of this place in the documents
AntwerpMap
Antwerp is a major city in Belgium and was named one of the “duchy” capitals in the early medieval period. From the 15th to the 19th century, Antwerp grew as a leading commercial centre of western Europe; most of its wealth resulted from colonial trade. Although Antwerp experienced a minor economic decline in the 18th century, it regained its position as a major seaport in the following century.1
  • 1. Antwerp, Encyclopedia Britannica.
Mentions of this place in the documents
Arrow LakesMap
The upper and lower Arrow Lakes are widenings of the Columbia River between modern-day Castlegar and Revelstoke, and may have made useful landmarks in navigating the river. The lakes were named “Arrow Lake upper/lower” on John Arrowsmith's 1832 map British North America. Earlier names for the lakes included “Cutsamin” or “Earbobs” Lake, as indicated on R.H Laurie's 1832 map Fredonia or the United-States of North America.1
The Geographic Board of Canada formally adopted the name 30 June 1900.2
Mentions of this place in the documents
Ashe HeadMap
In 1847, Lieutenant Commander James Wood of the HMS Pandora named Ashe Head in honour of Edward David Ashe, 5th lieutenant aboard the HMS Fisgard.1 Ashe Head is located within Esquimalt Harbour.2
  • 1. Ashe Head, BC Geographical Names Information System.
  • 2. Ibid.
Mentions of this place in the documents
Assiniboine PortageMap
In this correspondence, Douglas, as part of a larger proposed scheme for travel, describes the Assiniboin Portage as a distance of ninety miles from Edmonton. Douglas notes that the portage originates at Fort Assinniboin.
Mentions of this place in the documents
AstoriaMap
Astoria, now a port city in the state of Oregon, is located at the mouth of the Columbia River.1 It was named after John Jacob Astor, a German who immigrated to England, and then set to further his fortunes in the marine fur trade of the Pacific coast, and he did so with the Pacific Fur Company.2 The fort of Astoria, now a city, was a key location in the Oregon Territory land dispute. In 1813, the British captured and renamed it Fort George, but it regained its former mantle in 1818 when it was returned to the United States.3
  • 1. Arthur S. Morton, A History of the Canadian West to 1870-71 (London: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1939), 489.
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 12.
Mentions of this place in the documents
Athabasca RiverMap
The Athabasca River is over 1200 km long and flows northeast, from its origin in Jasper National Park, to its outflow in Lake Athabasca in northeastern Alberta. It passes through the oil-sands deposits of northern Alberta.1
Traditionally, many First Nations groups hunted along the Athabasca River, including the Shuswap, Kootenay and Salish. Fur traders first established a trading post along the river in 1778, near the delta. In 1811, Thomas, an Iroquois, and David Thompson, an Englishman, established a route through the Rockies via the headwaters of one of Athabasca River's tributaries, and named it Athabasca Pass. The areas they surveyed remained important parts of trade routes for the remainder of the century.2
Jasper National Park, established in 1907, continues to preserve much of the Upper Athabasca area.3
Mentions of this place in the documents
Auckland IslandsMap
The Auckland Islands are an outlying island group of New Zealand. It consists of six islands and several islets, with Auckland Island as the largest, rising to about 2,000 feet with a steep east coast which contains Carney Harbour and Port Ross. Abraham Bristow named the islands in 1806 after William Eden, the 1st baron of Auckland.1
A sealing station was set up on the islands shortly after Bristow's arrival. By 1812, so many seals were killed that the islands lost their draw and became uninhabited. In the mid 19th century a few different groups attempted to settle on the Auckland Islands, which included the Maori in 1842, and Charles Enderby's colony in 1849.2 Enderby's established colony at Port Ross, named “Hardwicke,” attracted approximately 200 people to settle. But by the 1850s both the Maori and Enderby abandoned the islands as the climate was too harsh -- making for poor conditions and an impossibility to survive. Additionally, Enderby's goal of setting up a whaling business was not fulfilled.3
The Auckland Islands were included in the New Zealand boundary in 1863 but remain uninhabited. The islands are now infamously known for the failed settlements and for being a hub for shipwrecks and castaways.4
Mentions of this place in the documents
Axe LakeMap
This small lake is located southeast of Williams Lake, in south-central British Columbia. In Douglas, Chief Factor Governor Vice-Admiral Sir James to Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle Henry Pelham Fiennes 15 April 1862, CO 60:13, no. 5571, 149, Douglas mentions Axe Lake as part of his detailed road-plans for the region. James Wyld's map from 1858 spells it as “Ax L”.1
  • 1. Derek Hayes, Historical Atlas of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver: Cavendish Books, 1999), 153.
Mentions of this place in the documents
AylmerMap
Aylmer, Ontario, is located roughly 15 km north of Lake Erie. European settlement began there in 1817; and, by 1836, it was large enough to warrant a post office.1 The settlement, originally called Hodgkinson's Corners, was renamed Aylmer in honour of Lord Aylmer, governor general of Upper and Lower Canada from 1831-35.2
It was referred to as Aylmer West, in contradistinction to the Aylmer in Lower Canada, now Québec.2 This naming convention appears in several despatches. For example, this correspondence refers to a meeting held in “Aylmer C. W.”, that is, Canada West.
  • 1. D. Welch and M Payne, Aylmer (Ont), The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Ibid.
Mentions of this place in the documents
Babine LakeMap
Babine Lake is located in central British Columbia, and is home to the Lake Babine Nation, the third largest Aboriginal band in British Columbia.1 As early as 1811, the HBC had trade relationships in the area, primarily for salmon.2
Mentions of this place in the documents
BahamasMap
The Bahamas is comprised of over 700 islands spread across roughly 2.6 thousand square kilometers of ocean northeast of Cuba and southeast of Florida.1
Christopher Columbus first landed in the Bahamas, on the island of San Salvador. Due to enslavement, disease, and conflict, the 40,000-strong indigenous population was wiped out within 25 years.2
The British first settled the Bahamas in 1649. Despite intermittent battles with the Spanish and pirates, the Bahamas remained a profitable British colony until 1973, when the islands became a free and sovereign member of the Commonwealth.3
Mentions of this place in the documents
BallaratMap
Ballarat is a city located in the Australian province of Victoria. European sheep farmers settled there in 1838, and the population boomed in response to gold deposits discovered there in 1851.1 Several despatches, including this one, mention the Gold Fields at Ballarat, as well as the so-called “Ballarat riots”.
  • 1. Ballarat, Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Mentions of this place in the documents
Bamfield InletMap
Bamfield Inlet is a fair anchorage on the southeastern side of Barkley Sound. It was first known as “Bamfield Creek”, as 19th-century navy men and officers used “creek” to refer to narrow tidal inlets. The BC Geographical Names Office changed the moniker to “inlet” in 1944 to better fit lay terms.1 “Bamfield” is a mis-spelling of the name William Eddy Banfield, an ex-Royal Navy carpenter who traded at a post in the area and died under mysterious circumstances. The error appeared on British Admiralty charts in 1863 and 1865, and persisted when the Bamfield Post Office opened in 1903. Postal authorities never issued corrective stamps, and the name was officially changed in 1951.2
The longest portion of the submarine cable connecting British North American and British Australia, completed in 1902, terminated at Bamfield Inlet. Parks Canada has installed a National Historic Site plaque on the site once occupied by the cable station.3
Mentions of this place in the documents
BarbadosMap
Barbados is an eastern Caribbean island. It saw successive settlement by tribes from the Siboney culture, Arawaks, and Caribs. Spanish and Portugese sailors sighted the island during the early 16th century, and the Spanish invaded in 1518. They made no permanent settlement, but due to slavers taking locals, and locals fleeing, the island was deserted when the British claimed it in 1625.1
The British held unbroken control of the island from 1625 to 1966. Sugar was introduced in the 1650s, leading to 745 plantations and over 80,000 African and African descended slaves and indentured European workers on the island by the end of the 18th century. Unsuccessful slave rebellions occured in 1702 and 1816. The British Empire abolished slavery in 1834.2
Barbados was run locally by a House of Assembly from 1639 onward, but, due to property qualifications for enfranchisement, the House was dominated by plantation owners. Universal adult suffurage was established in 1951, and Barbados became an independent state within the Commonwealth in 1966.3
Mentions of this place in the documents
BarkervilleMap
Barkerville is located in south central British Columbia, roughly 80 km east of Quesnel. The town was named after the first and most successful miner of the area, a British man named William “Billy” Barker.1
While other miners were concentrating their efforts on one area of Williams Creek, Barker sought gold farther downstream.2 On August 17, 1862, he discovered a deposit that earned him $650,000.3 Word of his discovery travelled fast and soon the area was packed with miners.4 It wasn't long before the town of Barkerville emerged and over 142,000 kg of gold was extracted from the surrounding area.5
On the afternoon of September 16, 1868, a large fire consumed the town and left only a few buildings standing.6 In this despatch, Seymour states that property valued at from one to two hundred thousand pounds has been destroyed. No one was killed in the fire, although Barkerville's infrastructure was devastated and this allowed the town to be rebuilt in an orderly fashion with wider roads and more permanent buildings.7 With the harsh winter weather approaching, the building had to be accomplished quite quickly.8 Over 90 per cent of the rebuilding was completed by the beginning of November.9
Barkerville is now a provincial Heritage Site and a National Historic Site of Canada and is run by a non-profit charity called the Barkerville Heritage Trust.10
Mentions of this place in the documents
Barkley SoundMap
Barkley Sound is on the west coast of Vancouver Island, north of the entrance to the Juan de Fuca Strait. It was named after Charles William Barkley, though a common misspelling on early charts was Barclay.1
Barkley, apparently not the humblest of gentlemen, named the sound after himself in 1787, during an independent trade adventure to the area.2 On this trip, he carried aboard his young wife, Frances Hornby Trevor, thought to be the first European woman to set eyes on the British Columbia coast.3 The Spanish called the sound Baia de Carrasco, after naval officer Juan Carrasco.4
  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 59.
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Ibid.
  • 4. Ibid.
Mentions of this place in the documents
Bawden BayMap
Bawden Bay is located in Clayoquot Sound. Bawden Bay was named after Charles Bawden, master of the HMS Bacchante, by Donald Mackenzie, who was captain of the ship. The northern point of Bawden Bay used to be called Charles Point (also after Charles Bawden) but was renamed Bawden Point in 1934.1
  • 1. Captain John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names: Their Origin and History (Canada: Douglas and McIntyre Ltd., 1971), 36-37.
Mentions of this place in the documents
Beacon HillMap
Beacon Hill Park is located along the south shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, between the Fairfield and James Bay communities in the City of Victoria.1 This area gets its name from two beacons, one on the hill and the other on the southwest bank, that early settlers installed to guide mariners.2
The Indigenous name for the area, Mee-a-can, means belly and refers to the hill's resemblance to a fat man laying on his back.3 There is also anthropological evidence that the meadow below Beacon Hill was known as Meeqan or warmed by the sun.4 Together these terms suggest this is where people sat to have their bellies warmed in summer.5
The area held significance for the Indigenous groups of the area, which has been disregarded by the settler population after the area was redeveloped by the Hudson Bay Company and later the City of Victoria.6 A dozen no-longer visible mounds along the hill were said to be the burial ground of Missteemoch or Island people, who were slain by an evil spirit.7 Human remains were found in the park, and historians believe these belonged to victims of a kind of plague.8
The area was also home to a large camas crop that the Lekwungen people harvested as an essential food staple, but these crops were largely eradicated as the park was developed for settler use and enjoyment of the land.9 The Lekwungen women managed these crops and today largely lead the effort to regain sovereignty over their Nation's territory and use of the camas species.10 Colonial policies complicate the Lekwungen and Songhees protection of the species, as those who harvest in the municipal park often face judgement from the community.11 However, renewed use and education around the plant is seen by the Songhees as a solution to the high rates of diabetes that inflict a disproportionate amount of reserve members.12 There has been continuous public support to resist privatization encroachment on the use of the public park.13 Today, Beacon Hill Park remains a sprawling 200-acre urban park, almost entirely reserved and maintained for public use.14 The Lekwungen will continue to harvest camas as ecological and cultural restoration with growing support from the academic community.15
Mentions of this place in the documents
Bear HillMap
Bear Hill appears on this 1852 map by Pemberton, and is located north of Elk Lake. The name is still found on modern maps.
Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bear LakeMap
    Bear Lake is located in the Cassiar Land District, south of Sustut River and north of Fort Babine. (1) The unincorporated community of Bear Lake borders the actual lake. Sir James Douglas established the community, formerly known as Fort Connelly, in 1826 for the Hudson's Bay Company and named it after his father-in-law. It was renamed in 1964. (2)
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bear RiverMap
    Several Bear Rivers exist in British Columbia. Judging by its proximty to the Cariboo Region and appearance on this 1864 map, the roughly contiguous watershed between Babine (also called Simpson) River and Bear Lake is most likely the feature being referred to. In the area, the term “Bear River” now only refers to a stretch of river north of Bear Lake.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Beaver HarbourMap
    This small harbour, just northeast of Port Hardy, was likely named after the historic HBC steamship Beaver.1
    The area around this harbour was of interest for its coal deposits, to such an extent that Fort Rupert was constructed nearby to manage the extraction of the valuable ship-fuel mineral.2 See Hamilton, George Alexander to Hawes, Benjamin 14 September 1848, CO 305:1, no. 1809, 319 for further reading.
    • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 64.
    • 2. Ibid., 513.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Beaver LakeMap
    Beaver Lake and Elk lake, which are located adjacent to each other north-west of the city of Victoria, were once separate bodies of water; however, when Beaver Lake began to serve as the water supply for Victoria, the water level rose and united the two lakes.1 The name Beaver Lake still remains in usage due to local popularity.2
    • 1. Beaver Lake, BC Geographical Names Information System.
    • 2. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Beaver Lake [settlement]Map
    This settlement was on the northern end of Beaver Lake, which is northeast of Williams Lake in the Cariboo region of central BC. BCGNIS notes that a post office was established there in 1906 and it closed in 1933.1
    During the Cariboo gold-rush years it was part of a supply chain by which packers brought supplies as far as Beaver Lake on mules, then transferred to horses for the last 20 miles to the Forks, a gold-camp near Quesnel.2
    In this despatch from 1862, Douglas asks Newcastle to call the attention of agriculturists to the price of grain at Williams and Beaver Lake—i.e. 10d a lb for Oats and 1s/3d & 1s/6d a lb for Barley.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Becher BayMap
    This bay is located on the southern coast Vancouver Island, just southeast of the Sooke Basin, and west of Pedder Bay.
    Becher Bay, along with other Becher features, was named by Captain Kellett in 1846, during his survey of southern Vancouver Island waters, in homage to Alexander Bridport Becher (1796-1876), a Royal Navy hydrographer.1 Becher is often confused with Beecher, likely as a result of Beechey Head's proximity to the bay.2
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 65.
    • 2. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bedwell HarbourMap
    Bedwell Harbour is located on the south-west side of south Pender Island.1 In 1863, the HMS Grappler recovered the body of a murdered settler named William Brady after making port in Bedwell Harbour.2
    In modern times, Bedwell Harbour is the site of a Canadian Border Services Agency, located in the Bedwell Harbour Water Aerodome.3
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Beechey HeadMap
    Beechey Head is on the southwestern shore of Vancouver Island, and marks the western entrance to Becher Bay, a feature with which its name is often confused.
    Beechey Head was named by Captain Kellett in 1846 after Rear Admiral William James Robert Beechey, a Royal Navy navigator of some report, especially as Beechey had served under the legendary Lieutenant John Franklin; Beechey later became president of the Royal Geographical Society from 1855-56.1
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 66.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Belcher PointMap
    Belcher Point is located on the west side of Vancouver Island, and is named after Sir Edward Belcher (1799-1877), a career naval officer who, among his many exploits, led an expedition in 1852 in search of the fate of the famously tragic Franklin expedition.1
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 67.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bella BellaMap
    Bella Bella was a Heiltsuk village located on Denny Island. To the Heiltsuk peoples, Bella Bella was known as 'Qélc. In 1880, Methodist missionaries encouraged the people of Bella Bella village, the central village the Heiltsuk people had congregated to after a devastating smallpox epidemic, to favour more European-centred means of accommodation. Because of this push, residents relocated the village of Bella Bella to Campbell Island, three kilometres north of McLoughlin Bay. The original cite of the abandoned Bella Bella village on Denny Island village is now known as Old Bella Bella.1
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bella CoolaMap
    In 1793, Alexander Mackenzie and his group of explorers visited the Bella Coola valley, historically occupied by the Nuxalk peoples.1 From the mid-1800s onwards, Bella Coola was a central area for trade; the Nuxalk peoples participated in the fur trade, not only selling fur of the animals they caught but also trading with other First Nations groups for furs that they could later sell to the Europeans.2 Contact with Europeans brought smallpox, among other diseases, and it is estimated that roughly three quarters of the Nuxalk population was wiped out.3 In 1867, The Hudson's Bay Company established a post in the Bella Coola Valley.4
    • 1. Bella Coola Valley Museum; B.C. Central Coast ArchivesAlexander Mackenzie, Historic Theme Pages.
    • 2. Bella Coola Valley Museum; B.C. Central Coast ArchivesAlexander Mackenzie, Historic Theme Pages.; Bella Coola Valley Museum; B.C. Central Coast ArchivesHudson's Bay Company (1867-1882), Historic Theme Pages.
    • 3. Bella Coola Valley Museum; B.C. Central Coast ArchivesNuxalk Peoples, Historic Theme Pages.; Paula Wild, One River, Two Cultures: A Hiostory of the Bella Coola Valley (Canada: Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd., 2004), 72.
    • 4. Bella Coola Valley Museum; B.C. Central Coast ArchivesA Brief History, History.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bella Coola RiverMap
    The Bella Coola River is located at the junction of the Atnarko and Talchako and flows to the mouth of North Bentinck Arm, British Columbia. The river flows for approximately 70 kilometers and is home to a rich variety of wildlife -- primarily fish species.1
    The first peoples of this river are the Nuxalkmc Peoples whose history dates back 10,000 years. These peoples have been occupying the land and water of the ancestral territory since time immemorial; this territory now is made up of different villages which spreads to different areas.2 The river is part of the historic “Nuxalk-Carrier Grease Trail” which was used by Alexander MacKenzie on his journey to the west coast in 1793. The river also features a rich Indigenous history, as seen in the carved petroglyphs found along the river.3
    Today, the river supports both a commercial fishery and the Indigenous food fishery; however, the land off and around the river is used primarily for agriculture, as well as logging endeavors.4
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    BellinghamMap
    Bellingham is a city located just south of the Canada-United States border, on the northeastern shores of the Puget Sound in the Salish Sea; it is the largest city in Whatcom County.
    Bellingham was named by Joseph Whidbey while surveying for Captain Vancouver in 1792, after Sir William Bellingham. As with today, a number of indigenous groups, including the Lummi, Nooksack, and Coast Salish, called the land around Bellingham home prior to European settlement.1
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bellingham BayMap
    Bellingham Bay is located roughly 25 km south of the Canada-United States border. It has gone by many other names: Spanish explorers called it “Seno de Gaston”, or “Gulf of Gaston”, in 1791; Joseph Whidbey, surveying on behalf of Captain Vancouver in 1792, named it after Sir William Bellingham, a naval storekeeper at the time; it has had the additional names of “Ballsam Bay” and “Gaston Bay”, and its Indigenous name, presumably given by the Lummis, is “Tut-segh”.1
    • 1. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 21-22.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bellingham ChannelMap
    Bellingham Channel flows between Cypress Island and Guemes Island, feeding north into Bellingham Bay and south into Rosario Strait. It is named, as is Bellingham Bay and Bellingham city, after Sir William Bellingham; see the other Bellingham entries for further details.1
    • 1. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 21-22.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bentinck ArmMap
    North and South Bentinck Arms are inlets in British Columbia. They are mentioned in this letter.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bentinck IslandMap
    Bentinck Island is located off of southern Vancouver Island. It was, perhaps, named after Lord George Bentinck (1802-48), a British politician.1
    This island served as the new lazaretto in 1924, following the colony closure on D'Arcy Island, and would remain so until 1956.2 Evidence of the colony remains, including a cemetery, where 13 Hansen's Disease patients who died on the island are buried.3
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 70.
    • 2. Ibid.
    • 3. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bering StraitMap
    The Bering Strait links North America and Asia at their closest points as well as the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea.1 A telegraph line was constructed by way of the Bering Strait in the 1800s.2 The telegraph line constructed was to be a way to connect Russia to North America as an alternative to transatlantic lines, and so an overland line was constructed across parts of British Columbia as part of this route.3 However, once a second transatlantic line was installed and proved reliable, the construction of the overland line was eventually abandoned on 27 February 1867, although the section from New Westminster to Quesnel was leased to the province and and eventually expanded through parts of the country.4
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    BermudaMap
    Bermuda is a self-governing British overseas territory located in the western North Atlantic ocean. It is an archipelago of seven main islands with an additional 170 small islets. About three-fifths of the population are of African descent, many of whom are the descendants of slaves brought to the New World from Africa before the outlaw of slave trading in 1806.1 Scholars debate over when exactly Bermuda was “discovered” by Europeans, some historians stated that it could have been as early as 1503 by Juan Bermúdez. Bermuda was included in the third charter of the Virginia Company in the early 1600s and became administered by the crown in 1684.2
    For much of its history, Bermuda was a central place to send slaves and convicts. Many convicts were Irish or Scottish political prisoners, who would pay off their debt to society by helping build the dockyards. Lord Carnarvon outwardly expressed his disgust in the conditions of the places (“hulks”) in which convicts were kept. By 1861, the crown decided no more convicts would be sent to Bermuda, and thirty years earlier, in 1833, slavery was outlawed.3
    Lord Durham, who prosecuted political prisoners in lower Canada after the Patriote's revolts, coerced the primary instigators to admit their guilt and then subsequently exiled them to Bermuda.4
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    BilstonMap
    Bilston Creek and Farm are located in Metchosin, southwest of Victoria. The British Columbia Geographical Names Information System has a record for a Bilston Creek, which ran through Bilston Farm,1 a reference to which exists in an enclosure of this private correspondence.
    In the enclosure, James Cooper writes to Douglas on the subject of the HBC's land lease arrangements on Bilston Farm & Thetis Cottage, a matter most pressing in light of Cooper's intentions to leave this country for England.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Birch BayMap
    Birch Bay is located just south of the Canada-US border in southeastern Strait of Georgia. To the west, across the Strait from the bay, sits the southern Gulf Islands. In 1792, Vancouver anchored in the bay, and was inspired to name it in reference to the abundant birch on the bay's shores; the Spanish knew it as Ensenda de Garzon.1
    According to George Davidson, a British painter on Vancouver's expedition, one of the Indigenous names for the bay was, in Davidson's anglicization, “Tsan-wuch”.2
    • 1. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 23.
    • 2. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bird's Eye CoveMap
    Bird's Eye Cove is located at the south end of Maple Bay, to the East of Duncan. It was used in 1863 as refuge for the HMS Forward after it took on aboriginal prisoners.1
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bishop's CoveMap
    Named in 1867, Bishop's Cove is located south of Kitimat.1
    • 1. Government of British ColumbiaBishop Cove, BC Geographical Names.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bonaparte HouseMap
    Bonaparte House, also spelled “Buonaparte,” was a roadhouse during the colonial period located near the Bonaparte River and Rattlesnake Hill. Bonaparte House was used for public meetings, notably the 1871 meeting to protest the Civil List Act. The protests made here were considered to be inconsequential according to Musgrave.1 Before the operation of Bonaparte House by Charles Semlin and Philip Parke -- an irishman who arrived in the Bonaparte Valley in 1862 -- the roadhouse was known as Wayside House. This changed in 1865 with the new management.2
    Under Parke and Semlin, Wayside House moved to a piece of land near the Bonaparte River and Rattlesnake Hill, subsequently re-christening it to Bonaparte House. The roadhouse was once again renamed in 1868 to Cache Creek House under its new proprietor William “Boston” H. Samson.3 It is difficult to say for certain where the house was located as all remnants of it are now gone; however, it seems to have been located close to the entrance of the current day Sage and Sands trailer park in Cache Creek.4
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bonaparte RiverMap
    Bonaparte River, named after the famous French figure, flows into the Thompson River at Ashcroft, in British Columbia's southern interior. Variant spellings for this feature include “Bonepates River”, as noted on Archibald McDonald's HBC map of the region in 1827, as well as “Bonaparte's River”, from Anderson's 1846 map, but on Trutch's 1871 map of BC it was misspelled as “Bonapate River”.1 In this 1861 despatch, Douglas refers to it as Buonaparte River, and notes that he intends to follow it to get to Cayoosh, where he expects to meet with many settlers.
    The Secwepemc, or Shushwap First Nation name for the river is, according to BCGNIS, “Kluhtows”, which means gravelly river.2
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bonilla PointMap
    Bonilla Point protrudes from the southwest shore of Vancouver Island, and marks the northwest entrance to the Juan de Fuca Strait. It was named in 1790 by Captain Manuel Quimper, presumably after Antonio Bonilla, secretary to the Spanish government in Mexico at the time.1
    • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 23.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    BostonMap
    The city of Boston is located in the northeastern United States, and it is the capital of Massachusetts. Puritans from England established a colony on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630.1 Boston would go on to play a pivotal role in the American Revolution.2
    • 1. Boston, Encyclopædia Britannica.
    • 2. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Boston BarMap
    Boston Bar is a town and a bar that grew during the late 1850s gold rush; both are located on the Fraser River, roughly 10 km north of Hell's Gate. The gold-rush camp bloomed near the Nlaka'pamux (Thompson) village of Kwi.owh.um, or Koia'um—further variations for the name of this village appear in the despatches, for example, Qua-yome, Quayome, and Quaiome.1
    Boston Bar was called “Boston Men”, whcih became the local First Nation term for American miners who flocked to the area, rapacious for gold, which was, according to Murdoch, Thomas William Clinton and Rogers, Baron Blachford Frederic to Merivale, Herman 7 February 1860, CO 60:9, no. 1299, 58, in abundance in the region: 71 ozs of gold dust had been taken out of a claim at Boston Bar near Fort Yale, by three men, in 24 hours.2
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Boulder Creek (unavailable)
    Information is not yet available for this place.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Boundary BayMap
    Boundary Bay draws its name from the position it represents: it straddles the boundary between Canada and the United States, with its southernmost Canadian point near the city of White Rock and its northwestern point at Point Roberts.
    In 1792, the Spanish explorers Alcalá-Galiano and Valdez named this bay Ensenada del Engaño, Gulf of Deception, likely in answer to the bay's shallowness.1
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 81.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bowron RiverMap
    This river, to the east of Prince George, in the Cariboo region, flows into the Fraser River and, on early maps, was known as Bear River.1 Bancroft notes that a number of miners prospected the head-waters of Bear River, and there developed rich ground—a bounty mentioned this 1861 report by Douglas, which recounts reports of some wonderfully rich discoveries on Bear River, a stream which discharges into the south branch of Fraser's River above Fort George.2
    This river, and other features in the surrounding region, draws a name from John Bowron (1837-1906), a Quebec-born “Overlander” who trekked to the Cariboo in search of gold, but soon became Camerontown's librarian, in 1864, then a postmaster at Barkerville in 1866, a mining recorder in 1872, a government agent in 1875, and a gold commissioner in 1883, from which he retired in 1905.3
    • 1. Bowron River, BC Geographical Names Information System.
    • 2. Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, vol. 32, History of British Columbia 1792-1887 (San Francisco: The History Company, 1887), 479.
    • 3. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 26.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bridge RiverMap
    Bridge River flows southeast into the Fraser River, just north of Lillooet. Local First Nations, likely St'át'imc, built a toll bridge across the river's mouth during the height of the Fraser River gold rush; mining continued there well after the rush, in various locations along the river, until the final mine closure in 1971.1
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    BristolMap
    Bristol is a city located in south-west England, 120 miles from London, and is part of the county of Gloucestershire. The city was founded in 1155. Bristol was a centre for trade due to its sea port; sugar and cotton were processed in the city and sold to the Americas.1
    • 1. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Bristol, Encyclopaedia Britannica.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    British BarMap
    British Bar was another of the gold-yielding bars along the Fraser River, and was located roughly 8 km south of Quesnel.
    In this despatch, Douglas writes that there will be employment on this bar for more than a hundred men, and that it will not be exhausted in less than two or three years.
    The above geocoordinates are a rough estimate based on directions given in the despatch noted above.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    British ColumbiaMap
    British Columbia is the westernmost province in Canada, with the State of Alaska and the Northwest Territory and the Yukon on its northern border, and the United States to its southern border; it is Canada's third largest province, after Québec and Ontario, at nearly 950,000 square km.1 British Columbia confederated after much debate, as discussed below, in 1871.
    From 1792-94 Captain George Vancouver named various parts of what we know of today as British Columbia: he charted Vancouver Island as Quadra and Vancouver's Island, and the coasts of present-day northern Washington State and southern British Columbia as New Georgia, he then gave the name New Hanover to the central and northern coast, none of which took cartographic root for long.2 However, another captain in 1792, Robert Gray, named the Columbia River after his ship of the same name, and in subsequent decades the land around the river soon absorbed the mantle to become the Columbia District,3 for the British, at least, as the United States considered much of the same region as Oregon Country, or Territory.4
    In 1858, Queen Victoria wrote in agreement to Lytton's earlier letter that eschewed New Caledonia as a suitable title, as the French had claimed a colony in the same name, and she offered British Columbia as the best choice, a designation proclaimed officially at Fort Langley on November 19, 1858.5 In this despatch to London, Douglas reports on, among other things, his arrival to Fort Langley to proclaim the Act of Parliament providing for the Government of British Columbia, a ceremony that was performed at Fort Langley with becoming solemnity on the 19th inst.
    The first and Indigenous peoples to settle within the province's current boundaries may have done so after the last Ice Age, with settlements dated back 6000-8000 years,6 though recent studies on the subject reveal a much earlier date range for human presence, at 16,800-14,850 years ago.7
    Hayes considers it a near certainty that Japanese or Chinese sailors plied the northwest coast long before Europeans; to support this, he cites, among other things, a traditional Chinese tale that, in 219 BC, a junk sent for Japan was forced by incessant storms to a land the lost sailors would call Fu-sang, or Fousang—a Northwest Coast location noted on several European maps as late as the mid-eighteenth century.8 The earliest European presence could go back to the legend of Juan de Fuca's purported visit to the presently named Juan de Fuca Strait, in the early 1590s.9 However, throughout the mid-to-late 1700s, European exploration of the Pacific Northwest increased steadily, largely due to growing political competition between Russia and Spain—for example, the latter nation ordered Juan Pérez to the northwest Pacific, in 1773, in answer to a perceived Russian threat.10
    British Columbia joined the Dominion of Canada as a province on July 20th, 1871, following a debate as rich and controversial as the colony's storied past, much of which can be discovered on this, The Colonial Despatches, database and website. Throughout the period covered by the same, from 1846-1871, the borders that would demarcate the province, as it is appears today, shifted for a variety of economic and political reasons, and through several salient treaties and resolutions, among which was the Hudson's Bay Company and North-West Companies' licence of exclusive trade with the Indigenous population, in 1821, which was renewed, albeit in edited form, in 1838.11
    The Treaty Establishing Boundary West of the Rocky Mountains, more simply known as the Treaty of 1846, ratified that the divide between the United States and Great Britain's territories, long tussled over for trade and settlement, should be continued westward along the said forty-ninth parallel of north latitude to the middle of the channel which separates the continent from Vancouver's Island; and thence southerly through the middle of the said channel, and of Fuca's Straits, to the Pacific Ocean.12 Unfortunately, the middle of the channel would prove to be an equivocal clause.
    Douglas argues, in this despatch, that Rosario Strait is the true channel through which the line of Water Boundary was intended to be carried, and not the Canal de Haro, one of the alternative interpretations of the clause.13 This dispute would catalyze already combustive border tensions to a flash-point on San Juan Island, during the so-called Pig War, which began in 1859 when Lyman A. Cutler shot dead a hog, owned by the HBC, that had raided his garden.14 The matter escalated rapidly into very dire military posturing on both sides, until the boundary was at last arbitrated in Berlin by Emperor Wilhelm I, and on October 21, 1872, the Haro Straight was chosen as the middle of the channel.15
    Both British and United States survey teams took six years, from 1857-62, to mark independently the 49th parallel on mainland British Columbia, a line made ever more ethereal by lost official reports on both sides, measurement discrepancies, and limitations of the survey equipment at the time.16 Initially, a mean line was drawn between the two borders, much to the confusion of local settlers, no doubt, until the boundary was surveyed again from 1901-1907, and was found to be hundreds of meters north of its intended mark.17 In 1908, a new Treaty of Washington was ratified to provide for the more complete definition and demarcation of the international boundary between the United States and the Dominion of Canada.18
    • 1. J. Lewis Robinson, British Columbia, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
    • 2. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 29.
    • 3. Ibid.
    • 4. D. W. Meinig, The Great Columbia Plain (Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1968), 104-05.
    • 5. Akrigg and Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names, 29-30.
    • 6. Robinson, British Columbia.
    • 7. Theodore G. Shurr, The Peopling of the New World: Perspectives from Molecular Anthropology, Annual Review of Anthropology 33 (2004): 552.
    • 8. Derek Hayes, Historical Atlas of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver: Cavendish Books, 1999), 9.
    • 9. Ibid., 16.
    • 10. Ibid., 35.
    • 11. E. O. S. Scholefield, British Columbia from the Earliest Times to the Present, vol. 1, 1875-1919 (Vancouver: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1914), 669-71 and 672-75.
    • 12. Ibid., 675.
    • 13. Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, vol. 32, History of British Columbia 1792-1887 (San Francisco: The History Company, 1887), 606.
    • 14. Ibid., 616.
    • 15. Ibid., 638.
    • 16. Hayes, Historical Atlas of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, 150.
    • 17. Ibid.
    • 18. International Boundary Commission, Joint Report upon the Survey and Demarcation of the Boundary Between the United States and Canada (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1921), 9.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    British HondurasMap
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Broughton StraitMap
    Broughton Strait runs between the shores of northeast Vancouver Island and Malcolm Island. A cluster of geograpic features near the Strait—including Broughton Archipelago, Broughton Island, and more—are named after Lieutenant William Robert Broughton (1762-1821), who commanded one of Vancouver's smaller exploration vessels, the Chatham, on a visit to the area in 1791.1
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 89.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Brunette RiverMap
    Brunette River flows from Burnaby Lake, through New Westminster, and into the Fraser. It was named in 1860 by William Holmes, Burnaby's first settler, who noticed the river's particularly dark brown, or brunette, colour, due to nearby peat lands.1
    • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 31.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Burrard InletMap
    Burrard Inlet separates the city of Vancouver from North Vancouver. In 1792, Vancouver named it Burrard's Channel, in honour of a former shipmate, Captain Sir Harry Burrard (1765-1840).1 In 1791, Spanish explorer Francisco Eliza called it Brazo de Floridablanca, in reference to a famous Spanish statesman of the time.2
    In 1792, Spanish explorers Alcalá-Galiano and Valdez charted it as Canal de Sasamat, as a variant on what they understood to be the local First Nations name for the inlet.3
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 95.
    • 2. Ibid.
    • 3. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Burrows IslandMap
    Burrows Island is located on the eastern side of Rosario Strait in Washington State waters. Its European name was given during the Wilkes Expedition of 1841 after Lieutenant William Burrows.1
    • 1. Lynn Middleton, Place Names of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing, 1969), 31.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bute InletMap
    Bute Inlet is located north of Desolation Sound, near the northern end of the Strait of Georgia. This 66 km long inlet was named after the 3rd Earl of Bute, John Stuart, by Vancouver in 1792.1 Bute Inlet is known for strong winds and for an oily material on the surface of its water, which is called “Bute wax”.2
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 96.
    • 2. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Bute Inlet Road
    Alfred Waddington arrived in British Columbia in 1858, with hopes to to see if it was possible to transport goods from Victoria by way of Bute Inlet across the Chilcotin Plains to the rich gold fields of Cariboo, by a shorter route than that of the Fraser River; this project became known as the Bute Inlet Road.1
    Waddington hoped to build a road from [Bute Inlet] up the valley of the Homathko River and thence eastward to the Fraser River in the vicinity of Alexandria; the distance would be about 160 miles.2 In March 1862, James Douglas authorized the route to proceed, and workers completed 53 km of road before November.3
    The road crew made little progress in 1863, due to a 2 km long canyon with precipitous walls that required blasting.4 Waddington also found difficulty in funding the road, going as far as selling his property in Victoria to finance the next season's operations.5 In 1864, the road construction halted when the work crew was killed by a group of Tsilhqot'in peoples; this event is known as the Chilcotin War.6
    After the Chilcotin War, Waddington unsuccessfully tried to obtain compensation from the government for the Bute Inlet Road, which was never completed.7 In this despatch, Waddington petitions Seymour for compensation for his losses.
    • 1. Robert Homfray, A Winter Journey in 1861, in High Slack: Waddington's Gold Road and the Bute Inlet Massacre of 1864, ed. Judith Williams 4 (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1996), 22.
    • 2. W. Kaye Lamb, Waddington, Alfred Penderell, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, 10, 2003.
    • 3. Ibid.
    • 4. W. Kaye Lamb, Waddington, Alfred Penderell, Dictionary of Canadian Biography 10, 2003; Adrian Kershaw and John Spittle, The Bute Inlet Route: Alfred Waddington's Wagon Road, 1862-1864 (Kelowna: Okanagan College), 1978.
    • 5. W. Kaye Lamb, Waddington, Alfred Penderell, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, 10, 2003.
    • 6. Adrian Kershaw and John Spittle, The Bute Inlet Route: Alfred Waddington's Wagon Road, 1862-1864 (Kelowna: Okanagan College), 1978, 1.
    • 7. Ibid. 8.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cadboro BayMap
    Cadboro Bay is located on the southernmost end of Vancouver Island, roughly eight kilometers from downtown Victoria. The Songhees First Nation calls the bay “Sungyaka”, which means snow patches, and it is a significant early village site, primarily used in the winter for fishing.1 The bay is traditional Songhees territory and is a part of the Douglas Treaties of the mid 1800's.2 The name Cadboro, also spelled as Cadborough, comes from the first regular HBC trading ship on the coast of British Columbia.3 Both the Chekonein and the Chilcowith are families within the Songhees Nation and occupied the area, but Douglas did not see this territory sharing as practical, and declared the Chekonein as the sole owners of Cadboro Bay.4 This site was used by settlers even before Fort Victoria was established.5
    The Songhees lived in Cadboro Bay until 1843-44, when they left to the bank of Victoria Harbour in order to be closer to Fort Victoria, as the HBC were very influential trading partners.6 As the population of Fort Victoria grew larger, the Songhees were moved a number of times in order to accommodate settler land needs.7 In 1911, the government of British Columbia financially compensated the Songhees as part of the move to the New Songhees Reserve.8 Cadboro Bay is a part of B.C.'s modern treaty process: it is included in negotiations of the Te'mexw Treaty Association.9 The Songhees members of this particular treaty are former Douglas Treaty constituents.10
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 98.
    • 2. Ministry of Aboriginal Relations, Songhees Nation, Province of British Columbia.
    • 3. Scott, Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names, 98.
    • 4. Wilson Duff, The Fort Victoria Treaties, BC Studies 3, (1969): 46.
    • 5. Ursula Jupp, Cadboro: A Sip, A Bay, A Sea-Monster (Victoria: Morriss Printing Company LTD, 1988), 19.
    • 6. John S. Lutz, Makuk: A New History of Aboriginal-white Relations. (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2008), 73.
    • 7. Ibid.
    • 8. Ibid. 50.
    • 9. Ministry of Aboriginal Relations, Songhees Nation, Province of British Columbia.
    • 10. Ministry of Aboriginal Relations, Songhees Nation, Province of British Columbia.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    California (unavailable)Map
    Information is not yet available for this place.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    CallaoMap
    Callao is a city and important seaport in Peru.1 It is located west of Lima and is one of the few natural harbours along the Pacific coast of South America.1 During the time it is mentioned in the despatches, it was an important port for trade with the HBC.
    • 1. Callao, Encyclopædia Britannica.
    • 2. Ibid.
    • 3. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    CamosunMap
    Variant spellings of Camosun include Camoosan and Camõsack. James Douglas, prior to his years as governor, was tasked by the HBC in 1842 to find appropriate land on which to establish a trading fort. Reports of the quality of southern Vancouver Island lands had been embellished to date. Nevertheless, Douglas found the Songhees people's lands surrounding modern-day Victoria Harbour agreeable to settlement. He found roughly 10 square km fit for till or pasture, a secure harbour, timber for building, and a source for water-power nearby, though he recommended wells be dug for a reliable source for fresh water.1
    At this time, the HBC felt pressure to shift its depots from the coasts, partly in response to growing tensions with the United States. By 1843, Fort Victoria was established adjacent to a Songhees village. The Songhees helped to build the fort, located on present-day Bastion Square. In 1844, the Songhess moved their village to the west shore of Victoria harbour, and by 1853, the village became a reserve.2
    • 1. E. E. Rich, Hudson's Bay Company 1670-1870, vol. 3, 1821-1870 (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1961), 718-719.
    • 2. West-side Victoria Harbour, The Songhees Nation Information and Resource Site: Current History.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Campement-du-ChevreuilMap
    The Campement-du-Chevreuil, or “Deer Camp,” was a resting place for Hudson's Bay employees who packed fur along the “Brigade Trail.” It was located in a valley between Mount Davis, Sowaqua Creek Trailhead, and Tulameen Mountain.1 The Brigade Trail, now known as the HBC Heritage Trail, which the HBC developed after the 49th parallel dispute between Great Britain and the United States, ran through the camp. However, both the trail and the camp were dangerous, or situated in dangerous areas. Famously, the HBC chief trader Paul Fraser was killed at Campement-du-Chevreuil when a tree fell on his tent.2
    The camp was situated at the edge of Chevreuil Creek.3 A.C. Anderson marks the camp as a point on his Memorandum of Distances by the Fort Hope Route in Notes in Reference to the Routes of Communication with the Gold Region on Fraser's River.4
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cape BealeMap
    Cape Beale is located at the southern entrance to Barkley Sound, approximately 64 kilometers north of Cape Flattery. The Cape is marked as the entrance to Pacific in which the colder salty ocean begins. Cape Beale was named by Captain Charles Barkley in 1789 to honour John Beale, the purser of Barkley's Ship the Imperial Eagle.1
    Historically, Cape Beale's rugged coastline led to the sinking of many vessels. For this reason, after much effort in landing on the cape, Benjamin W. Pearse and others found a viable spot to begin construction on the lighthouse. The Cape Beale Lighthouse was lit for the first time by Robert Westmoreland on 1 July 1874.2
    The waters off Cape Beale have been described as among the most dangerous of the BC coast; therefore, the lighthouse has functioned uninterrupted for over 145 years.3 Along with its rugged coastline, Cape Beale is also known for its diverse marine life. Species such as: humpbacks, orcas, basking sharks, sea lions, and more can be found along the cape.4
    • 1. Cape Beale Lighthouse, Cape Beale BC ; Cape Beale, Alberni Charters: Vancouver Island Fishing Charters, Port Alberni, BC.
    • 2. Ibid.
    • 3. Megan Thomas, Keeping Watch, CBC News, 5 May 2019.
    • 4. Cape Beale, Alberni Charters.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cape FlatteryMap
    This weather-beaten point is the farthest northwest of contiguous US land; it is where the Strait of Juan de Fuca meets the Pacific Ocean. On March 22, 1778, Captain James Cook (1728-1779) gave the point its English name, in reference to its flattering prospect of a forthcoming strait—the Juan de Fuca.1
    Cape Flattery makes up a part of the Makah Reservation. The Makah traversed these rough waters to hunt and fish in a variety of canoes, from cargo to sailing designs.2
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cape HornMap
    Cape Horn represents the southernmost point of the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago in southern Chile. Its first European name was Kaap Hoorn, Hoorn being the birthplace of Dutch navigator Willem Corneliszoon Schouten, who rounded it in 1616; the Horn's navigational treachery is legendary in sailing circles.1
    • 1. Cape Horn, Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cape MudgeMap
    Cape Mudge is located on the south end of Quadra Island, which lies off the mideastern coast of Vancouver Island. This cape, that juts into notoriously hazardous waters, is named after Zachary Mudge (1770-1852), a first lieutenant of Vancouver's Discovery; Mudge's name is attached to several coastal features.1 Today, the cape is part of We-wai-kai lands, whose name for the cape is Yaculta.2
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 106.
    • 2. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cape of Good HopeMap
    This rocky, storm-lashed cape lies at the end of Cape Penninsula, South Africa. It was renamed by the Portuguese, from its original name, Cape of Storms, to Good Hope, as its discovery provided a good omen for the possibility that India could be reached by sea from Europe.1
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cape Saint JamesMap
    Cape Saint James is on the southern end of Saint James Island. It was named so by Dixon, who rounded the cape on Saint James's day, in 1787.1 The Haida First Nation name for the cape is Rangxiid Kun.2 The cape has been home to a lighthouse, a meteorological station, and a WWII radar station—as of 1992, the lighthouse has become automated.3
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 107.
    • 2. Ibid.
    • 3. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cape ScottMap
    Cape Scott is on northwestern tip of Vancouver Island. This exposed cape looks west to the open Pacific and north, across Queen Charlotte Sound, to Haida Gwaii, or the Queen Charlotte Islands. It was named after David Scott (1746-1805), Mumbai merchant, fur-trade financier, and, later in his career, chairman of the East India Company.1
    Merchant-vessel Captains Lowrie and Guise named the point in 1786 while on a Scott-funded expedition to the region.2 In the late 1800s, Cape Scott was the site of an unsuccessful Danish settler colony.3 Cape Scott is now part of the Cape Scott Provincial Park, established in 1973.4
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 107.
    • 2. Cape Scott, BC Geographical Information System.
    • 3. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 107.
    • 4. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cape SpencerMap
    Cape Spencer is located on the Alaskan coast, at the entrance to Cross Sound, or Icy Strait.
    It is home to the Cape Spencer Light, a lighthouse first lit in 1925, and considered by the US Coast Guard to be one of the most isolated of Alaskan lighthouses.1
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    CaribbeanMap
    The Caribbean, as a region, is made up of the Caribbean Sea and numerous islands, each with a rich and diverse history. These islands are split into three larger groups, with the Bahamas to the north of the chain, the Greater Antilles roughly in the middle, and the Lesser Antilles to the south.
    The first documented inhabitants of the region were the Carribeans—comprised mostly of the Taínos, or Arawaks, in the Greater Antilles, and the Caribs, or Callinagoes, of the Lesser Antilles.1 In 1492, it was the former which Columbus met, on a Bahamian island, and was then convinced he had reached the East Indies, which explains the derivation of “West Indies” associated with the region.2
    In the period covered by the Colonial Despatches collection, the Caribbean was a tangle of colonial rule and Triangular Trade, largely at the hands of Britain, Spain, the Netherlands, and France. Several of the letters mention Jamaica and Saint Vincent, among other Caribbean islands, subject to a variety of Colonial interests.
    • 1. Janice McLean, Caribbean, The Oxford Encyclopedia of African Thought.
    • 2. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cariboo LakeMap
    Cariboo Lake is an expansion of the Cariboo River, in the Cariboo region of British Columbia's interior. In this despatch, Douglas relates a verbal report of an almost exhaustless gold field, extending through the quartz and slate formations, in a northerly direction from Cariboo Lake.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cariboo RegionMap
    The Cariboo region originally referred to the gold-field region surrounding Quesnel and Barkerville, but now encompasses the entire area from Cache Creek to Prince George,1 which, presently, is part of the Cariboo Land District.2
    The name Cariboo, a French derivative of the Algonquin “xalibu”, was chosen to reflect the abundance of caribou that inhabited the area.3 In this despatch, Douglas notes his adoption of the more convenient orthography of Cariboo, instead of the previous incarnations, though he adds that it should be written Cariboeuf or Rein Deer, the country having been so named from its being a favorite haunt of that species of the deer kind.
    The Cariboo country gold discoveries were quite substantial throughout the early 1860's; Akrigg and Akrigg note that a small group of miners who arrived at Antler Creek in early 1861 occasionally found $75 to $100 worth in a single pan.
    • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 38.
    • 2. Cariboo Land District, BC Geographical Names Information System.
    • 3. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 38.
    • 4. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 211.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cariboo RoadMap
    The Cariboo Road is roughly 550 km long and runs from Yale to Barkerville in south central British Columbia—our map may not reflect the exact path of the road, but it is reasonably accurate based on the information available today.1
    Douglas wanted an affordable route to transport both men and supplies to the gold deposits in the Cariboo Mountains.2 The Royal Engineers were tasked with the construction of roads and bridges in the colonies.3 After a six month voyage, the first ship of Royal Engineers arrived in BC on April 25, 1858.4 The ship was carrying 450 men, most of them carpenters and surveyors.5 In this despatch, Douglas writes that 100 of these men and 30 civilian labourers were sent to build the road. Once surveying was complete, construction began in Yale in 1862.6
    The road passed through many Indigenous territories and was later divided into sections that were contracted out to various individuals.7 The road was financed largely by cash subsidies given to these builders, who could collect tolls, for a five-year term, after the completion of their section.8 When the Royal Engineers left BC in 1863, the remaining road work was completed by these contractors.9
    In this despatch, Douglas writes that although one section of the road runs along the face of frightful precipices, it is nevertheless perfectly safe for horse and mule travel. Completed in 1865, the road cost the British government $3 million,10 $33 million today.11 As Douglas had hoped, the road decreased the cost of transporting goods throughout BC, from $1.25 per pound to between 11 and 18 cents per pound.12 Unfortunately, by the time the road was completed, the gold rush had diminished and few miners remained in the area.13
    The Cariboo Road was considered an engineering feat that demonstrated the Royal Engineers' skills, especially along the route from Yale to Spences Bridge, where the road was cut into the mountainside.14
    Today, the Cariboo Highway section of BC's Highway 97 follows the approximate route of the Cariboo Road from Yale to Quesnel.15
    • 1. D. G. G. Kerr, A Historical Atlas of Canada (Don Mills: Thomas Nelson & Sons Limited, 1966), 43.
    • 2. Irene Stangoe, Cariboo-Chilcotin: Pioneer People and Places (Surrey: Heritage House Publishing Company Limited, 2009), 102.
    • 3. Helen Teut, Cariboo Road ‘Appian Way' of British Columbia, in The Royal Engineers: A Record of Their Part in the Building of British Columbia Commemorating the Visit of Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (The Royal Engineers' Comrades Association, 1938), 9.
    • 4. M. H. T. Alexander, They Came in Ships of Destiny to Make a Province, in The Royal Engineers, 13.
    • 5. Ibid.
    • 6. Teut, Cariboo Road 'Appian Way', 9.
    • 7. D. F. VanDine, Drynoch Landslide, British Columbia:A History, Canadian Geotechnical Journal 20 (1983): 87.
    • 8. The Cariboo Wagon Road, Royal BC Museum: British Columbia Archives.
    • 9. Cariboo Road 'Appian Way', 9.
    • 10. Ibid.
    • 11. Robert C. Sahr, Inflation Conversion Factors for Years 1665 to Estimated 2017, Oregon State University.
    • 12. Teut, Cariboo Road 'Appian Way', 9.
    • 13. Stangoe, Cariboo-Chilcotin, 102.
    • 14. Teut,Cariboo Road 'Appian Way', 9.
    • 15. Official Numbered Routes in British Columbia, British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    CarnarvonMap
    Carnarvon was located near the confluence of the Harrison and Fraser Rivers. According to this despatch, Carnarvon appears to have been on the regular steamer run from New Westminster to Douglas, and fell under the jurisdiction of Gold Commissioner Gaggin.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cascade MountainsMap
    This high-peaked range's northernmost point is Lytton Mountain, just southeast of the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers, and its southward run terminates at Lassen Peak, in northern California.
    Known also as the Cascade Range, it draws its name from the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1806, though Vancouver and Broughton had both sighted the Cascades in 1792—in reference to a deep Columbia River gorge on the present-day Washington-Oregon border, in which the explorers evidently found immense cascades.1
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Cedar DistrictMap
    Cedar District is located on the eastern shore of southern Vancouver Island. Today, it is home to the small community of Cedar. As its name suggests, it had an abundance of cedar trees, which were noted, along with the resources of several other regions established by Pemberton's surveys of the southern Vancouver Island during the 1850s; both this map and this map, each from 1859, show Cedar District.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    CeylonMap
    Sri Lanka, formerly called Ceylon, lies in the Indian Ocean and is separated from India by the Palk Strait. It is 432 kilometers long and 224 kilometers wide, and holds a continuous record of human settlement, which dates back approximately two millenia.1
    The British East India Company conquested Sri Lanka in the late 1790s; by 1802 it was made a Crown colony. During British occupancy, there were various reforms put in place such as: the abolishment of slavery, paid salaries in cash, and a relaxed system of compulsory service tenure.2
    Included in British-imposed reforms were the growth in Christian missionary activity, and the encouragement, by British officials, on agriculture. This encouragement led to the production of cinnamon, pepper, sugarcane, cotton, and coffee. From 1830 to the mid-19th century the production of coffee spearheaded Ceylon's economic development.3
    Sri Lanka remained under British rule and as a Crown colony until 4 February 1948 when it gained its full independence.4
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Chatham SoundMap
    The Chatham Sound is a broad body of water off the northwest coast of Prince Rupert.1 It resides between Digby Island and Dundas Island and was named by Captain Charles Duncan after John Pitt, the 2nd Earl of Chatham and the 1st Lord of the British Admiralty.2 Captain Pike, while working to control illegal liquor trading in Fort Rupert, travelled through Chatham Sound in 1863.4 The lighthouse on one of the islands in Chatham Sound is the most northerly light on the coast.5
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Chemainus BayMap
    Chemainus Bay is located on southeastern Vancouver Island, just outside of the coastal town of Chemainus. According to this 1863 letter, colonial officials used Chemainus Bay as a base for launching military operations against Indigenous nations, specifically those nations that comprise the Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group (Stz'uminus (Chemainus), Halalt, Lyackson, Ts'uubaa-asatx, and Penelakut).1
    The bay, along with the river, town and district, was named in the 1850s after the Chemainus First Nation.2 Recently, however, the Chemainus have become the Stz'uminus First Nation, to reflect their original Hul'qumi'num name.3
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Chemainus DistrictMap
    At the time of this correspondence, Chemainus District refers to one of the electoral districts of the Vancouver Island House of Assembly. The district included Chemainus, Saltspring Island and a few immediately outlying islands.1 In the correspondence, Arthur reports the results of the recent election for the Colonial Legislature of Vancouver Island to Cardwell.2
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Chemainus RiverMap
    The Chemainus River is located on southeastern Vancouver Island. Its headwaters begin, roughly, north of the Cowichan River; it then travels southeasterly to outflow in the Strait of Georgia, passing through the coastal town of Chemainus. The river, along with the town and district, was named in the 1850s after the Chemainus First Nation.2 Recently, however, the Chemainus have become the Stz'uminus First Nation, to reflect their original Hul'qumi'num language name.2
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 117.
    • 2. Home, Stz'uminus First Nation.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Chilcotin PlateauMap
    The Chilcotin Plateau is on the territory of the Tŝilhqot'in peoples, also known as the people of the red river.1 The Chilcotin Plateau lies between the Fraser River and the Coast Mountains in west-central British Columbia, and includes the majority of the drainage of the Chilcotin River and the headwaters of the Homathko, Klinklini, and Dean Rivers.2 The plateau was created by a volcanic eruption in the late Miocene.3
    During the latter half of the 19th century, the Chilcotin Plateau was a landscape of resistance, violence, and tragedy.4 One of the most notable events to take place on this territory was the Chilcotin War. In 1864, a group of Tŝilhqot'in individuals led by Lhatŝ'aŝʔin attacked and killed 14 men who were working on the Bute Inlet Road construction.5 The trials of the accused took place in Quesnel in September 1864.6 Judge Begbie sentenced Lhatŝ'aŝʔin and four other Tŝilhqot'in men to death in October 1864, and a sixth man in 1865.7
    In 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau exonerated the Tŝilhqot'in men who were hanged, stating that they were treated and tried as criminals in an era where both the colonial government and the legal process did not respect the inherent rights of the Tŝilhqot'in people.8
    Today, newcomers to the Chilcotin say that it is like going back in time.9 The local economy depends on cattle farming, logging, and mining.10 The Chilcotin Plateau has long been a site of land-use conflicts, which continue, today, as the Tŝilhqot'in people battle against resource extraction on their lands.11
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Chilcotin RiverMap
    The Chilcotin River flows west into the Fraser River near Williams Lake located in the Chilcotin Plateau, and gains its name from the Tsilhqot'in Nation. The Tsilhqot'in are known as the “People of the River,” as salmon is their main food source, and it describes a tie between the Tsilhqot'in and the importance of fishing.1 According to a despatch from Governor Kennedy, it was reported that Indigenous groups assembled in groups of two to three hundred at the Chilcotin River during the months of May, June, and July to fish.2
    Fishing and fish-trade was a long standing staple of the Tsilhqot'in; they considered the fish from the Chilcotin River an important part of their winter food.3 Hudson's Bay Company men described the salmon traps, created by the Tsilhqot'in, as ingenious. The use of the river by solely Indigenous Peoples evolved with the HBC establishment of Fort Chilcotin at the junction of the Chilco and Chilcotin Rivers in 1831.4
    The fort closed temporarily in 1836 due to the traders view on the Tsilhqot'in as troublesome. When it reopened three years later, the Tsilhqot'in tried to dissuade more settlements on their land by attempting to starve the fort into submission by blockading the Chilcotin River.5 With the arrival of more settlements along the river, Indigenous Peoples shared their primary food source. They also became infected -- and in some cases decimated -- by the arrival of diseases such as the smallpox. This consequently left some of the Indigenous areas around the river nearly abandoned.6
    In the early 20th century, after the McKenna-McBride Royal Commission which reviewed the allocations of reserves in BC, restrictions and permits were placed on the Tsilhqot'in on when they could use the river for fishing. Due to the specific areas marked for fishing by Indigneous Peoples at the Chilcotin River, it was more readily policed by the government as they knew which areas to restrict. In this way, the government could easily note when and if Indigenous Peoples were adhering to the restrictions put in place, which marks a significant departure from how the river was used before the arrival of the HBC in the 1840s.7
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Chilko LakeMap
    Chilko Lake, original name “Tsilhqox Biny,” is the largest high-elevation freshwater lake in Canada at an elevation of 3,855 feet. It is located approximately 60 kilometers southeast of Tatla Lake and its entrance is located at the narrows of “Gwedats'ish.”1
    This area was one of the main winter dwelling sites for the Tsilhqot'in -- first observed by HBC trader George McDougall in 1822. Many Tsilhqot'in would trap in and around the watersheds of the mountains by Chilko Lake, while also using this area for fishing and gathering.2 The fishery that was established by the Tsilhqot'in at this lake was officially recorded in 1827 by McGillivary in which he noted that the fishery was central to the Tsilhqot'in occupation of the area.3
    In Tsilhqot'in tradition, they are taught about the migration of salmon from Vancouver to Henry's Crossing and finally to Chilko Lake. To the Indigenous Peoples of this region, and others, there is a tie to their resources -- just as the fish were native to the lake so are the Tsilhqot'in native to this area.4 Water is sacred and a resource that is more than for drinking but creates sustainability for the land and wildlife.5
    Although Chilko Lake was a centre for the Tsilhqot'ins, this area was practically deserted by 1870 due to the continuous settler disruptions. Donald Mclean described the original occupants of this area as inclined to mischief which influenced settler attitudes towards Indigenous peoples.6 Today, Chilko Lake and its endangered wildlife are protected by the Ts'yl-os Provincial Park. The use of the lake as a hydro-electric source which has re-routed the flow of water marks another violence down to the natural environment as it has destroyed a large portion of the salmon spawning grounds.7
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    ChilliwackMap
    Chilliwack, the city, is located just south of the Fraser River, southwest of Hope. In this correspondence, Douglas refers to the Chilwayhook District, which indicates one of the many variant spellings for the area, which include, among others, “Chilliwak”, “Chilliwhack”, “Chilukweyuk” and “Chiloweyuck”.1
    The Chilliwack mantle denotes other features, which include a creek, river, lake, and mountain. Chilliwack, according to the Akriggs, is a Halkomelem word for quieter water on the head, or travel by way of backwater or slough.2
    BCGNIS notes Chilliwack as derivation of Tcil'Qe'uk, again a Halkomelem word, said to mean valley of many streams, as well as several other possibilities.3 Chilliwack was likely an Anglicization that referred to First Nations peoples in the region, which comprise the Stó:lō Nation today,4 whose traditional territories blanket the Lower Mainland, and beyond.5
    .
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Chisicut LakeMap
    Chezakut Lake, which is now known as “Chilcotin Lake,” is located by the Chilcotin River at an elevation of 3,290 feet above sea level.1 Chezakut is the anglicized name of “Cheẑich'ed” -- from the Tsilhqot'in language. The name change from Chezakut to Chilcotin Lake was issued on 11 March 2019 by recommendation from the Tsilhqot'in National Government.2
    This area, like all lakes in the Chilcotin Region were described by the Tsilhqot'in as the heart of their country. To the Tsilhqot'in, water was sacred and bound them to a certain way of behaving towards it, a view which was believed should apply to all who used the resource.3 However, with the arrival of settlers, the area around Chilcotin Lake was used for the exploitation of resources such as basalt. The construction of roads that ran close to it, such as the Bentinck Arm route, also increased pollution. The latter further facilitated the spread of disease, especially smallpox, as observed by English geologist F. Poole.4
    • 1. Canadian Pacific Railway: Description of the Country between Lake Superior and the Pacific Ocean on the Line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, (Ottawa: November 1876).
    • 2. Cheẑich'ed Biny, BC Geographical Names.
    • 3. Alan Bruce Hanna, Dechen ts-edilhtan: Implementing Tsilhqot'in Law for Watershed Governance, (University of Victoria, 2020), 143 and 158.
    • 4. William J. Turkell, The Archive of Place: Unearthing the Pasts of the Chilcotin Plateau, (UBC Press, 2008), 170.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Christmas HillMap
    Christmas Hill is located near Victoria, in the municipality of Saanich. It was marked as Lake Hill, perhaps in reference to the nearby Swan Lake, on a 1911 British Admiralty chart.1 The name Christmas Hill was adopted, officially, in 1934.2
    • 1. Christmas Hill, BC Geographical Names Information System.
    • 2. Ibid.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Clallam BayMap
    Clallam Bay is located roughly 40 km east of Cape Flattery on the Washington State shore of the Juan de Fuca Strait. According to this despatch, it was used as a stopping place for vessels wind-bound.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Clayoquot SoundMap
    Clayoquot Sound is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, bordering Estevan Point on Hesquiat Peninsula in the north and Pacific Rim National Park in the south.1 The Sound consists of a myriad of islands, the largest of which are Vargas, Flores, and Mearns.2 The coast is dominated by temperate rainforest, and has relatively few non-indigenous settlements. Clayoquot is a registered UNESCO biosphere reserve.3
    Alternative spellings of Clayoquot include Clioquatt, Clayocuat, Klaooquat and Klahoquaht.4 Captain George Vancouver's 1792 chart of the region uses Clayoquot, which is now the predominant contemporary spelling. The name is derived from Nuučaańuł, spoken by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.5 The word translates to people of other tribes, an accurate description of the area, which is a place of confluence for various Indigenous peoples.6
    Clayoquot Sound is extensively mentioned in a correspondence discussing two incidents of supposed indian aggression toward white men: the alleged murder of the Colonial Indian Agent for Barkley sound, William Banfield (Bamfield); and the plundering of the merchant sloop Kingfisher and murder of its crew. Vancouver Island's west coast has been a consistent site of Indiegnous-settler interaction which outdates the establishment of the colony. As such, Clayoquot appears often throughout the despatches, noting the area's natural resources.This despatch, for example, relates an attempt to locate gold fields in the region.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Clearwater RiverMap
    Clearwater River is a tributary of Snake River in Idaho, and is located 5 kilometers away from the mouth of Lapwai. It is named after its chief characteristic of being clear and transparent. The original name given to the river was Koos-koos-kia by the Nez Perce Indigenous tribe.1
    Clearwater River was and is a major population centre for the Nez Perce. The first European encounter of the river was by Lewis and Clarke on their 1805-06 expedition.2 The first missionary, farm, and sawmill in Idaho were established on the Clearwater River in the 1830s and 1840s by Reverend Henry and Eliza Spalding. The Spaldings established their mission near the Southbank of the river at the mouth of the Lapwai Creek.3
    By 1860, gold was discovered on the tributaries of the Clearwater River. The land that surrounds the river was, and arguably still is, described as a paradise.4
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Clifford PointMap
    Clifford Point is located at the southwest end of Bawden Bay in Clayoquot Sound, just east of Ahousat on Flores Island. Bawden Bay was named after Charles Bawden, master of the Bacchante, and Clifford Point was named after Bawden’s son, who also served in the navy.1 In a letter attached to this correspondence, Clifford Point is referred to as a surveillance post for naval operations in Clayoquot Sound, specifically for Pike’s siege of the Huu-ay-aht community who were supposedly involved in the death of Banfield and offer[ed] a determined resistance to any investigation by the colonial authority on their territory.2
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    ClintonMap
    Clinton is a village in B.C., located approximately 40 km northwest of Cache Creek and 30 km south of 70 mile house. It is mentioned in this letter.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
    Clover PointMap
    Clover Point is located at the most southern extremity of Victoria.1 According to Walbran, Douglas named the site in reference to the red clover that was growing most luxuriously when he disembarked from the HMS Beaver;2 however, Scott disputes this claim, and proposes that Douglas named Clover Point during a visit to shore from the Cadboro in 1842.3
    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 125.
    • 2. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 96.
    • 3. Scott, Raincoast Placenames, 125.
    Mentions of this place in the documents
      Coldwater RiverMap
      Coldwater River flows northeast and northwest into Nicola River at Merritt, in the Yale District of British Columbia. It has two anglicized First Nations names, Ntstlatko and Tsillatko, both of which mean “cold water” in, presumably, Secwepemc (or Shuswap).1
      Mentions of this place in the documents
      Cole IslandMap
      Cole Island is a small island located just offshore in Esquimalt Harbour. According to BCGNIS, Cole Island was named by Lieutenant Commander Wood of the HMS Pandora after Commander Edmund Picoti Cole, master of the HMS Fisgard.1
      According to this despatch, and the attached documents, Moody, with Douglas's permission, chose Cole Island as the site for the Naval base's munitions store, or magazine, at Esquimalt Harbour, and according to Scott, the island is still referred to as Magazine Island.2
      • 1. Cole Island, BC Geographical Names Information System.
      • 2. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 127.
      Mentions of this place in the documents
      Columbia LakeMap
      Columbia Lake is located in the Columbia Valley in southeastern British Columbia. The Lake has several small tributaries originating in the Selkirk Mountains to the west and the Rocky Mountains to the east. Columbia Lake constitutes the primary headwaters for the Columbia River. Columbia Lake is mentioned in different correspondences all having to do with the Kootenay Gold Rush. For example, in this correspondence, Seymour reports the discovery of gold on the Kootenay River to Cardwell and expresses his concern about its proximity to the United States and its distance from New Westminster.1 Seymour suggests possible routes to connect the mines to more populated centers within the colony, one route being the Columbia River via steam navigation up to its source in Columbia Lake, which are close to the Kootenay diggings.2
      Mentions of this place in the documents
      Columbia RiverMap
      This 2000 km river, roughly 800 km of which wends through Canada, has its source in southeastern British Columbia's Columbia Lake. It passes into the United States where it meets the Pacific Ocean at the divide between Washington and Oregon State.
      Spanish explorers had named it Rio de San Roque in 1775, and it was called Oregon River by Jonathan Carver in 1766; it was not until 1792 that Boston trader Captain Robert Gray named it after his ship.1 David Thompson, then of the North West Company, explored the westward Columbia in 1811 to find American traders already present in Fort Astoria, on the south side of the Columbia's delta.2
      As several early despatches show, this river served as a natural border between British and US interests until, after much tension in Oregon Territory, the Oregon Treaty of 1846 settled an enforceable borderline north of the Columbia to the 49th parallel, which is now the Canada-US border.
      Mentions of this place in the documents
      Columbia ValleyMap
      The Columbia Valley extends from the southwest corner of Cultus Lake, east of Abbotsford, British Columbia, across the 49th parallel border to northern Washington State. The valley also lies between Vedder Mountain and the bulk of the Cascade Mountains. There is no direct border crossing in the valley and is mostly filled with a few farms -- primarily the community of Lindell Beach who are located there. The characteristics of the Columbia Valley are similar to that of the Fraser Valley but it is at somewhat of a higher elevation.1
      Mentions of this place in the documents
      Colville DistrictMap
      Colville District is referred to only once in the collection, by James Cooper, who reports in this private correspondence on a rolling prairie interspersed with belts of timber, which is denominated at present Thompsons River and Colville districts. It is difficult to verify if Cooper refers to what is known today as the Thompson-Nicola Regional District,1 or the lands surrounding Fort Colvile, which appears a more likely referent, given the nature of Cooper's report.
      Mentions of this place in the documents
      ColónMap
      Colón is a port city on the northern shore of Panama that was founded in the 1850s as the Atlantic terminus of the original Panama railway; it was originally named Aspinwall, after one of the railway's builders. The railway was a key transportation link for travellers on the Europe to Pacific Coast route.1
      For example, this 1858 despatch to Lytton announces that a Line of Screw Steamers from England to Vancouvers Island (via the Isthmus of Panama) will be forthcoming, adding that the first Screw Steamer will be despatched from England for Aspinwall with Passengers on or about the first week in August.
      • 1. Colón, Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
      Mentions of this place in the documents
      Comiaken HillMap
      Comiaken Hill is located in the Comiaken Land District, and is the feature from which the district derives its name.1 Pemberton, in this 1857 map of the surrounding area, calls the feature Mount Bruce.
      In 1856, a landing party of Royal Navy marines named the eminence Mount Bruce—after Rear-Admiral H. W. Bruce—while the group camped there in pursuit of a fugitive from the Cowichan First Nation. Bruce led the expedition in search of Chief Tathlasut, who allegedly shot and wounded Thomas Williams, an English settler who Tathlasut claimed had seduced his bride.2
      • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 51.
      • 2. Barry M. Gough, Gunboat Frontier: British Maritime Authority and Northwest Coast Indians, 1846-1890, (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1984), 61-63.
      Mentions of this place in the documents
        Comiaken Land DistrictMap
        Comiaken District is located on the eastern shore of southern Vancouver Island, roughly 25 km south of Cedar District. The origins of its name are murky, though it is clear that the region draws its name from Comiaken Hill: the BC Geographical Names Information System offers the explanation that Comiaken may mean to pull grass or hay up by the roots, or [Aboriginals] by the sea,1 while Akrigg and Akrigg speculate that it means bare, or void of vegetation.2
        The Comiaken region was mapped as part of Pemberton's surveys of the southern Vancouver Island during the 1850s, which can be seen on this map and another, both from 1859.
        • 1. Comiaken Land District, BC Geographical Names Information System.
        • 2. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 51.
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        ComoxMap
        Comox is on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island.1 The name comes from Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation and means “abundance” or “plenty”.2 In 1862, the first British settlement was centred around agriculture; in 1874 a wharf was built to continue the development of the community.3 In the 1850's, Comox was used as a Royal Navy training spot.4 Today, agriculture is still a large aspect of the community, especially in dairy and potato farming, and fruit growing.5 Each winter, around 2,000 trumpeter swans migrate to Comox. The Trumpeter Swan Festival is held each February.6
        • 1. Andrew Scott, Comox, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names.
        • 2. Ibid.
        • 3. Ibid.; Andrew Scott, Comox, The Encyclopedia of BC.
        • 4. Ibid.
        • 5. Ibid.
        • 6. Ibid.
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Conklin GulchMap
        Conklin Gulch is a valley in British Columbia which has an elevation of 1,592 meters. It is located southeast of Barkerille and east of Mink Gulch. Conklin Gulch is a tributary of William's Creek and was one of the areas in which gold was found during the British Columbia gold rush.1
        The Aurora company, a mining company at Conklin Gulch, is said to have made $1500000 by 1864 from drift mining at the gulch. Conklin Gulch was also one of the central areas for mining placer gold.2 During its operation as a gold mine during the Cariboo Gold Rush, Conklin Gulch and another tributary of William's Creek -- Stout's Gulch -- produced $30000000 worth of gold between 1861 and 1898.3
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Constance CoveMap
        Constance Cove is located on the eastern side of Esquimalt Harbour. It was named after HMS Constance, which, in 1848, became one of the first Royal Navy vessels to anchor at Esquimalt Harbour.1 The Cove was named in 1847 by an officer of the Plumper, James Wood, though one of Pemberton's maps from 1855 shows the Cove as Village Bay.2
        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 131.
        • 2. Ibid.
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Cook's FerryMap
        Cook's Ferry is located in the Thompson-Okanagan region in British Columbia. This area, that surrounds the confluences of the Thompson and Nicola rivers, has a long Indigenous history that spans thousands of years. The Cook's Ferry First Nations are a Nlaka'pamux First Nation government located in this region.1
        Cook's Ferry is the area of Spence's Bridge named after Mortimer Cook who had established a ferry service in the area in 1862. The ferry ran until 1865 and would travel between the “old” community -- near Nicola -- and the “new” community located on the west side of the Cariboo Wagon Road. When Thomas Spence was commissioned to build a bridge in the same area of Cook's Ferry, the finished bridge put Cook's Ferry out of commission and necessity.2
        Nlaka'pamux culture thrives in this area, although the first European settlement disrupted traditional life in the 1850s, largely due to the Cariboo gold rush. The name Cook's Ferry survives today as it is associated with the Indigenous group who were given its name during the creation of Band Councils under the Indian Act. This area is known today for its steelhead fishing, river rafting, and hiking.3
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Coquihalla RiverMap
        The Coquihalla flows southwest into the Fraser River near Hope, in the southern interior of British Columbia. Several anglicized variants of what is, presumably, its First Nations name exist, including Quequealla, Coquhalla, and Kwee Kwe ah la; by 1877, however, George Dawson's spelling of Coquihalla set the current naming standard.1
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Coquitlam RiverMap
        Coquitlam River flows from Coquitlam Lake, through New Westminster, and into the Fraser, just west of Pitt River. It draws its name, along with other features that bear the same, from the Anglicization of Kwikwetlem: the people who have inhabited the river and surrounding region continuously for thousands of years.1 The Kwikwetlem First Nation is now part of the larger Stó:lō group; Kwikwetlem is Halkomelem for red fish up the river.2
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Cordova BayMap
        Cordova Bay is located on the southeastern shores of Vancouver Island. It lies on the eastern shore of the Saanich Peninsula, roughly 10 km north of Victoria, and looks across to US waters and San Juan Island.
        In 1790, Spanish navy sub-lieutenant Manuel Quimper named what is known now as Esquimalt Harbour as Puerto de Cordova, after the 46th viceroy of Mexico.1 HBC officers anglicized and relocated the name to its present location in, circa, 1842, which had been labelled alternatively as Cormorant Bay by the British Admiralty in the 1840s.2 However, in 1905, Captain Walbran, famous for his knowledge, and book, on west coast place names, led the charge to list Cordova Bay as the official name.3
        • 1. Cordova Bay, BC Geographical Names Information System.
        • 2. Ibid.
        • 3. Ibid.
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Cormorant IslandMap
        Cormorant Island is off the coast of Port McNeill on the Northeast end of Vancouver Island.1 It is a traditional spot for the Kwakwaka'wakw people to gather and share wealth.2 The world's tallest totem pole exists there.3 On the northeast coast of the island is the village of Alert Bay which is home to Namgis and Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations.4 St. Michael's School in Alert Bay was one of the last residential schools to close in British Columbia, 1974.5
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Cornish Bar [formerly Murderer's Bar]Map
        Cornish Bar, roughly 6 km south of Hope, was one among dozens of gold rush sites worked along the Fraser River, largely, from 1858 to 1859.1 It was named Murderer, or Murderers, Bar in reference to a murder committed there, but Douglas found the name distasteful and decreed that it change to Cornish Bar,2 likely in homage to the men of Cornish descent who worked the area, along with hundreds of others, at the time of Douglas's visit in 1858.3
        • 1. Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, vol. 32, History of British Columbia 1792-1887 (San Francisco: The History Company, 1887), 440.
        • 2. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 149.
        • 3. Bancroft, History of British Columbia, 441.
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        CourtenayMap
        Courtenay is a city located on the east coast of Vancouver Island, situated in the Comox Valley. The city is placed in a narrow plain in which mountains border it to the west. The K'ómoks peoples were the first peoples to occupy this territory before the arrival of European settlers. In their traditions, the first “Comox People” -- Shalhk'em and Tisitl'a -- fell from the sky and thus established and expanded the Indigenous community throughout the Comox Valley.1
        Due to the abundance of fish, game, and berries in this area many settlers were enticed to settle. The first European explorers in this area were Spanish navigators in 1791. The area received its name from rear admiral George William Courtenay who surveyed the area in 1846-49. After the surveyance of Courtenay, a Hudson's Bay Company store was established in the 1850s which led to increasing non-Indigenous settlements in the 1860s.2
        According to this despatch, an exploration party reported that they found a large amount of coal in the Courtenay area -- in proximity to its river.3
        • 1. Alan F.j. Artibise and Ken Favrholdt, Courtenay, The Canadian Encyclopedia, 28 November 2007 ; History, K'ómoks First Nation.
        • 2. Artibise and Favrholdt, Courtenay.
        • 3. Kennedy to Cardwell, 5 September 1864, 9634, CO 305/23, p.222.
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Couteau RiverMap
        In this despatch, Merivale minutes that he cannot find the Couteau River on the maps, but he presumes from the description to be between Fraser & Thom[p]son's rivers. The Couteau region, also known as the Thompson Region, draws its name from the First Nations bands in the area. However, there is currently no known river in British Columbia called “Couteau”. It is likely that there never was a river named Couteau in BC, and Merivale appears to be mistaken.
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Cowichan BayMap
        Cowichan Bay is located on southern Vancouver Island. It is the outflow point for Cowichan River, which flows east from Cowichan Lake.
        Cowichan Bay was named by HBC officers, and is home to, along with the surrounding Cowichan region, the Quw'utsun Nation, the largest Coast Salish Nation in British Columbia.1 The name Cowichan, likely derived from one of the many forms of Quw'utsun, is an anglicization of the Island's Halkomelem term for warming the back.2
        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 137.
        • 2. Ibid., 138.
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Cowichan HeadMap
        Cowichan Head is located on the eastern shores of the Saanich Peninsula, north of Cordova Bay. It was named in 1859 by Captain Richards of HMS Plumper.1 According to one provincial archivist, the land surrounding Cowichan Head was sold to the HBC by local First Nations.2
        See the Cowichan Bay entry for more on Cowichan name origins and meanings.
        • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 116.
        • 2. Cowichan Head, BC Geographical Names Information System.
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Cowichan LakeMap
        Cowichan Lake is located on southern Vancouver Island. It is the headwater for Cowichan River, which flows east to Cowichan Bay.
        See the Cowichan Bay entry for more on Cowichan name origins and meanings.
        Mentions of this place in the documents
        Cowichan PointMap
        Cowichan Point is located at the northern entrance to Cowichan Bay, and its name likely shares the same origin—named after the powerful Coast Salish First Nation that has resided in the region.1
        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 137.
        Mentions of this place in the documents
          Cowichan RegionMap
          The Cowichan region is located on southern Vancouver Island, and has its easterly shores in the Strait of Georgia, and its westerly shores in the Pacific Ocean. In it are a number of landmarks mentioned in the despatches, including Cowichan Lake, River, Head, and Bay; as well, the region's western reach encompasses Nitinat Lake, and to the southeast, Malahat Ridge.
          The region is named after the most populous Coast Salish Nation in British Columbia, the Quw'utsun', whose tribes include the Comeakin, Quamichan, Clemclemaluts, Khenipsen, Kilpaulus, Somena, and Koksilah Nations. The Quw'utsun' have inhabited many parts of southern British Columbia, and the Puget Sound, for over four-thousand years.1
          The despatches list a variety of names for Cowichan, which include “Cowitchin”, “Cowetchin”, “Cowegin”, “Cowetchen”, and others. The map link, above, denotes the Cowichan Valley Regional District, which incorporated as such in 1967.2
          The Cowichan District was mapped as part of Pemberton's surveys of the southern Vancouver Island during the 1850s, which can be seen on this map and another, both from 1859.
          Mentions of this place in the documents
          Cowlitz RegionMap
          The Cowlitz region is in present-day southwest Washington State, and is named after the Cowlitz, a Salish-speaking people who, upon European contact, shared this area with numerous other tribes of varying populations.1 Cowlitz and the surrounding area was a nexus of British and US land disputes in the mid-1800s and, amidst increased trade-rights rivalry, the Puget's Sound Agricultural Company—ostensibly, the HBC—established a farm at the headwaters of the Cowlitz River, which branches north from the Columbia River.2
          James Douglas, then chief trader of the HBC, oversaw the formation of the Cowlitz farm in 1838, as it was hoped that, after the ongoing boundary disputes between Britain and the United States, the British would gain land north of the Columbia River.3 However, the Oregon Treaty of 1846 moved the British boundary to the 49th parallel.
          • 1. Rudolph C. Ryser, Background and History of the Cowlitz Tribe, The Center for World Indigenous Studies.
          • 2. Arthur S. Morton, A History of the Canadian West to 1870-71 (London: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1939), 727.
          • 3. E. E. Rich, Hudson's Bay Company 1670-1870, vol. 3, 1821-1870 (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1961), 686.
          Mentions of this place in the documents
          Cranberry DistrictMap
          The Cranberry District, which appears in the key of this 1859 map of the Comiaken District, is a land district located on central Vancouver Island.
          Mentions of this place in the documents
          Cranberry RiverMap
          From this 1865 map by McKay and this 1864 map compiled from John Arrowsmith's documents, it appears that Cranberry River flowed from Cranberry Lake--near present-day Valemount--to the Fraser River at Tete Juan Cache. However, it was renamed “McLennan River” in the 1870s, after a Canadian Pacific surveyor.1 A “Cranberry Creek” still exists in the area, which historically connected Cranberry Lake and Mclennan River.2
          Mentions of this place in the documents
          Crater HillsMap
          The Crater Hills appear on this 1852 map by Pemberton. It is possible that Boulderwood Hill and Little Saanich Mountain are the features that Pemberton labelled as the Crater Hills on his 1852 map.
          Mentions of this place in the documents
            Crescent CityMap
            As Kennedy informs Cardwell in this correspondence, Crescent City is a place at the northern extremity of the State of California.1 Kennedy goes on to tell Cardwell that a lost crate of letters from the Colonial Office were cast ashore at Crescent City.2 Crescent City is located on the traditional territory of the Yurok Tribe and Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation.
            Mentions of this place in the documents
            CumberlandMap
            Cumberland is a village just inland from the eastern shores of central Vancouver Island. Originally, the settlement, that would later become a mining mecca, was named Union, until it was renamed by Dunsmuir, apparently after Cumberland County, a mining centre in northern England. It incorporated as a city in 1898, though, it has since become a Village Municipality.1
            • 1. Cumberland, BC Geographical Names Information System.
            Mentions of this place in the documents
            Cumberland LakeMap
            Cumberland Lake is located in central-eastern Saskatchewan. It is one of the many lakes that comprise the Saskatchewan River system.1
            Mentions of this place in the documents
            Cypress BayMap
            Cypress Bay is located in Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, and is situated southeast of Wahous IR 20 and northeast of McLeod island.1 In this despatch, Hugh Robert Stewart reports on his expedition to capture the chief of the Ahouset Indians, in which he included a list of articles that belonged to the crew of the Kingfisher, found at the Indian village at Cypress Bay.2 Today Cypress Bay is a designated location for artists and the like.3
            Mentions of this place in the documents
            Cypress IslandMap
            Cypress Island is part of the San Juan Islands. It lies between Blakey Island to the west, and Guemes Island to the east. Cypress's sinuous western coastline looks out to Rosario Strait and is home to Strawberry Bay. In 1792, Vancouver named it Cypress, in reference to the abundance of what were, in fact, juniper trees.1 Despite this botanical misidentification, the name Cypress stuck. Its earlier Spanish name was Isla de Saint Vincente.2
            • 1. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 56.
            • 2. Ibid.
            Mentions of this place in the documents
            D'ArcyMap
            According to BCGNIS, the town of D'Arcy occupies what once was the site of Port Anderson, at the south end of Anderson Lake.1
            According to this despatch, during its time as Port Anderson, the site belonged to the district under jurisdiction of Stipendiary Magistrate Gaggin—a district that stretched from Carnarvon to Port Anderson.
            • 1. D'Arcy, BC Geographical Names Information System.
            Mentions of this place in the documents
            D'Arcy IslandMap
            D'Arcy Island is located in the Haro Strait, whose waters run between southern Vancouver Island and, roughly, San Juan Island. Little D'Arcy Island is tucked up near the eastern side of its larger partner, and today, the area is part of a provincial marine park, established in 1961.1 D'Arcy Island was a lazaretto from 1891 to 1924 mostly for Chinese sufferers of Hansen's Disease; the Sencot'en name for the island is Ctesu.2
            • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 148.
            • 2. Ibid.
            Mentions of this place in the documents
            De Courcy IslandsMap
            Mentions of this place in the documents
            Deadman RiverMap
            Deadman River appears on this 1864 map, which shows the Victoria and Lake Districts. The name no longer appears to be in use; however, the river is shown to drain into Portage Inlet at the approximate location of Craigflower Creek.
            Mentions of this place in the documents
              Deans' CanalMap
              Deans' Canal (or Dean Channel) was named after Reverend James King, D.D., dean of Rapole, Ireland, by Captain George Vancouver in 1793. The son of the Reverand was a crew member on board Captain James Cook's ship the Resolution during Cook's last voyage.1
              • 1. Captain John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names: Their Origin and History (Canada: Douglas and McIntyre Ltd., 1971), 133.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Deception PassMap
              Deception Pass is part of the Salish Sea, in eastern Juan de Fuca Strait, north of Puget Sound.
              The indomitable rowing machine, otherwise know as Joseph Whidbey, had surveyed recently the surrounding region. Whidbey, who had spent days likely dodging rocks and braving currents, was deceived by what he surmised was a cove: this turned out to be a narrow passage that Vancouver would call, appropriately, Deception Pass.1 In homage to Whidbey's toil and endurance, Vancouver named this newly-proved island Whidbey.2
              • 1. Robert Hitchman, Place Names of Washington (Tacoma: Washington State Historical Society, 1985), 67.
              • 2. Lynn Middleton, Place Names of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing, 1969), 223.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Departure BayMap
              Departure Bay lies on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the city of Nanaimo. This area is part of the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw Peoples who have lived on this land for thousands of years. The location of Departure Bay was one of the main Snuneymuxw winter village sites.1
              After European settlement, Departure Bay became a hub for coal mining. According to this despatch, the Harewood Railway Company Act, 1864 enabled the construction of a tramway that stretched from the coal mines to Departure Bay, this line was completed by the Harewood Colliery Company Limited -- in which Robert Dunsmuir was a significant member.2
              With the dwindling of coal mines, in 1892 the Hamilton Power Company -- responsible for manufacturing nitroglycerine (an explosive chemical used in dynamite) -- expanded their company and opened a second plant in the Departure Bay area. The explosives created at the plant were used by miners, farmers, and local contractors; as well as shipped from the dock at Departure Bay to elsewhere. It is possible that dynamite was manufactured here until the mid-1980s.3
              Today Departure Bay is known for being the location of the Pacific Biological Station, operated by the government of Canada. It should be noted that this station stands in the place where Indigneous longhouses, of the Snuneymuxw group, used to stand.4
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              DerbyMap
              The town site of Derby, which occupied the site of Old Fort Langley,1 was on the south side of the Fraser River, a few km below present-day Fort Langley.2 Derby was surveyed in the late 1850s by Pemberton and Pearse, in order to establish a mainland capital—as Bancroft notes, Derby was at this time to be the capital of the Mainland, and play the Sacramento to Victoria's San Francisco.3
              Its name likely stems from Edward Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, the 14th Earl of Derby, who was British Prime Minister in 1858; that same year, Moody disapproved of the site and, soon after, New Westminster became the mainland's capital.4 Today, the only nearby feature that bares the name is Derby Reach.
              • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 62.
              • 2. Derby Reach, BC Geographical Names Information System.
              • 3. Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, vol. 32, History of British Columbia 1792-1887 (San Francisco: The History Company, 1887), 406-07.
              • 4. Derby Reach, BC Geographical Names Information System.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Descanso BayMap
              Descanso Bay is on the west end of Gabriola Island. It was named Cala del Descanso, or “cove of rest” in the early 1790s by Spanish explorers, though Captain Richards marked it as Rocky Bay during his 1862 survey of the area.1
              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 158.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Desolation SoundMap
              Desolation Sound is located off of the northeast end of Strait of Georgia, its entrance just east of Cortes Island. In the early summer of 1792, Vancouver anchored near the Sound while he sent smaller boats to survey the surrounding waters.1
              With the exception of visits with Spanish explorers Alcalá-Galiano and Valdés, Vancouver had a miserable time of his stay, mostly due to what he saw as the gloomy and forlorn surroundings of both land and sea, and so he named it according to his mood, which was presumably one of desolation by the time he weighed anchor.2
              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 159.
              • 2. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              DevonMap
              Devon is a county located on the South West Peninsula of Great Britain and is bounded to the west by Cornwall and to the east by Dorset and Somerset. This county encompasses the administrative and unitary authorities of Plymouth and Torbay; as well as it is remarked in this despatch as holding judicial practices in which Richard Roope functioned as a barrister in the south of Devon.1
              After the 7th century Saxon conquests, Devon's economy began to boom between the 12th and 17th centuries when tin mining became a central economic venture. Both tin and cloth were staple industries, although they diminished in the 19th century when lead, silver, manganese, iron ore, and copper began to be worked.2
              In 2006, the old mines in Devon were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, agriculture is Devon's most valuable single economic activity, in which 30 percent of the working population are dependant.3
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Discovery PassageMap
              Discovery Passage runs between Vancouver Island and Quadra Island, ending just south of Campbell River. It was named in 1792 by Captain George Vancouver and shares the same name as his ship. The passage is 25 km long.1
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              DominicaMap
              Dominica is an island country that is situated in the eastern Caribbean Sea and lies between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante. The island is 47 kilometers long and 26 kilometers wide. Before European colonization, Dominica was home to the Carib people who had migrated here from South America.1
              Dominica received its name from Christopher Columbus who spotted it on 3 November 1493 -- a Sunday. He subsequently named it “dies dominica” (“The Lord's Day”). Although gaining its name from Columbus, the first colonists on the island were the French in 1632. After a fight between France and Britain over its ownership, the French withdrew from the island in 1805, leaving Britain as the primary colonialist power.2
              Before Dominica was made a separate colony, it was administered as part of the Leeward Islands. Dominica joined the West Indies Federation in 1958 and gained its full independence, although remaining part of the commonwealth, on 3 November 1978 -- exactly 485 years after receiving its name.3
              Today, Dominica is considered one of the poorest Caribbean countries. Since the island's main economic source is agriculture, which is habitually destroyed by hurricanes, there is not much else to rely on. The original Carib material culture is still present in Dominica.4
              • 1. Janet D. Momsen, Dominica, Encyclopedia Britannica.
              • 2. Ibid.
              • 3. Ibid.
              • 4. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              DorsetMap
              Dorset is located in southwestern England. It is bordered by the English Channel, Devon, Hampshire, and Somerset. Dorset's history dates back to the prehistoric period which is marked by the monuments of the Neolithic Period, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. Dorset is commonly referred to as the site of “Topuddle martyr's” historic stand for organized labour in the early 19th century.1
              Dorset is mainly rural, and still today, agriculture remains the major use of land. Although, pig and poultry production and forestry both play an important role as well. Dorset's coastal area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is, today, a tourist destination.2
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              DouglasMap
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Douglas ChannelMap
              Douglas Channel was named for Sir James Douglas.1 It is a narrow passage on British Columbia's north coast that stretches from Kitimat to the Tsimshian community Hartley Bay.2 The channel allows deep-water vessels to access the aluminum smelter and other industrial sites in Kitimat.3 The Haisla First Nation community resided in the interior areas of the channel before moving to the Kitamaat Village.4
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Drayton HarbourMap
              Drayton Harbor is located just south of the Canada-US border in Washington state, and feeds into Semiahmoo Bay; it is nearly closed off entirely by Semiahmoo Spit. Spanish Lieutentant Narvaez, while on Francisco de Eliza's expedition, named it Puerto de San Jose in 1791.1
              In 1841, and during a US expedition to the region, Wilkes named it after Josepeh Drayton, a ship's artist under Wilkes's former command.2
              • 1. Robert Hitchman, Place Names of Washington (Tacoma: Washington State Historical Society, 1985), 74.
              • 2. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Duncan BayMap
              Duncan Bay was sometimes used as a Royal Navy anchorage near Metlakatla.
              It was orignally named for Captain Alexander Duncan in 1834. In 1862, Captain Richards adopted the same name in honour of William Duncan, a missionary who had re-established Metlakatla with First Nations converts the same year.1
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Duncan CoveMap
              Because of its proximity to Seymour Narrows (which are also referred to in this document) “Duncan Cove” probably refers to what is now called Duncan Bay, on the north end of Campbell River. The name first appeared on a British Admiralty chart circa 1860, chosen by Captain G. H. Richards, after Captain A. Duncan.1
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Dundas IslandMap
              Dundas Island is located north-west of Prince Rupert on the west side of Chatham Sound. It was named in 1793 by Vancouver after the Right Honourable Henry Dundas, the treasurer of the British Navy.1
              In 1862 the murderers of John Henley and William Brady were pursued to Dundas Island by the HMS Hecate. The murderers escaped, but the Hecate captured fifteen canoes and two aboriginals who assisted the murderers' escape.2
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Dungeness InletMap
              Dungeness Inlet, now Dungeness Bay, looks out to the eastern end of the Juan de Fuca Strait from the north end of the Olympic Peninsula. This small, east-facing bay is sheltered from the Strait's currents by what Vancouver noted as a low sandy point of land, or a spit, which, as he continued, resembled Dungeness in the British channel.1 And, although Vancouver named it “New Dungeness”, the shortened form of Dungeness came to name the bay and spit, a nearby river, and, eventually, a town.2
              • 1. Edmond S. Meany, Origin of Washington Geographic Names (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1923), 73.
              • 2. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Duwamish RiverMap
              The Duwamish River feeds from the south into Seattle, and Puget Sound; it connects to the Green River, roughly 20 km inland. It draws its name from the Duwamish Tribe, Duwamish being an anglicization of “DḵẖʷʼDuwʼAbsh”, which means The People of the Inside, in reference to living inside and around the waterways of Elliott Bay, the Duwamish River, and other lakes and waterways considered DḵẖʷʼDuwʼAbsh ancestral land.1
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Dyke PointMap
              In 1847, Lieutenant Commander James Wood of the HMS Pandora named Dyke Point in honour of Charles Dyke, who was the 2nd lieutenant on the HMS Fisgard.1 Dyke Point is located in Esquimalt Harbour.2
              • 1. Dyke Point, BC Geographical Names Information System.
              • 2. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Elk LakeMap
              Elk Lake, located north-west of Victoria, was named in honour of the elk that were once abundant in the area.1 According to the Akriggs, the Saanich First Nation name for the lake meant drifts from place to place, in reference to an island of floating weeds that the Saanich believed was a monster who brought bad luck to all who looked upon it.2 On this 1852 map, Pemberton labels the body of water “Saanich Lake”.
              • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 72.
              • 2. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Ellenborough PeninsulaMap
              This peninsula is located on the northeastern side of Vancouver Island. Walbran notes that Ellenborough Peninsula was named in 1846 by Commander Gordon.1 Walbran adds that the name is obsolete (as of circa 1906) but places the peninsula on the opposite side of Broughton strait and westward of Port McNeill.2
              • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 222.
              • 2. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Emory BarMap
              Emory Bar is located along the banks of the Fraser River, roughly 5 km south of Yale. It was, along with dozens of bars along the Fraser, worked voraciously for gold in the late 1850s. Competition between miners was fierce, and, in 1858, Governor Douglas was confronted by angry miners at Emory Bar, who demanded official word on the nature and title of gold claims, an issue that had spurred several recent murders in the area.1
              In addition to miner infighting, local First Nations were dragged into the fray, and sought, through Douglas, restitution for the miners' intrusions and myriad abuses.2 In 1858, one miner described the banks near Yale as a surging mass of jostling humanity of all sorts of conditions, conditions which gave rise to the common occurrences of Night assaults and robberies, varied by an occasional cold-blooded murder or daylight theft.3 Douglas details his travels into this legal and social quagmire in this report to Lytton.
              Apparently, gold was not the only precious metal on offer at Emory Bar. As this despatch from 1860 relates, it had silver leads as well.
              • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 131.
              • 2. Ibid.
              • 3. Ibid., 132.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Englefield BayMap
              Englefield Bay is located on the west side of Haida Gwaii, in Mitchell Inlet, off northwest Moresby Island. It was named after a friend of Captain Vancouver, Sir Henry Charles Englefield (1752-1822)—this bay is known unofficially as Gold Harbour, following the discovery of gold, likely on the shores of Mitchell Inlet, in the mid-1850s.1
              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 184.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              English BayMap
              English Bay is located just off of Vancouver on the south side of Burrard Inlet. English Bay Beach, which lies along the bay, is one of the busiest and most well-known beaches in Vancouver and is a popular site for swimming and sunbathing.1 Captain Richards, RN, named the bay in 1859 to commemorate the meeting of the British Captain Vancouver and Spanish captain Valdes and Galiano in 1792.2
              The bay was originally inhabited by the Coast Salish First Nations who called it “Ayyulshun” or “soft under feet.” Although the famous English Bay Beach was not established until the late 1800s, the bay itself had been used by Europeans since the late 1700s , and previously before that by the Indigenous population for generations.3
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Englishman RiverMap
              Englishman River flows into the Strait of Georgia, through the city of Parksville, on the southeast coast of Vancouver Island. Akrigg & Akgrigg write that it was named at least as early as 1883, after an otherwise forgotten Englishman who drowned in the river after an attempt to cross it.1
              BCGNIS writes that This may or may not be the Rio de Grullas identified on early Spanish charts.2
              • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 75.
              • 2. Englishman River, BC Geographical Names Information System.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Entrance IslandMap
              Entrance Island is located approximately two kilometers off the north-east end of Gabriola Island, and about 10 kilometers from the Coal Company's wharf.
              Due to Nanaimo Harbour and Departure Bay being busy ports in the mid-late 1800s from coal shipments, the community decided to build a lighthouse on Entrance Island.1 Mr. Louis Baker -- a Montreal contractor -- was tasked with building the lighthouse. The lighthouse at Entrance Island's purpose was to indicate the position of the Nanaimo Harbour and Departure Bay; as well as to mark the entrance into the city of Nanaimo. Construction on the lighthouse did not begin until late October 1875, and in its construction, caused tragedies such as the drowning of three builders.2 The lighthouse still stands and continues its same function from Entrance Island today.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              EsquimaltMap
              Esquimalt, near Victoria, is part of the southern shores of Vancouver Island. The Esquimalt First Nation had a longstanding village on the east side of this cove-notched harbour, which James Douglas declared as one of the best harbours of the Coast during his survey of the area for the HBC, though he referred to it “Is-whoy-malth” at the time. Esquimalt is an anglicization of a Coast Salish term for a place gradually shoaling.1 Douglas would later negotiate treaties with several First Nation groups in the area, largely for the development of HBC supply farms.2
              The British Royal Navy had military interests in Esquimalt as early as the 1840s, but it was not until the 1860s that Esquimalt replaced Valparaiso, Chile, as the headquaters for the Royal Navy's Pacific Station.3 Today, this area is home to Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC) and Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt.4
              • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 171.
              • 2. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 187.
              • 3. Ibid., 188.
              • 4. Maritime Forces Pacific, Welcome, Canadian Navy.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Esquimalt HarbourMap
              Esquimalt Harbour is located on southern Vancouver Island. This sheltered and cove-cut harbour, west of Esquimalt, opens into the Juan de Fuca Strait.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Falkland IslandsMap
              The Falkland Islands are located roughly 480 km northeast of the southern end of South America. In addition to the two main islands, East and West Falkland, respectively, there are hundreds of smaller islands that comprise the group, which has been the stage for several conflicts since the French first settled on East Falkland in 1764, and the British settled West Falkland a year later; the most recent battle was in 1982, the Falkland Islands War, in which the British repelled an Argentinian invasion.1
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fidalgo IslandMap
              Fidalgo Island is tucked up against the shores of northwestern Skagit County, Washington State, and is separated from the same by the Swinomish Channel, which is as narrow as 100 metres across in some places. In fact, in 1792, Vancouver did not observe that Fidalgo's northern shore was part of an island at all: this would be discovered by the Wilkes expedition of 1841, which shows Fidalgo as “Perrys Island”, in honour of Oliver Hazard Perry of the US Navy.1 However, in 1847, Kellett restored its name to Fidalgo, which was a shift of sorts again, as, in 1791, Spanish explorer Eliza had marked present-day Rosario Strait as Canal de Fidalgo.2
              • 1. Edmond S. Meany, Origin of Washington Geographic Names (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1923), 85.
              • 2. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Finlay RiverMap
              Finlay River is located in north-central British Columbia, and flows southeast into Peace River. It was known originally as Finlay's Branch, in reference, presumably, to John Finlay of the North West Company, who travelled the river and surrounding area in 1797; the Sekani name for the river is Chu Dadi Ts'elè.1
              • 1. Finlay River, BC Geographical Names Information System.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Finlayson CanalMap
              Finlayson Canal, also referred to as the “Finlayson Channel”, is located on the west side of Roderick Island, British Columbia and extends north from Milbanke Sound. Captain Charles Dodd who served on the steamer Beaver (1845), named the canal. Dodd named it after Roderick Finlayson who was an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company and described as one of the company's most trusted servants.1
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Finlayson PointMap
              Finlayson Point is located south of Beacon Hill in Victoria, British Columbia, and is named in honour of Roderick Finlayson, an extremely prominent figure in early Victoria history.1 Finlayson began his career as an HBC clerk in the 1840s, served as deputy to Charles Ross in 1843, was a member of Vancouver Island's legislative council from 1851 to 1863, and became chief factor in 1859.2
              In 1878, Finlayson served as Victoria's mayor, and was an active proponent in the construction of the city's new city hall.3
              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 199.
              • 2. Ibid.
              • 3. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fisgard IslandMap
              Fisgard Island, and the cluster of rocks surrounding it, pokes out from the end of a narrow spit, into the western entrance to Esquimalt Harbour. The Island is home to British Columbia's first lighthouse, built in 1860, which still functions in two capacities: as an automated lighthouse, and as a national historic site, so designated in 1972.1 The islands, rocks, and lighthouse draw their name from HMS Fisgard, which was captained by John Alexander Duntze from 1843-47, and was one of the first Royal Navy vessels to anchor in Esquimalt Harbour.2
              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 201.
              • 2. Ibid., 200.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fitzhugh's SoundMap
              Fitzhugh's Sound is located between the British Columbia mainland and Calvert Island. It was named in 1786 by Captain James Hanna of the Sea Otter, after he became the first European to come to British Columbia to trade furs and to map out this area. The name continued to be used by Captain Vancouver in 1792.1 Hanna named the area Fitzhugh's Sound after a British East India Company merchant who often traded with his ship -- William Fitzhugh. Fitzhugh was also a partner of Captain John Mears on a similar expedition to that of Hanna's in British Columbia in the same year, 1786. Interestingly, in the late 1700s, Captain Duncan refers to the sound as “Sir Charles Middleton Sound”; although this was most likely a name he gave himself and which never stuck.2
              A lighthouse which was erected on the western side of Addenbroke Island, was meant to help seamen designate the narrowest part of Fitzhugh's Sound. The lighthouse still operates today.3
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort AlexanderMap
              Fort Alexander was a Hudson's Bay Company built in 1821 on the Fraser river, near the mouth of the Quesnel River and Fort Alexandria, which it superceded.1 It was abandoned in about 1880.2 It is mentioned in this letter.
              • 1. Wallace, Stewart The Encyclopedia of Canada (Toronto, ON: University Associates of Canada, 1948), 365.
              • 2. Ibid., 365.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort AssiniboineMap
              Fort Assiniboine is located at the confluence of the Freeman and Athabasca rivers, roughly 150 km northwest of Edmonton, Alberta; it was one of the first recorded fur-trade sites, established in 1823-1824.1
              • 1. Deborah Welch and Michael Payne, Fort Assiniboine, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort BabineMap
              Fort Babine is located in northwestern British Columbia on the northern tip of Babine Lake, just north of Smithers. Fort Babine is on the traditional territory of the Wit ‘at (also known as the Babine First Nation). In this correspondence, Seymour reports that work will soon be taken in hand to build a telegraph line through British Columbia that will connect Russia with the United States.1 Thus, Seymour says, it is probable that [BC] shall ere long have three distinct lines of wire connecting this place with Europe, the United States and Canada.2 Fort Babine was one proposed site for the telegraph line to pass through.3
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort BerensMap
              Fort Berens was located on the eastern bank of the Fraser River, across from and a little north of Lillooet. The HBC began construction of Fort Berens in February of 1859, but by July of the same year, and before anything of significance was built, construction was halted and the site dismantled.1 The now-defunct site took its name from Henry Hulse Berens.2
              • 1. Bruce Ramsey, Ghost Towns of British Columbia (Vancouver: Mitchell Press, 1963), 27.
              • 2. Fort Berens, BC Geographical Names Information System.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort CarltonMap
              Fort Carlton is located on the southern branch of the North Saskatchewan River, near the town of Duck Lake, Saskatchewan. The HBC ran a fur-trade and provisions post there from 1810-1882.1 This was its third such post: the former two were built nearby in 1795 and 1804, respectively, but abandoned in favour of the present site, which is now a provincial historic site.2
              • 1. Robert S. Allen, Fort Carlton, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
              • 2. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort ColvileMap
              Now flooded, Fort Colvile was a key depot and trade hub for the HBC's Columbia Department.1 Simpson chose the site for the fort, at Kettle Falls, to buttress company interests in the Columbia District, and hoped of its rise as a profitable alternative to Spokane House,2 which was established by the Northwest company in 1810, at the confluence of the Spokane and Little Spokane rivers.3
              In August of 1825, John Work oversaw construction of the fort, but due to a lackadaisical construction team, the fort was not, as planned, completed for winter storage, and the HBC was forced to rely upon Spokane House.4
              Fort Colvile's fate was dictated in part by the Oregon Territory boundary dispute and, following the 1846 treaty, the United States, perhaps uncharacteristically, continued to recognize British possessory rights over Fort Colvile.5 However, the fort dwindled in trade as conflicts with indigenous groups in the area rose, and, by 1859, the US Army established nearby, in the Colville Valley, their own Fort Colville—with two l's. The HBC officially abandoned Fort Colvile in 1871.6 Today, the site of the fort, and Kettle Falls, rests beneath the waters of Lake Roosevelt, as a result of the 1940 Grand Coulee Dam project.7
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort HallMap
              Fort Hall was a fur trading post in Idaho located 80 kilometers northeast of where the Oregon-California Trail fork. It was founded by Nathaniel J. Wyeth and built in 1832-33. In 1837, the Hudson's Bay Company purchased the fort from Wyeth and continued to run it until the mid 1850s.1
              In 1842-43, Fort Hall became a major station and supply point for emigrants and travelers such as Dr. Marcus Whitman and Reverend Henry Spalding. In 1848, George Simpson described Fort Hall as a defenseless state and ordered it to be temporarily abandoned.2 Although the fort was later a hub for trade and supplies, by 1856 the Hudson's Bay decided to discontinue operations due to the decline in trade and increasing hostilities with Indigenous Peoples.3 Fort Hall is now a heritage site, although it has been and was often confused with Cantonment Loring, another post not far from the original fort.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort HenriettaMap
              In an enclosure to Shepherd,John to Labouchere, Henry 7 February 1856, CO 305:7, no. 1227, 238 Sinclair reports from what he calls “Fort Kelly”, which appears to be Fort Henrietta, by virtue of both location and the Fort's commander, James K. Kelly.
              Fort Henrietta was built just outside the town of Echo, Oregon, which was part of the Oregon Trail.1 Travelers crossed the Umatilla River near the site, and would use the area to refresh themselves, and their livestock, before pushing farther west.2 The Umatilla Indian Agency was constructed near the preferred crossing in 1851, and so became the first local agency for the Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla peoples; it served, also, as a post office and trading post.3 During the Yakima Indian Wars, in 1855, the Agency burned down and the diminutive military stockade of Fort Henrietta was built on its cinders.4
              • 1. City of Echo, History of Echo, City of Echo.
              • 2. Ibid.
              • 3. Ibid.
              • 4. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort HopeMap
              Fort Hope was built in 1848-49 on the traditional territory of the Chawithil First Nation, and became the town of Hope, British Columbia. According to a despatch from Governor Douglas, Fort Hope is a small post located near the mouth of the Coquihalla River and above the Tchae-tse-sum River. Fort Hope was known for its trail which was used often by the Hudson's Bay Company for transport.1
              The construction of Fort Hope was due to the economic developments and international relations that arose from the 1846 boundary settlement. It served as a transfer point for goods being brought up the Fraser River from Fort Langley then to Kamloops and Alexandria. Although, this system only lasted until the 1860s due to the the new construction of roads prompted by gold discoveries.2
              The site of Fort Hope is preserved as a heritage site due to its contribution as an element that opened a way into interior BC.3
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort LangleyMap
              Fort Langley is located in present-day Langley, British Columbia. The original fort was constructed by the HBC in 1827 as part of a growing trade network dependent on the Fraser River.1 The fort traded mainly in fur and salmon with local indigenous groups. It was also an arrival point and depot for European goods destined for the interior.2
              Politically, it stabilized the British foothold on lands north of the 49th parallel. The old fort was abandoned and a new one constructed 4 km upstream, but it burned down 10 months later, after which it was rebuilt.3 Roughly 20 years of flush trade followed, in grain, salted pork and beef, and thousands of barrels a year in salted salmon, which was especially popular in the Hawaiʻian Islands.4
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort MontgomeryMap
              Fort Montgomery is a former American military fort located on the northwestern end of Lake Champlain in New York State. The US federal government built the fort to prevent future military operations from British Canada.1 However, New York State and Quebec both claimed the territory where the fort was meant to be built.2 Construction ceased until the territorial dispute was settled by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842.3 The treaty, known for settling several major territorial disputes along the US-Canada border, pushed the territory of New York State northwards, allowing the construction of Fort Montgomery to continue.4
              In the correspondences, Fort Montgomery is referenced during territorial disputes between British Columbia and the United States over the Gulf and San Juan Islands in the Strait of Georgia. For example, in this correspondence, Cartier and McDougall explain that the American Government, by contending for the third Channel, or that which is farthest from the Continent, show to the world that their object is not to secure possession of a few rocky islets in the Gulf of no commercial or agricultural value, but of the important military position of San Juan, where they may build a fortress that would lock up the Straits of Fuca and overawe British Columbia as effectively as Fort Montgomery, built on Canadian Territory, which was surrendered to the United States by the Treaty of 1842, now locks up Lake Champlain.5
              • 1. Millard, James P, Fort Montgomery Through the Years: A Pictorial History of the Great Stone Fort on Lake Champlain (United States: America's Historic Lakes, 2005), 16.
              • 2. Ibid.
              • 3. Ibid.
              • 4. Ibid.
              • 5. Cartier and McDougall to Granville, 30 December 1868, 60:34, no. 37, 321.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort Rupert, or T'sakisMap
              Fort Rupert is on the southeast shore of Beaver Harbour, which is on northeast Vancouver Island. Captain McNeill superintended the fort's construction, with assistance from George Blenkinsop, his second in command, in 1849.1
              Fort Rupert was named after Prince Rupert (1619-82), famed most, perhaps, for his larger claim of Rupert's Land. Coal deposits in the area drove the fort's construction more so than the HBC's push for a trading post—by the time the first coal shaft had sunk, richer deposits drew extraction interests southward, particularly near present-day Nanaimo.2
              Once Fort Rupert was built, a number of Kwagiulth people settled nearby, in the present-day community of T'sakis.3 Today, the term Kwakiutl applies to only those from T'sakis; along with other groups in the area, the Kwakiutl are part of the Kwakwaka'wakw—people who speak Kwakwala.4 In 1889, the fort burned down, and now only a rubbled chimney marks the presence of the original Fort Rupert.5
              • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 185.
              • 2. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 513-514.
              • 3. Scott, Raincoast Placenames, 513.
              • 4. Kwakiutl in Fort Rupert: A Short History, Kwakiutl Indian Band.
              • 5. Scott, Raincoast Placenames, 514.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort Saint JamesMap
              Fort Saint James is located on the southeastern corner of Stuart Lake, in central British Columbia. It was founded by Simon Fraser in 1806 as the Stuart Lake post.1 Simpson described it, in 1828, as the capital of Western Caledonia, and it served as the HBC's administrative hub in New Caledonia.2 Today, the city of Fort Saint James is home to the Fort Saint James National Historic Site, established in 1948.3
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort ShepherdMap
              Fort Shepherd is located just off the Columbia River in British Columbia, Canada. The area in which the fort was located runs for more than eight kilometers along the west side of the Columbia River. Fort Shepherd was an Hudson's Bay fort, built in 1858 in response to the surveying of the 49th parallel in 1846. It was not very successful due to the land being unsuitable for farming and settling and thus it closed two years later.1
              However, when gold was found at Pend d'Oreille River, the fort reopened in 1863. It was then used as a stopping place on the route to the Kootenay Gold Rush and as a trading post for the Sinixt people, an Indigenous group, on whose traditional territory the fort stood. With the later construction of the Dewdney Trail, which led from Hope to Wildhorse, the fort became increasingly successful -- for a time.2
              When the Kootenay Gold Rush came to its end, the fort was finally closed in 1870 and burnt down in 1872. Today a “cairn” --erected in 1951 -- marks the fort's locations. The lower Columbia River, which included Fort Shepherd, then and today is part of the traditional Sinixt territory. Although the Sinixt were falsely declared extinct by the Canadian government in 1956, members of the group continue to live in the area.3
              The Sinixt used this area for fishing and hunting and continue the same traditions today. It is unclear what steps have been taken for reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples and this land, but the 2200 acres were donated in 2006 by the Teck Cominco Metals Ltd as a part of the Ecological Gifts Program. The area is now designated as a conservancy area in which the public can still hike, picnic, etc.4
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort StikineMap
              Fort Stikine is located in current day Wrangell, Alaska and is the longest standing fort on the Alaskan coast. The location of the fort on the Stikine River made it an important supply point for fur traders and its proximity to the Indigenous village, Kotzlitzna, aided trade with the Stikine Tlingit First Nations.1
              Fort Stikine was established in 1839 after the Russian-American Company (who were in Alaska for sea otter) and the Hudson’s Bay Company came to an agreement. The agreement allowed the HBC’s use of the Russian post of Redoubt St. Dionysus which became Fort Stikine.2 Fort Stikine fell under the direction of Chief Trader James Douglas (later Governor of the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island). William Glen Rae, who would become the chief trader of the post after Douglas reported in the first journal entry at Fort Stikine on 13 June 1840.3
              The men at the fort spent their time protecting themselves against “anticipated Tlingit attacks,” collecting water, turning potatoes, and chopping wood. The men also experienced trade problems with the Tlingit, however these problems would have been easily solved had someone at the fort spoken Tlingit.4 Problems escalated between Fort Stikine and the Tlingit, when the Tlingits claimed their traditional rights to the Stikine River and protested when the HBC began to use their trade routes. A smallpox epidemic between 1836-1840, due to the arrival of Europeans, reduced the Tlingit population by half.5
              Fort Stikine was abandoned in 1848 when furs were depleted, however it remained under British control, connected to other colonial holdings through its ships such as the Beaver and Labouchere.6 British control remained until the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. After the US purchase, a new fort was built in 1868 at the spot of Fort Stikine, it was named Fort Wrangel after Baron von Wrangel of the Russian-American company.7
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fort VancouverMap
              In its first incarnation, in 1825, Fort Vancouver was built near the Columbia River, in present-day Vancouver, Washington State.1 Four years later, this fur-trade post shifted 2 km west, closer to the river, and from there would grow to become the HBC's Columbia District headquarters, where it administered all manner of commercial activity, from trade and shipping to fishing and farming; moreover, Fort Vancouver became a flashpoint for tensions between British, US, and Indigenous interests.2
              After the Oregon Treaty of 1846 was ratified, and Fort Vancouver found itself on US soil, the HBC turned its presence north of the 49th parallel, to Fort Victoria, as the base of its west coast operations; the old fort was abandoned in 1860.3
              • 1. Arthur S. Morton, A History of the Canadian West to 1870-71 (London: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1939), 717.
              • 2. Ibid., 718-720.
              • 3. Dennis F. K. Madill, Fort Vancouver, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Foul BayMap
              Foul Bay, now Gonzales Bay, is located in Victoria, British Columbia. The name “Gonzales” comes from the Spanish explorer Gonzalo Lopez de Haro who helped charter the lands around Vancouver Island in 1790. Gonzales (Foul) Bay bounds the Gonzales neighborhood in Victoria.1
              • 1. Carey Pallister and Ken Roueche, Gonzales, Victoria Heritage Foundation, 2004.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              FountainMap
              The British Columbia government lists several entries for features named Fountain, including a number of First Nations reserves, a creek, a flat, and a locality, the latter of which is likely the most relevant to the despatches, as it was a part of the Fraser River gold rush route of the late 1850s.1
              The Fountain, or Fountains, is located roughly 10 km upriver from Lillooet, and a few km above Bridge River, near the mouth of Fountain Creek, and, according to Bancroft, it was so named by the French Canadians on account of some natural features in the vicinity; he goes on to report that Fountain was the ultimate camp of the mining emigration of 1858.2
              This despatch, from 1858, reports that sluices in and around the Fountain area yield at the rate of 20 dollars a day to the hand. And this despatch, again from 1858, details the average daily return of each of Five Rockers extracted at the dry diggings of Fountain.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fraser RiverMap
              The Fraser River runs across the province of British Columbia. It flows from the Rocky Mountains, south and west, to its outflow into the Strait of Georgia, near Vancouver.1
              The river was named by David Thompson after Simon Fraser (1776-1862)—both men were fur traders with the North West Company, which would, eventually, merge with the HBC.2 At nearly 1400 km in length, the Fraser is the longest river entirely within the British Columbia provincial border.3
              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 208.
              • 2. Ibid.
              • 3. Ibid.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Fraser River DistrictMap
              Today, the lands on and around the Fraser River are represented in two districts: the Regional District of Fraser-Cheam,1 to the south, and the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George,2 to the north.
              During the late 1850s gold rush, however, these districts appear less defined, for example, this correspondence inquires as to the present state of the various Districts of Fraser's River, and this draft of a warrant, enclosed with this correspondence, and which appoints Douglas as Governor of Her majesty's Territories and Possessions in North America, includes the Fraser's River Territory in its list of possessions.
              In its most general sense, and as this correspondence suggests, these Mining Districts denoted the lands, sites, and bars worked for gold along the Fraser, chiefly, between Hope and Yale, and through the Fraser Canyon. In 1858, it is thought that at least 30,000 gold seekers of various backgrounds, national and otherwise, swarmed the Fraser region in search of auriferous reward.3
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              Frazer IslandMap
              Frazer Island sits in Becher Bay, on the southern end of Vancouver Island. It was named after Thomas Frazer, who served with Kellett in the first Anglo-Chinese War of 1840-41; Kellett named the island while on a surveying mission in 1846, while aboard HMS Herald.1
              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 208.
              Mentions of this place in the documents
              FrederictonMap
              Mentions of this place in the documents
                Friendly Cove, or YuquotMap
                This cove is located on the southeast end of Nootka Island, which is nestled into the west coast of Vancouver Island. The cove looks out to Nootka Sound. From the 1774, when Spanish Captain Juan Pérez—who named it Santa Cruz at the time—first anchored there, but did not touch land, this area served as a locus of European and Indigenous political, social, and cultural exchange.1
                Among Yuquot's credits, it was there in 1792 that Spanish Captain Don Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra seduced Captain Vancouver with charm and polite perseverance,2 which ultimately deferred the territorial stalemate between Spain and Britain back to their respective governments, likely abating the area from, and for some time the region, the effects of European entrenchment.3
                This protracted and seminal meeting was no doubt tempered by Yuquot's famous Nuu-chah-nulth chief Muquinna, who hosted and entertained the captains during their lengthy talks; Muquinna also held sway over the fur-trade business in the region.4
                Today, this history-rich cove is home to the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation.5
                • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 211.
                • 2. Janet R. Fireman, The Seduction of George Vancouver: A Nootka Affair, JSTOR, 428.
                • 3. Charles Lillard, Seven Shillings a Year: The History of Vancouver Island (Ganges, BC: Horsdal & Schubart, 1986), 48-50.
                • 4. Scott, Raincoast Placenames, 211.
                • 5. Yuquot, Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Frog PortageMap
                Frog Portage is located in eastern Saskatchewan, and is part of an ancient fur-trade and travel route, one of particular strategic importance during the years of intense competition between the Hudson Bay Company and North West Company from the late 1700s to the early 1800s.1 The portage connects the Churchill and Saskatchewan rivers; the Dene employed it regularly to transport furs down the Churchill River to the HBC post of Fort Churchill, and archaeological evidence has dated encampments there from roughly 1000 years ago.2
                Frog Portage's strategic position is highlighted in this letter from Douglas to Newcastle, which notes that a third Station formed at Frog Portage, to intercept trade traffic, would hermetically seal the Country, and enable the Government to regulate and control the trade with perfect ease and without much expense.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Gabriola IslandMap
                Gabriola Island is located just off the southeastern coast of Vancouver Island, near Nanaimo city, and is the northernmost of the Gulf Islands.
                The name Gabriola is likely a corruption based on a mispronunciation of the Spanish “gaviota”, or seagull, as in Punta de Gaviola—Cape Seagull—the name for a point on the eastern end of the Island, found on Spanish maps from the 1790s.1
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Galiano IslandMap
                Galiano is a long, narrow island in the Gulf Islands group; its eastern shore looks out to the Strait of Georgia. Royal Navy surveyor George Richards named the island in 1859, after Spanish explorer Alcalá-Galiano.1
                Europeans began to settle Galiano in the 1870s. Today, the 57 square km island is home to roughly 1000 people.2
                • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 213.
                • 2. Ibid.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Ganges HarbourMap
                Ganges Harbour, or Ganges, is a coastal community located on the eastern coast of Saltspring Island in British Columbia. Ganges is on the traditional territory of the Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group (Stz'uminus (Chemainus), Halalt, Lyackson, Ts'uubaa-asatx, and Penelakut). Ganges was first settled by African Americans who developed the land and built the town and harbour.1 In 1858, James Douglas distributed land on Saltspring Island to the Black settlers fleeing the United States.2 Much of these lands were in the Ganges and Vesuvius areas.3
                In the correspondences, Ganges Harbour is typically mentioned as a service center in the area. According to a letter attached to this correspondence, Spencer stopped at Ganges Harbor because his ship, the Grappler gunboat, required some slight repair to her boilers before endeavouring to capture Indians who had committed outrages on White Men.4 Today, Ganges remains the primary service center for Saltspring Island.5
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Garrison Bay (unavailable)Map
                Information is not yet available for this place.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Garry PointMap
                Garry Point is located west of Steveston on the north side of the Fraser River.1 It was named after Nicholas Garry, who served as deputy governor of the HBC from 1822-35.2 The point was named by Captain Aemilius Simpson of the HBC schooner Cadboro, the first vessel to enter the Fraser River, in 1827.
                • 1. Garry Point, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                • 2. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 215.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Glen HartMap
                Glen Hart is a valley southeast of Clinton. At one point, it seems to have been known by the name “Grave Creek”. Clinton. It is mentioned in this letter.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Gold RangeMap
                In this despatch from 1862, Douglas mentions the Gold Mountains of Carribou. Today, the range to which Douglas refers is likely the Monashee Mountains.1
                This range runs through southeastern BC and into northern Washington State and is part of the larger Columbia Mountains.2 The modern version of the Gold Range has shrunk to include only the mountains between the Columbia and Shuswap Rivers.3
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Gonzales PointMap
                Gonzales Point is on the south side of Victoria City, on Vancouver Island. Gonzales Point was named Gonzalo in 1790, after Manuel Quimper's first officer aboard the Princess Real, Gonzalo López de Haro, whose name would also inspire the name Haro Strait.1
                In an 1852 despatch to Earl Grey, James Douglas speaks to the HBC's 25 square miles on the south east corner of Vancouver's Island. This land commences at Victoria harbour, then runs in a large loop to near Knocken Hill, then to Lake Hill, and Mount Douglas to Cordova Bay, on the Canal de Arro, from whence it follows the coast by Gordon Head and Point Gonzales, to the point of commencement at Victoria Harbour.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Gooch IslandMap
                Gooch Island is located approximately eight kilometres east of Sidney, British Columbia. It was named after Thomas Sherlock Gooch, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy who served aboard the HMS Satellite during its time in BC, from 1857 to 1860.
                Gooch Island is privately owned.1 It features a watchtower and a house on its northwest edge. On September 16, 1995, the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia scuttled the HMCS MacKenzie north of Gooch Island to function as an artificial reef for divers to explore.2
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Gordon HeadMap
                Gordon Head, a suburb of Victoria, is located east of Mount Douglas, overlooking the Haro Strait. The area was named after Captain Gordon, who was, according to Walbran, detailed for special service on the coast from 1845-46.1
                Finlayson writes of Gordon's 1845 visit to Fort Victoria, during which Gordon remarked that he would not give one of the barren hills of Scotland for all he saw around him.2 How far up the political chain this unfavorable opinion reached is difficult to say; perhaps Gordon's slight was significant for the Oregon Territory dispute, which would be settled, at least on paper, a year later with the signing of the Oregon Treaty.
                • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 209.
                • 2. Ibid., 210.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Graham IslandMap
                Graham Island is part of the Haida Gwaii archipelago, and is the largest island in the group, at over 6,000 square km, and second in size only to Vancouver Island.1 It sits North of Moresby Island (Haida Gwaii), the third largest island in British Columbia.
                Like Moresby Island, it was named by Prevost in 1853, who was commander of the HMS Virago.2 Prevost named it in honour of Sir James Robert Graham, a key member of Henry George Grey's party.3
                • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 232.
                • 2. Ibid.
                • 3. Ibid.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Grand RapidsMap
                Grand Rapids is located at the point where the Saskatchewan River meets Lake Winnipeg. These rapids, or the portage around them, were part of a vital supply-chain in the region, one which linked the Red River Settlement to the Saskatchewan River.1 At one time, the Colville, a round-bottomed steamer, carried freight from Lower Fort Garry to Grand Rapids and, in 1877, a light tramway was completed at Grand Rapids in order to carry goods over the portage.2
                • 1. Harold A. Innis, Fur Trade in Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001), 343.
                • 2. Ibid.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Grande CouleeMap
                The Grande Coulée or “Grand Coulee” is located in Washington State and is most recognized now by the “Grand Coulee Dam” that lies slightly north of the town of Grand Coulee. This area is described in a despatch from Governor Douglas as an extraordinary ravine in which the bottom is easy to travel through.1
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Grande PrairieMap
                Grande Prairie is likely an archaic term for the area that is now a part of Gilpin Grasslands Provincial Park (see entry for Statapoosten).
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Grave CreekMap
                Grave Creek is 10 miles northwest of In the context of this letter, Grave Creek refers to the valley southeast of Clinton, now known as Glen Hart.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Great FallsMap
                The exact location of Great Falls is difficult to determine. Certainly, it was along the Fraser River, and was mined chiefly in 1858-1859, but several references to “great falls” exist within and without the Colonial correspondence. Bancroft reports that Fountain is six miles above the great falls, which places the “great falls” at the northern end of Lillooet.1
                In this despatch to Stanley, Douglas notes that some miners had prospected as far as the Great Falls, forty miles beyond the confluence of Thompson's River, that is, 64 km North of Lytton, which corresponds roughly with Bancroft's location. To muddy things further, Douglas, in the same despatch, refers to the falls several times, but this reads as distinct from the Great Falls; see The Falls entry for more.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Greenville Canal (Grenville Channel)Map
                Greenville Canal (currently known as Grenville Channel) is a slender body of water between Pitt Island and the mainland.1 It was named by Vancouver after William Wyndham Grenville, a British statesman who lived between 1759 and 1834.2 The channel is 72 kilometres long and, according to the despatches, was used by the British Royal Navy vessels to travel between Kitimat and Metlakatla.3 It is a beautiful passage used today by cruise ships and the ferries that travel between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert.4
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                GreytownMap
                From the context of the despatches, the most likely referent is Greytown, Nicaragua. The British began directl occuppation of the town in 1848
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Griffin BayMap
                Griffin Bay cuts a jagged shoreline along southeast edge of San Juan Island. While on his 1840-41 expedition, Wilkes had named the bay Ontario Roads, after a ship of the same name that fought in the War of 1812.1
                Captain Henry Richards charted it as Griffin Bay in the late 1850s,2 but it had another early name of Man of War Harbour, a name arguably apt, as it was Charles John Griffin, an HBC man, whose pig raided a potato patch of a US citizen, who shot the pig, thus inciting what would come to be known as the Pig War.3
                • 1. Robert Hitchman, Place Names of Washington (Tacoma: Washington State Historical Society, 1985), 113.
                • 2. Edmond S. Meany, Origin of Washington Geographic Names (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1923), 104.
                • 3. Hitchman, Place Names of Washington, 113.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Guemes IslandMap
                Guemes Island is part of the San Juan Islands group, which lie between the Juan de Fuca Strait to the south and the Strait of Georgia to the north. Spanish explorer Eliza called it Isla de Gueme in 1792, to honour the Viceroy of Mexico, who had ordered Eliza to explore northwest waters; sparing the ink of cartographers, Eliza truncated Guemes's name, which in full is Señor Don Juan Vicente de Guemes Pacheco y Padilla Orcasitees y Aguayo, Conde de Revilla Gigedo.1
                Wilkes set to change its name to Lawrence Island, in homage to US naval hero James Lawrence, during his expedition to the area in 1841; however, in 1847 the name was restored to its former Spanish origin by British captain Kellett, and US charts denoted it as such thereafter.2
                • 1. Edmond S. Meany, Origin of Washington Geographic Names (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1923), 105.
                • 2. Ibid.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                GuernseyMap
                Guernsey is a British crown dependent island located 48 kilometers west of Normandy, France. Guernsey is the second largest of the Channel Islands. In 1204 the Channel Islands were put in the charge of a warden or a lord. But in the 15th century, Guernsey was put under the charge of a captain -- this was abolished in 1835. Later, the responsibilities over Guernsey fell to a bailiff, and much of the judicial system remained substantially the same as the old medieval form.1
                From 1680 to 1815, Guernsey grew rich on the proceeds of privateering.2 Come the 19th century, Guernsey was going through a period of change. In this period, many French were fleeing to Guernsey to escape the growing tensions in France. And, trade with both France and England declined, leading to a poor economy, the sea wall, buildings and roads deteriorated.3
                Guernsey is known for cattle farming, specifically a certain type of cow -- the “Guernsey Cow.” As well, the famous French author Victor Hugo stayed in Guernsey and wrote Les Misérables somewhere in the years between 1855 and 1870.4
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Gulf IslandsMap
                The Gulf Islands are commonly understood to comprise an archipelago off of southeastern Vancouver Island, in the waters of the Strait of Georgia, with D'Arcy Island the most southwestern, Saturna Island the most southeastern, and Gabriola Island, across from the city of Nanaimo, the northernmost feature.1
                The Gulf Island name is likely related to the “Gulph of Georgia”, Captain Vancouver's name for what is now the Strait of Georgia.2
                • 1. Gulf Islands, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                • 2. Ibid.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Gulf of GeorgiaMap
                The Gulf of Georgia is located between Vancouver Island and the southwestern corner of British Columbia's mainland. It extends from the San Juan Islands, Washington State, to the southern tip of Quadra Island.1 On his expedition to the coast, Captain Vancouver gave this body of water the name “Gulphe of Georgia” after His Majesty King George III. But, by 1800 the name was simplified to “Gulf of Georgia.” However, it was Captain Richard of the Royal Navy, 1865, who changed the name to “strait” after he was appointed as chief hydrographer, seeing strait as a more accurate description of the body of water.2
                In 2008, there was lobbying to have the Strait of Georgia changed to the Salish Sea. This was done, in part, to recognize the Indigenous history over the waterscape. The term “Salish” refers to Coast Salish, the original language group spoken by the Indigenous inhabitants of this inland which connects: Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, the east coast of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the lower parts of the Fraser River, and Puget Sound.3
                By recognising the Strait of Georgia, along with the Juan de Fuca Strait and Puget Sound as the Salish Sea, Canada and the United States now acknowledge the unity between the Coast Salish peoples that had been divided due to the colonial creation of physical borders/boundaries.4 The Coast Salish Aboriginal Council articulates the importance of their rights to both land and water; as well as, their view that water is a sacred resource. In the Salish Nations' declaration, it states that they are the rightful claimants of the areas that lie within the bodies of water that make up of the Salish Sea -- including the Georgia Strait.5
                George Harris of the Stz'uminus First Nation first suggested that the Georgia Strait should be changed to Salish Sea, but then later agreed with a Canadian scientist, Bert Webber, that all three bodies of water should be included in the new term as they compose a unified ecosystem.6 The official name change occurred on 15 July 2010. Although this seems to be a step towards recognising Indigenous ownership of this body of water, there are still questions and debates of whether or not this is truly decolonizing the map or if this is a neocolonial geographical imaginary designed to assuage colonial guilt by paying a token acknowledgement to Coast Salish peoples while maintaining the political status quo.7
                • 1. BCGNIS Query Results, Archive Today.
                • 2. Ibid.
                • 3. British Columbia: Strait of Georgia could be renamed Salish Sea, The Canadian Press, 9 March 2008.
                • 4. Emma S. Norman, Cultural Politics and Transboundary Resource Governance in the Salish Sea, Native Environmental Science Program, vol.5, no.1, 2012, 150.
                • 5. Ibid., 146-148.
                • 6. Brian Tucker and Reuben Rose-Redwood, Decolonizing the map? Toponymic politics and the rescaling of the Salish Sea, The Canadian Geographer, vol.59, no.2, 2015, 202-203.
                • 7. Ibid., 194 and 203.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                GuyanaMap
                The Co-operative Republic Guyana is located on the northeast corner of South America. Its name reflects the Indigenous people who lived there prior to European settlement, whose anglicized name for the region, “Guiana”, means land of water.1 Politically, Guyana shed its colonial designation of British Guiana when it became independent in 1966—for three centuries prior, Guyana was a colonial wrestling mat for the Spanish, Portugese, French, British, and Dutch.2
                • 1. Guyana, Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
                • 2. Ibid.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Haddington IslandMap
                This tiny island, just northeast of Port McNiell, was a quarry site from 1896 to 1966; some of its andesite, a fine-grained stone, can be found on Victoria's Empress Hotel, the original Vancouver courthouse (now the Vancouver Art Gallery), and British Columbia's Parliament Buildings.1
                The Island, as well as a reef and nearby passage, is named after Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington (1780-1858).2 Curiously, an 1846 document makes reference to another Hamilton, Captain Baillie Hamilton Secretary of the Admiralty, after whom Commander Gordon names a coal-rich bay, about eight miles further down the coast from present-day Port McNiell, and the archaically named Ellenborough Peninsula.
                • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 242.
                • 2. Ibid.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Haida GwaiiMap
                Haida Gwaii, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, is a dense archipelago that lies north of Vancouver Island, across the Queen Charlotte Sound. It is separated from mainland British Columbia by Hecate Strait. Haida Gwaii comprises hundreds of islands—for a total area of almost 10,000 square km—which are the traditional home of the Haida First Nation.1
                Juan Pérez sighted what would become known as the Queen Charlotte Islands in 1774, but he did not make landfall, nor designate them a European name; George Dixon did so in 1787, after his vessel, Queen Charlotte, which was named after amateur botanist Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), wife to King George III of England.2
                In December, 2009, the British Columbia government committed to renaming the Queen Charlotte Islands as Haida Gwaii, in recognition of the long history and habitation of the Haida Nation.3
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                HalifaxMap
                Halifax is located on the eastern shores of Nova Scotia, and is the same province's capital city.1 This seaport was established in 1749 as a British settlement and military centre, and by the time it was incorporated as a town in 1841, its population had boomed, largely as a result of Loyalist migration following the American Revolution.2
                • 1. L. D. McCann, Halifax, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                • 2. Ibid.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                Halkett IslandMap
                Halkett Island is located in the north end of Victoria Harbour.1 Henry Kellett, captain of the HMS Herald, named the island in 1846 after the Halkett family, who had a number of members prominant in the Royal Navy throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.2 Several other British Columbia features are named after various members of the Halkett family.3
                Halkett Island, which at one point was called Deadman's Island, was once a First Nation burial ground.4 The July 1, 1867 edition of the British Colonist states that a fire damaged much of Halkett Island, including First Nations remains. Police later arrested two young men who had lost control of their small fire.5
                • 1. Halkett Island, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                • 2. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 244.
                • 3. Ibid.
                • 4. Ibid.
                • 5. Halkett Island, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                Mentions of this place in the documents
                  HamburgMap
                  Hamburg is located on the Elbe River in northern Germany and is the country’s largest port and commercial centre.1 Hamburg’s history begins in 825 AD with the construction of Hammaburg, a moated castle in this region. By the eleventh century, Hamburg’s role grew in commerce with the establishment of trading businesses. Hamburg’s economic importance continued to grow in the thirteenth century, owed to the development of the “Hanse” (an association of merchants).2
                  Hamburg evolved into a more “modern” city in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries with the establishment of a stock exchange in 1558 and the Bank of Hamburg in 1619. By the end of the seventeenth century, Hamburg had 70,000 inhabitants and was the largest city in Germany after Cologne.3 In 1770, it was acknowledged as an immediate imperial city, having no overlord other than the Kaiser (emperor) of Germany.
                  From 1810-1815, the Napoleonic Wars overthrew the old order in Germany and Hamburg was annexed to Napoleon’s French empire. Once the empire fell, Hamburg became a member state of the German Confederation.4 The city further prospered when trade was extended to newly opened territories in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. By the end of the nineteenth century, the population increased from 130,000 to 700,000.5
                  During the First and Second World Wars, production, development, and all progress was halted but soon continued in the aftermath of WWII. Today, Hamburg’s thriving business and cultural life makes it one of the most vibrant cities in the world.6
                  • 1. Helmuth Thomsen, Hamburg, Germany, Britannica.
                  • 2. Ibid.
                  • 3. Ibid.
                  • 4. Ibid.
                  • 5. Ibid.
                  • 6. Ibid.
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Haro StraitMap
                  This small strait flows through both Canadian and US waters, between southeast Vancouver Island and San Juan Island, respectively. Like Gonzales Point, Haro Strait was named in 1790 after Spanish naval officer Manuel Quimper's 1st officer, Gonzalo López de Haro.1
                  Throughout the late 1700s, and for some time afterward, Haro had variant English spellings such as Aro, Arrow, and Canal de Arro, as seen for example in this despatch, or even Canal de Arra, as in this example.2
                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 250.
                  • 2. Ibid.
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Harrison LakeMap
                  Harrison Lake is located in southwest British Columbia, just north of the Fraser River; it is connected to the same through its outflow, Harrison River. In 1828, Simpson named it after Benjamin Harrison, who would be deputy governor of the HBC from 1835-39.1
                  Harrison Lake is famous for its hot springs, a legend about which was born when a small boat capsized there during Winter, and the boaters were rightly shocked to find themselves bobbing in warm water.2
                  Akrigg and Akrigg note that the Anglicized Indigenous name—likely from the In-SHUCK-ch Nation—3for the lake is “Pook-pah-Kohtl”, or many large spring salmon, perhaps a metaphor for boiling water.4
                  • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 106.
                  • 2. Ibid.
                  • 3. Traditional Territory, In-SHUCK-ch Nation.
                  • 4. Akrigg and Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names, 106.
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Harrison RiverMap
                  Harrison River flows from Harrison Lake into the Fraser River in southwestern British Columbia. Like Harrison Lake, it draws its name from Benjamin Harrison, deputy governor of the HBC from 1835-39.1
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Hat CreekMap
                  Hat Creek flows into the Bonaparte River, just north of Cache Creek, in British Columbia's southern interior. Douglas expended £100 in 1860 to open a trail to to link Lytton to Bonaparte River, by way of the Hat River.1
                  • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 196.
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Hat Creek HouseMap
                  Hat Creek House is a roadhouse situated 11 kilometers from Cache Creek. The original structure was built by Hudson's Bay Company trader Donald Mclean in 1861, it was 40 feet long and 20 feet wide -- often referred to as “Mclean's Station.”1 The additions that were added to the house to make it larger, such as the second floor and the west wing, were constructed later by George Dunne and Steve Tingley. Hat Creek House was famous for its hearty meals which were prepared from the ranch's own produce, accomplished by irrigation farming; as well as, from the property's own chicken coop, added in 1872.2
                  The valley and land in which the building was constructed was originally occupied by the Shuswap Nation.3 McClean's roadhouse included a wash house in which Indigenous women were employed to wash various linens and most likely the clothes of the occupants/travelers. These women were generally not paid in cash but rather in bedding.4
                  Hat Creek House is one of the few remaining roadhouses which catered to travelers en route between the interior and coastal regions of British Columbia, and continues today in its function as a museum.5
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Hawaiʻian IslandsMap
                  Hawaiʻi, now a state in the United States, is an island chain in the Pacific Ocean. This archipelago comprises dozens of islands, but the eight most prominent in the group are Hawaiʻi, Maui, Kahoʻolawe, Lanaʻi, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, and Niʻihau. At a distance of over 4000 km from Vancouver Island, Hawaiʻi was, nevertheless, an overwinter location for famous West Coast explorers such as Cook, Vancouver, and Douglas, with the Cook being the first European to make contact with the Hawaiʻian people in 1778.1 Several despatches refer to the location of “Woahoo”, which is likely an archaism for Oʻahu. Throughout much of the 1800s, the HBC traded in dried salmon and timber to the Sandwich Islands, and sometimes drew from the Hawaiʻian labour pool for ship's crews and a variety of work.2
                  By the 1820s, Hawaiʻians were a common enough presence on the West Coast to be recorded in Chinook Jargon as “Owhyhees”, who became known by the Hawaiʻian word for human beings: Kanaka.3
                  • 1. Gary Y. Okihiro, Island World: A History of Hawaii and the United States (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008), 53.
                  • 2. E. E. Rich, Hudson's Bay Company 1670-1870, vol. 3, 1821-1870 (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1961), 622-623.
                  • 3. Kanaka Timeline—Hawaii to the Pacific NorthWest, Salt Spring Archives.
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Hawkesbury IslandMap
                  Hawkesbury Island lies south of Kitimat on the eastern side of the Douglas Channel.1 The island was named by Vancouver after Jenkinson, the Baron of Hawkesbury.2 The islands surrounding Hawkesbury were initially thought to be joined to it.3
                  • 1. Andrew Scott, Hawkesbury Island, Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names.
                  • 2. Ibid.
                  • 3. Ibid.
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Hecate StraitMap
                  This famously blustery strait flows between Haida Gwaii and mainland British Columbia. It was named after HMS Hecate, a paddle-wheeled survey sloop that plied West Coast waters, including the strait, in the early 1860s; the Haida Nation refer to Hecate Strait as Siigaay.1
                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 256.
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  HeligolandMap
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Hell's GateMap
                  Hell's Gate is a narrow pinch of 34 m within the Fraser Canyon, along the Fraser River.1 Its name appears to have originated from Simon Fraser's account of portaging around the gates of hell in his descent of the Fraser in 1808.2 By the time of the Fraser River Gold Rush, 1857-58, miners ensured that the name stuck, and this feature, which boasts and astonishing peak flow of over 900 million litres per minute, was likely an intimidating sentinel to the Fraser's various northward bars and other gold-mining sites.3
                  Today, visitors can view Hell's Gate from the safety of an aerial tram, unless they wish to raft the rapids, of course.4 Hell's Gate was also known as “Upper Narrows”, or “Big Canon”, as seen in this despatch.
                  • 1. Hells Gate, Encyclopedia of BC.
                  • 2. Ibid.
                  • 3. Ibid.
                  • 4. Ibid.
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Highlands DistrictMap
                  The Highlands District, which can be seen on this map, is a land district located northwest of the city of Victoria.
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Hill's BarMap
                  Hill's Bar is located on the shores of the Fraser River, just south of Yale. It, along a with a variety of auriferous bars, was a profitable mining spot during the Fraser River Gold Rush of 1857-58. Miners appeared to have named the bar after the first European man to pan there.1 According to Akrigg and Akrigg, the Halkomelem name for the area is Qualark.2
                  Hill's Bar appears in many despatches, starting in 1858. For example, this despatch, from Douglas to Lytton, reports that one George Cade, who owns a sluice on Hill's Bar, had four hired men at wages of five dollars a day, under him, and together they averaged earnings of 400 dollars a day.
                  • 1. Hills Bar, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                  • 2. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 112.
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                  Holland PointMap
                  Holland Point is a promontory located between Ogden Point and Finlayson Point on southern Vancouver Island. According to Scott, HBC employee George Holland is believed to be the source of the feature's name. In 1839, Holland served as a school teacher at Fort Vancouver and, in 1844, was postmaster at Fort Langley. Part of the HBC's Beckley Farm at one point resided on Holland Point.1
                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 266-267.
                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Hong KongMap
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    HopeMap
                    The Stó:lō peoples have lived in the area now known as Hope for thousands of years.1 The District of Hope is located on the Trans-Canada Highway, 150 km east of Vancouver.2 This area is home to the Chawathil, Cheam, Seabird Island, Shxw'ōwhámél, Yale, Peters, Popkum, Skawahlook, Spuzzum, Boston Bar, and Boothroyd Indigenous communities.3
                    Simon Fraser passed through this area in 1808, declaring it too treacherous for travel, and the land was not settled by Europeans until the late 1840s.4
                    In 1848, the HBC developed Fort Hope as a outpost along the brigade-route.5 In this enclosure from 1858, Douglas reports that Fort Hope is an outpost, put up in the cheapest and most simple form, for the accommodation of the brigades passing to and from the interior, and is in charge of a labouring servant. The townsite was laid out by James Douglas in 1858 during the Fraser River Gold Rush, and the Royal Engineers started construction of Caribou Road through the Fraser Canyon.6 Stó:lō oral histories state that Governor Douglas had come and stood on that point, right there on the corner of Park St. and the Highway of downtown Hope, and he faced over to Quemqemo—or Mt. Ogalvie—and said… all the land on the north side of that line, right up to where its bounded by the Fraser River and the Coquihalla and that straight line, would be made into Indian Reserve. And all of the land south of that line would become the town of Hope.7 That same year, trees were cleared and Stó:lō settlements and land use patterns marginalized.8
                    Today, Hope's economy is driven by forestry, tourism, and the service sector.9 Hope continues to be home to the Stó:lō peoples, whose relationships with the land continues to this day.
                    • 1. Hope BC, Hope Area History, History Portal.
                    • 2. John R. Stewart & Ken Favrholdt, Hope, The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2015.
                    • 3. Hope BC, Hope Area History, History Portal.
                    • 4. Ibid.
                    • 5. Ibid.
                    • 6. Ibid.
                    • 7. Keith Thor Carlson, Chapter 4: A Legacy of Broken Promises, in You are Asked to Witness: The Stó:lō in Canada's Pacific Coast History (Stó:lō Heritage Trust: Chilliwack, 1997), 61.
                    • 8. Ibid.
                    • 9. John R. Stewart & Ken Favrholdt, Hope, The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2015
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Hope Island (unavailable)Map
                    Information is not yet available for this place.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Hope PassMap
                    Hope Pass is located in southwestern British Columbia, roughly 45 km east and a little south of Hope, near the headwaters of Whipsaw Creek, southeast of Skaist Mountain, in the Yale Land District.1
                    • 1. Hope Pass, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Howe SoundMap
                    Howe Sound is northwest of Burrard Inlet, which lies before Vancouver. It is marked at its eastern side by Point Atkinson's lighthouse, at its northernmost reach the city of Squamish, and to the western entrance, the town of Gibsons. It was named in 1794, though Walbran notes that is was named in 1792,1 by Captain Vancouver after Admiral Richard Howe (1726-99), a Royal Navy war hero.2
                    • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 253.
                    • 2. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 273.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Hudson BarMap
                    Bancroft places this bar, based on O'Reilly's information, near Cornish Bar, just south of Hope [the coordinates linked to above represent a best guess]. Hudson Bar was one among dozens of gold-rush sites worked along the Fraser River from roughly 1858 onward.1
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Hudson BayMap
                    To call Hudson Bay a bay sells it somewhat short in terms of scale. It cuts a fist-shaped, 800,000 square km chunk out of Canada's northeastern shores on the Arctic Ocean.1 Indigenous populations have occupied it and the surrounding lands for thousands of years, and by the time Europeans arrived, Algonquian, Chipewyan, and Inuit groups comprised the majority populace.2
                    In 1578, Martin Frobisher sailed into Hudson Strait, but it would be Henry Hudson that would sail through the strait and into the great bay in 1610.3 Hudson Bay was crucial to settlement and trade in what would become Canada, as it provided a direct route to a wealth of fur resources, particularly in the years during and following the Rupert's Land grant.4
                    • 1. James Marsh, Hudson Bay, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                    • 2. Ibid.
                    • 3. Ibid.
                    • 4. Ibid.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Inskip IslandsMap
                    This cluster small islands lies just offshore within Esquimalt Harbour. According to Scott, they were named after Robert Mills Inskip, an instructor for the Royal Navy who served the Pacific Station aboard HMS Fisgard.1
                    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 281.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Jack of Clubs Creek (unavailable)Map
                    Information is not yet available for this place.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Jackass MountainMap
                    On the east side of the Fraser River below Lytton, Jackass Mountain is along the old Cariboo road. Initially without any protective barriers, the drop from the road to the Fraser River below was 457 metres.1 The name comes from an incident in which a jackass laden with miner's goods went over the edge.2 An old story recounts a frightened passenger screaming at Steve Tingley, the driver of the coach: What happens if we go over the edge? To which he replied: Lady, that all depends on what sort of life you've been leading.3 Eventually, the road was widened and travel was made safer, of which Douglas refers to in this despatch
                    • 1. Jackass Mountain, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                    • 2. Ibid.
                    • 3. Ibid.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    JamaicaMap
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    James BayMap
                    Named after Sir James Douglas, who lived on the bay's south shore, James Bay is a located within Victoria Harbour, and was previously known as Major Bay.1
                    • 1. James Bay, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Jasper HouseMap
                    Jasper House, now a national historic site just outside Jasper, Alberta, was a trading post in the Rocky Mountains, located on the Athabasca River at the intersection of two routes through the mountains: one through Yellowhead Pass and the other through Athabasca Pass.1
                    Aboriginal peoples trekked by this area, no doubt long before settlers arrived, while on the historic route from “Snake Indian Pass” to the interior of present-day British Columbia.2
                    Jasper House was established in 1813 as a provision-depot for fur-traders; it was named “Rocky Mountain House”, initially, which confused it with another post of the same name on the Saskatchewan River.3 Soon, it was named after the first post-master to reside there, Jasper Hawes.4
                    Its first iteration was built near the north end of Brûlé Lake, then between 1929 and 1830 the HBC built a second house at the north end of Jasper Lake.5 The famous artist Paul Kane visited Jasper House in 1846, when Colin Fraser was in command.6 Apparently, Kane arrived there at night, feeling more dead than alive.7 He then sat before a blazing fire and ate five or six pounds of mountain sheep, which he found delicious.8
                    Kane's journal describes Jasper House as follows:
                    […] three miserable log huts. The dwelling-house is composed of two rooms, of about fourteen to fifteen feet square each. One of them is used by all comers and goers: Indians, voyageurs, and traders, men, women, and children being huddled together indiscriminately.”9
                    The HBC officially closed the house in 1884, and it was destroyed in 1909, when surveyors for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway used it for parts to build rafts.10
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Jervis InletMap
                    Jervis Inlet broadens out into the Strait of Georgia and looks across the same to nearby Texada Island, which is approximately 75 km up the Straight from Vancouver. This inlet in considered the deepest fjord on British Columbia's coast, as it jigs its way inland roughly 80 km.1 It was named after Royal Navy officer, and eventually Earl, Sir John Jervis (1735-1823).2
                    Jervis Inlet is the traditional territory of the Sechelt, or Shíshálh, First Nation,3 whose name for this dramatic feature is Lékw'émin.4
                    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 290.
                    • 2. Ibid.
                    • 3. Sechelt First Nation, Shíshálh First Nation.
                    • 4. Scott, Raincoast Placenames, 290.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Juan de Fuca StraitMap
                    The Juan de Fuca Strait flows primarily between Vancouver Island and Washington State's Olympic Peninsula. Cape Flattery marks the southern entrance to this strait, whose name has mythic provenance for several reasons.
                    In 1778 James Cook sailed past the roughly 20 km wide entrance to the strait.1 In 1787 Captain Charles William Barkley named it after Greek mariner Apostolos Valerianos, who, while employed as a pilot under the Spanish navy, was called Juan de Fuca.2
                    Legend has it that Valerianos marked the strait, including several specific geographic features, during his 1590s exploration to discover a sailable passage through North America—a journey detailed in a 1625 book by Samuel Purchas.3 Presumably, Barkley knew of Valerianos's account and trusted it enough to name the strait in his honour.
                    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 295.
                    • 2. Ibid., 296.
                    • 3. Ibid., 296.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Kaministiquia RiverMap
                    Kaministiquia River flows into the northern end of Lake Superior, and is one of the roughly 200 rivers that feed the great lake.1
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    KamloopsMap
                    Kamloops is located at the confluence of the north and south Thompson River branches. In his memoirs, John Tod writes that the Shuswap name for the area was Kahm-o-loops, meaning the meeting of the waters.1
                    In 1811, the first Europeans in the area were members of the Pacific Fur Company, who established a fur-trading post on the Thompson River.2 The names Fort Kamloops, Fort Thompson, and Thompson River Post were used interchangeably during the fur-trading period.3 After the fort was founded, the main Shuswap village was moved closer to the fort in order to control access to trade.4
                    In this 1858 letter, John Miles writes of his west-coast El Dorado, an active volcano allegedly crammed with gold, just outside of Kamloops: the mountain had exploded and…one braver than the rest of his tribe entered it, and discovered the extinct crater seamed with yellow metal. Miles mentions an unnamed Shuswap chief who called for secrecy of the mountain, claiming that the evils that had beset the natives of those [other] regions…proved that their wars and gradual extinction, were caused by the white man's thirst for gold.
                    The gold rush of the 1860s and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s brought further growth to Fort Kamloops.5 Kamloops incorporated in 1893 as a city with a population of 500.6 Today, the city has a population of roughly 84,000.7
                    • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 131.
                    • 2. Kamloops, VancouverIsland.com.
                    • 3. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names, 131.
                    • 4. Kamloops, VancouverIsland.com.
                    • 5. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names, 131.
                    • 6. Ibid.
                    • 7. Kamloops Population Report, City of Kamloops.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    KamschatkaMap
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Kanaka CreekMap
                    Kanaka Creek flows southwest through the municipality of Maple Ridge, in southwestern British Columbia. Presumably, it was settled at one time by Hawaiʻians, known colloquially as “kanakas”, meaning “person” or “man”, which, according to Koppel, was a term widely used in the nineteenth century in the Pacific to refer to Pacific Islanders in general.1
                    Koppel goes on to note that at one time so-called Kanakas constituted between thirty and sixty percent of the HBC's workforce.2 The Akrigg's add that in circa 1850, Continual desertions by men heading for the California gold-fields left the Company almost entirely dependent upon Kanakas and local First Nations to sail ships and cultivate farmland.3 During the same period, 16 of the 62 men (25%) that comprised Fort Victoria's defense and serving force were Kanakas.4
                    In this correspondence, Douglas refers to a stream opposite the site of Derby as “Whytus”, which is presumed to be present-day Kanaka Creek.
                    • 1. Tom Koppel, Kanaka: The Untold Story of Hawaiian Pioneers in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver: Whitecap Books, 1995), 139.
                    • 2. Ibid.
                    • 3. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 34.
                    • 4. Koppel, Kanaka, 66.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    KatzieMap
                    Katzie was a village named after the Kazie First Nation, who, before the smallpox epidemic, were one of the largest Indigenous groups in British Columbia.1 The traditional Katzie territory expanded around Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Coquitlam, Surrey, Langley, and New Westminster. It also had an overlap of shared territory with other Indigenous groups such as the In-SHUCK-ch, Kwickwetlem, Kwantlen, Musqueam, Squamish, Sto:lō, Tsawwassen, Hul'qumi'num, and Tsleil-waututh.2
                    The traditional territory of the Katzie was disrupted during the colonial period when five reserves were established at Pitt Meadows, Barnston Island, on the Fraser at Langley, Grant Narrows, and a small cemetery located at Maple Ridge. These reserves were adjusted and confirmed in 1880 and again in 1916.3 The land that the Katzie now occupy is equivalent to 335.2 hectares for all five reserves -- significantly less than their traditional territory.4
                    The mapping of Katzie for the Colonial Despatches is based on this despatch written by Governor Douglas in which he describes the 100 acres of land that were given to the Katzie for their reserve. The 100 acres discussed would be equivalent to the Katzie 1 reserve which is 43 hectares.5 It should be noted that today, the Canadian government still outlines the administrative boundaries of reserves within the jurisdictional oversight of the federal government.6 By delineating Indigenous territory within the confines of state-created reserves, the Canadian government does not fully recognize the traditional non-boundary territories of Indignous peoples, much like colonial officials did in 1865.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Ke-que-looseMap
                    Ke-que-loose is the name of an Indigenous village located in interior British Columbia. According to a despatch between Governor Douglas and Lord Stanley, the Similk-ameen trail leads to Tqua-yowm, a populous village located approximately 10 kilometers above Ke-que-loose at the mouth of Anderson's River.1 The old Indigenous village of Ke-que-loose was located on the east side of the Fraser River, off of the old Alexandra Bridge. Alexander Caulfield Anderson reached Ke-que-loose on 4 June 1847 during a mapping expedition.2 On Anderson's “1848 Brigade Trail” to Kamloops, they avoided the Black Canyon and other horrors by heading northeast towards Ke-que-loose. Today this area is designated as Chapman's Bar IR10.3
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Kefalonia, GreeceMap
                    Kefalonia, or Cephalonia, is a large island in western Greece.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Keithley CreekMap
                    Keithley Creek flows southeast into Cariboo Lake.1 It was mined by two American brothers in 1861, who claimed considerable profit in gold dust from the creek, as seen in this despatch.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Kettle RiverMap
                    Kettle River is a tributary of the Columbia River, and flows south into Washington State near Christina Lake.1 To the First Nations people of the area, presumably the Sinixt,2 it was called Ne-hoi-al-pit-qua, and to the to early European settlers it was called Colvile River.3 The name Kettle River was adopted in reference to either the bubbling motions of the Kettle Falls or the hollow, kettle-shaped rock formations that line the riverbed.4
                    The Kettle River was bridged during the construction of the Dewdney Trail.5
                    • 1. Kettle River, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                    • 2. Sinixt Nation, Sinixt Nation Society.
                    • 3. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 135.
                    • 4. Ibid.
                    • 5. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 197.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Kithrahtalah (incomplete)
                    Refers to a village that was close to or synonymous with Seleassa. Other names for the band and/or village include “Kitrahtlah”, “Kitzeetch”, “Sebessah”, and “Sebassah”.
                    Information for this place is not yet complete.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    KitimatMap
                    Kitimat is located at the mouth of the Kitimat River on the northern coast of British Columbia.1 The name Kitimat comes from the Tsimshian word, of the Haisla First Nation, “Kitamaat”, which means people of the snow.2 Kitimat falls in the vaguely defined Stikine territory between the Stikine and Finlay Rivers.3
                    People have settled in the area since the 1860s.4 The Haisla First Nation (previously the Kitamaat and Henaaksiala groups) settled on the northeast side of area and named the village Kitamaat Mission.5 The Aluminum Company of Canada put a smelter site at the mouth of the Kitimat River in 1950.5 The city was officially incorporated on 31 March 1953.6
                    According to the despatches, a trader named Morris was hiding a large store of liquor in his home in Kitimat.8 Commander Pike, who surveyed the British Columbia coast for illegal liquor trade, discovered Morris's hidden stash of spirits and confiscated them immediately.9
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Kitimat RiverMap
                    The Kitimat River flows south into the head of the Kitimat Arm.1 See Kitimat for more information.
                    • 1. Andrew Scott, Kitimat, Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Knight's InletMap
                    Knight's Inlet is the largest of the major inlets in the southern part on the coast of mainland British Columbia, and it is the first inlet that points away from the Strait of Georgia. It is roughly 111 kilometers long and about 2.9 kilometers wide.1
                    The inlet was first charted by William Broughton in 1792, the second-in-command to George Vancouver during his 1791-95 expedition. However, it was Vancouver who named it in 1792 after John Knight, a British Naval Officer.2 In this despatch, Musgrave describes settling a dispute between the Indigenous Peoples at Knight's Inlet and copper mine workers.3
                    The north end of Knight's Inlet is known as “Tsawatti” or “Tsawadi” after the Indigenous village which is located at the mouth of the Klinaklini River. This area is recognized as an ancient Indigneous village which supports a fishery, clover garden, and other forms of agriculture for harvest.4
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Knockan HillMap
                    Knockan Hill is located on the southern end of Vancouver Island, northwest of Victoria, in the suburb of Saanich. It appears on an 1855 HBC map; the name was adopted officially in 1934.1 “Knockan” appears to be an anglicization of the Songhees “Nga 'k 'un”, or “rock(s) on top”; this hill is home to a rich and compelling story which the Geographical Names Information System entitles as The Wives of the Stars.2
                    • 1. Knockan Hill, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                    • 2. Ibid.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    KochiMap
                    Kochi, formerly known as Cochin, is a port city on the southwest coast of India, famed for, among other things, its role in the spice trade for the last several hundred years.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Kootenay PassMap
                    Kootenay Pass is a mountain pass halfway between Salmo and Creston. The pass was named after the local Ktunaxa band, then known as the Kootenay band.1 Akrigg notes that the meaning of Kootenay is not known and that the often quoted “water people” is a false etymology.2
                    The Kootenay Pass was also known as the Coutainnais Pass.3 In this despatch, Douglas describes the pass as a nature pack-road…of great beauty, and replete with objects of interest to the tourist and the sportsman.
                    • 1. Who Are The Ktunaxa, Ktunaxa Nation; G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 143.
                    • 2. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names, 143.
                    • 3. Ibid.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Kootenay Region (unavailable)Map
                    Information is not yet available for this place.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Kuper IslandMap
                    Kuper Island is part of the Gulf Islands chain, off southeastern Vancouver Island. It is separated from Thetis Island to the north by a narrow, artificial canal called The Cut. Kuper Island draws its name from Captain Kuper, who was, among other Naval designations, commander of the HMS Thetis—a ship upon which he was sent to survey parts of Haida Gwaii for gold.1
                    The Penelakut First Nation had and have villages on Kuper Island, along with several locations in the surrounding region. According to the Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group website, the term Penelakut refers to all Hul'qumi'num people, who have historically lived on Kuper Island from time to time.2
                    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 105.
                    • 2. Hul'qumi'num People, Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Lake Capana (incomplete)Map
                    Lake Capana is a small lake referred to during the Chilcotin War. It may demarcate “Capane Lake”, near modern-day Puntzi and Tatla Lakes.
                    Inconsistencies in colonial maps, name changes in the last century, and geographical changes make it hard to pinpoint its exact location. The given map is a best-guess based on this map.
                    Information for this place is not yet complete.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Lake HillMap
                    Lake Hill is identified on maps dating from the 1840s, as in this 1852 map, but according to the Geographical Names Information System, the name Christmas Hill was adopted officially in 1934.1
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Lake HuronMap
                    Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes, and the world's fifth largest lake.1 It is 332 km long and 295 km wide, for a total square area of roughly 60,000 km.2 Huron flows into Lake Erie via the Saint Clair River, Lake Saint Clair, and the Detroit River.
                    • 1. M. Munawar, Lake Huron, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                    • 2. Ibid.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Lake of the WoodsMap
                    This island-dotted lake straddles the Canada-US border, and covers over 4,000 square km, most of which is on the Canadian side in western Ontario. It is fed from the south by Rainy River and drains northwest to the Winnipeg River.1 Lake of the Woods and the surrounding lake-riddled lands were part of a vital fur-trade route.2 Indigenous groups in the area include the Cree, Ojibwa, and Sioux.3
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Lake SuperiorMap
                    Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world, and its scale is truly massive: it runs 563 by 257 km, covering over 82,000 square km, and is fed by over 200 rivers.1 The French designated it as Lac Supérieur, a mantle equally potent in English—it is thought that French explorer Étienne Brûlé was the first European to see the lake in 1622, and thereafter, and for hundreds of years to follow, this lake would see many a fur-trade canoes; presently, Thunder Bay City hosts the Lake's largest port, which is the greatest port by volume in Canada.2
                    • 1. James Marsh, Lake Superior, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                    • 2. Ibid.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Lake Takla (unavailable)Map
                    Information is not yet available for this place.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Lake WinnipegMap
                    Lake Winnipeg is located in central Manitoba, and it is Canada's 6th largest freshwater lake at roughly 416 km long.1 It connects to the Saskatchewan and Red Rivers among others. Henry Kelsey, an English explorer, was perhaps the first European to view this lake, the Cree name for which, “win-nipi”, means murky waters.2 Lord Selkirk travelled the length of the lake in 1812, prior to founding the Red River Colony.2
                    • 1. R. A. McGinn, Lake Winnipeg, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                    • 2. Ibid.
                    • 3. Ibid.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Lama Passage (unavailable)Map
                    Information is not yet available for this place.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                    Lamoosan Harbour (incomplete)
                    Information for this place is not yet complete.
                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                      Langley (unavailable)Map
                      Information is not yet available for this place.
                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                      Last Chance Creek (unavailable)Map
                      Information is not yet available for this place.
                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                      Laurel PointMap
                      Today, Laurel Point is on the south side of the entrance to Victoria Harbour. However, an 1846 map shows it on the north side, with the current location of Laurel Point marked as “Crown Point”.
                      Apparently, the “laurels” on this Songhees Nation burial ground were arbutus trees.1 It was known also as Sehl's Point for a time in late 1800s, after a furniture maker who constructed a factory in the area.2
                      • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 330.
                      • 2. Ibid.
                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                      Lax Kw'alaamsMap
                      Lax Kw'alaams, known previously as Fort Simpson and Port Simpson, is a port community on the Tsimpsean Peninsula, on the British Columbia coast, roughly 25 km north of Prince Rupert.1
                      The name Lax Kw'alaams derives from the Tsimshian First Nation term Laxlgu'alaams, or “island of wild roses”; originally, the Gispaxlo'ots tribe used the area as a campsite.2
                      From the 1830s onward, the settlement was an important HBC trading post and roughly 2,000 members of the Tsimshian First Nation settled there in the 1840s.3
                      Prince Rupert came to be the regional trade centre by the early 1900s, but for many years Lax Kw'alaams was, as Scott argues, the most important outpost of the British Empire on the N[orth] Pacific coast.4
                      • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 331.
                      • 2. About Us, Lax Kw'alaams Band.
                      • 3. Scott, Raincoast Placenames, 474.
                      • 4. Ibid.
                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                      Leeward Islands (unavailable)Map
                      Information is not yet available for this place.
                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                      Liard RiverMap
                      The Liard River is 1,115 km long; it flows through the southeastern Yukon, in northern British Columbia, and the Rocky Mountains, on its way to its junction at the Mackenzie River near Fort Simpson.
                      It was named after the French word for a species of poplar tree, or “liards”, that cluster along the banks of the river.1 The Liard served as a transport and trade route during the Klondike gold rush.2
                      • 1. James Marsh, Liard River, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                      • 2. Ibid.
                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                        LillooetMap
                        Lillooet is a community located adjacent to the Fraser River, between Lytton and Clinton. The area was named after the local T'it'q'et band, then known as the Lillooet band.1 The area was originally called Cayoosh Flat, likely because the body of a dead Cayuse, a mountain pony,2 was found in the nearby river.3
                        HBC explorer A. C. Anderson was commissioned to establish a route from Harrison Lake to Cayoosh.4 His route connecting Harrison, Lillooet, Anderson, and Seton Lakes was the first route to the upper Fraser and Cariboo gold fields—Cayoosh received the name Lillooet in 1860 because it was here that the trail from Lillooet Lake reached the Fraser River.5
                        In 1862, Lillooet became known as “Mile Zero” of the numbered mile-houses along the Cariboo Wagon Road.6 The HBC's short-lived Fort Berens was on the opposite bank of the Fraser from Lillooet.7
                        • 1. Anderson Lake, BC Geographical Names Information System, T'it'q'et, Aboriginal Canada Portal.
                        • 2. Cayuse Horse, All Horse Breeds.
                        • 3. Lillooet, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                        • 4. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 153.
                        • 5. Ibid.
                        • 6. Ibid.
                        • 7. Ibid.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Lillooet LakeMap
                        Lillooet Lake is located roughly 80 km southeast of the municipality of Lillooet. Lillooet Lake was an important part of the route to the community of Lillooet, and a link to the Fraser and Cariboo gold fields.1
                        In this despatch, Douglas notes that the passage of Lake Lillooett 13 miles in length, and with depth of water sufficient for large vessels is effected by means of large sized boats constructed for the purpose.
                        • 1. Lillooet, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Loin's Inlet (unavailable)Map
                        Information is not yet available for this place.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        LondonMap
                        “Londinium” became the capital of Roman Britain from roughly AD 60 onwards, as the former provincial capital, Colchester, was destroyed by the Boudiccan revolt of the same year.1
                        London must have felt deific to her imperial rulers during the period of the colonial correspondence. Arguably, the city was the locus of Britain's power, whose tendrils of trade, unapologetic conquest, and empire building reached nearly every continent. In 1851, the city hosted the Great Exhibition of Industry of All Nations—a characteristically Eurocentric title in post-colonial terms—which drew over 6 million people and showcased Victorian London as the envied seat of industry, trade, science, and political power.2
                        London's population built to a swarm throughout the 1800s, from 1.35 million in 1825 to 6.5 million by the turn of the century.3 London was, however, mired in more than mass of steam, steel, soot, and top hats. The administrative and military demands required for colonial dominance pressed continually, and Britain could not keep pace with its conquests and, as historian James E. Hendrickson points out, nobody ran the Empire, at least in the mid-to-late-19th century.4 Further to this, Hendrickson adds that both politicians and the Colonial Office tended to be reactive instead of proactive to events in its many dependencies. Indeed, evidence for this notion is apparent throughout the colonial correspondences between the Colonial Office, Vancouver Island, and later British Columbia.5
                        The word “London” is Celtic-rooted, and translates loosely as place at the navigable or unfordable river.6 This etymology seems a snug fit for this port city's life of prolific trade and seaborne dominance.
                        • 1. London, A Dictionary of British History.
                        • 2. Alexander Hugo Schulenburg, London, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Modern World.
                        • 3. Ibid.
                        • 4. James E. Hendrickson, The Colonial Office in 1858, Colonial Despatches.
                        • 5. Ibid.
                        • 6. London, A Dictionary of British Place-Names.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        London, OntarioMap
                        London is a city located in southwest Ontario, Canada and it is considered to be the region's economic and cultural hub, a label that began in the mid 19th century. Archaeological records reveal that London has been inhabited for over 10,000 years by various Indigneous tribes such as: Haudenosaunee, Anishnaabeg, and Lenni-Lenape.1
                        The European settlement of London began in 1793 when it was discovered by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves who lobbied for it to be the capital of Ontario. His goal was not fulfilled and London was not officially founded until 1826. In the early 1840s, following the G“reat Fire of London,” the city rebuilt and re-strengthened with new municipal powers.2 In 1848, a mayor and a town council were created and from 1854 to 1857, London introduced: street lights, a railway, the 1st London Volunteer Troop of Cavalry (the First Hussars), and a Board of Trade.3 It was also one of the main places where the Board of Directors for the Hudson's Bay Company was located. In 1866, London faced Fenian Raids.4
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Lopez IslandMap
                        Lopez Island is located in Salish Sea, just south of the Canada-US border, and southeast of San Juan Island. Lopez Island and other Lopez-named features in the area, such as Lopez Pass and Lopez Sound, were named after Lopez Gonzales de Haro, whose surname marks features north of the border, such as Haro Strait and Haro Island.1
                        Lopez Island appears on Spanish charts from 1791 as part of their Isla y Archipelago de San Juan, or San Juan Islands in English.2
                        • 1. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 124.
                        • 2. Ibid.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Lummi IslandMap
                        Lummi Island lies east of the San Juan Islands. The Rosario Strait runs along its western shores and Hale Passage runs along its eastern shores. This roughly 15k m long and 3 km wide island was named Isla de Pacheco in the late 1700s by the Spanish explorer Francisco Eliza, and in the mid-1800s Wilkes changed its name to McLoughlin Island, in honour of HBC doctor John McLoughlin.1
                        The US Coast Survey adopted the name Lummi Island in 1853, after the Lummi Nation,2 or Lhaq'temish, who have lived on the Island and in the surrounding region for thousands of years.3
                        This despatch by Douglas mentions the Island as the southernmost point of the Gulf of Georgia and the start of the Vancouver Strait, which Douglas argues is the natural boundary mentioned in the Treaty of 1846.
                        • 1. James W. Phillips, Washington State Places Names (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1971), 82.
                        • 2. Ibid.
                        • 3. Welcome to the Lummi Nation, Lummi Nation.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        LyttonMap
                        Lytton is at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers, situated on a high terrace on the left bank of the Fraser.1 Lytton was sometimes referred to as “the Forks”, and the short-lived HBC post of Fort Dallas was also located there.2
                        According to Scholefield, the area was an important centre of the Nklaka'pamux, also known as “the Thompson” people.3 The site of Lytton was once an Aboriginal village called Camchin, meaning crossing over or the great fork.4
                        In 1858, the area was renamed Lytton by Governor Douglas, after Colonial Secretary Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton.5 In this despatch, Douglas writes that due to the influx of miners the Town site of Lytton was laid out, and now contains 50 houses and a population of 900 persons.
                        Lytton is mentioned in numerous despatches, and was known as a site rich in gold, conflict, and cultural exchange.
                        • 1. Lytton, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                        • 2. E. O. S. Scholefield, British Columbia from the Earliest Times to the Present, vol. 1, 1875-1919 (Vancouver: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1914), 271.
                        • 3. Lytton, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                        • 4. Scholefield, British Columbia: From the Earliest Times to the Present, 271.
                        • 5. Ibid.
                        • 6. Lytton, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Mackenzie RiverMap
                        The Mackenzie is the largest river in Canada, at 4,241 km long; it is the second largest in North America, after the Mississippi.1 And, the Mackenzie's drainage basin is equally prolific, at 1.8 million square km. The river is named after Alexander Mackenzie, who traversed its length by canoe in 1789.2
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Malahat RidgeMap
                        Malahat Ridge is located on the southern end of Vancouver Island, northwest of Victoria. Malahat is a First Nation name with several possible meanings. The peak of the ridge, Yaas or Yos, is sacred to the local Salish people.1
                        The Malahat is an imposing geographical feature and was, historically, difficult to traverse. Even today, the scenic Malahat drive is considered by locals to be a notoriously dangerous 16 km section of highway.2
                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 355.
                        • 2. Ibid.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Malcolm IslandMap
                        Malcolm Island is separated from the northeastern shores of Vancouver Island by the Broughton Strait, opposite Port McNeill.
                        The island was named after Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm (1758-1838), and at the turn of the 19th century it became the site of an attempted colonization by Finnish socialists, who formed the village of Sointula.1
                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 355-56.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        ManchesterMap
                        Manchester is a city located in northwestern England, in the county of Lancashire, and it is known as the largest metropolitan area in the north.1 The 19th century is considered to be Manchester's “golden age” as it was the city at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution. By 1800, Manchester was described as steam mill mad as it had expanded to 99 cotton mills by the 1830s. At this time, Manchester had also developed the first modern railway.2
                        It was not until 1838, however, that Manchester set up an elected council and a system of local government. By the second half of the 19th century, Manchester became the centre for trade in which products included: steam engines, locomotives, armaments, and machine tools. At this time, the city was known for its economic, political, cultural, and intellectual life.3 Manchester then led the nation in the push for parliamentary reform and free trade.
                        While being known as the hub of the Industrial Revolution, it was also characterized, in this century and later, by polluted air, water, and unsanitary conditions. Today the air conditions have improved and Manchester is known, not only for its industrialization, but in conjunction with Friedrich Engels who wrote his influential book: Conditions of the Working Class in England (1845) in and about Manchester.4
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        ManitobaMap
                        Manitoba is a Canadian province located in the centre of the country, bordered by Saskatchewan and Ontario. The province was founded on the traditional territories of the Assiniboine, Dakota, Cree, Dene, Anishinaabeg, and Oji-Cree peoples.1
                        Early European exploration began as early as 1612 by Thomas Button in Hudson Bay lowlands, north of Manitoba. With the fur trade expansion in the latter half of the 1600s by French Canadians, there was a push for the establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company around this area -- what was called Rupert's Land. Between 1682 and 1812, European settlement in Manitoba consisted of various forts set up by the HBC and the Northwest Company.2
                        In the first half of the nineteenth century, the British government sponsored expeditions in order to assess the potential of “Rupert's Land” for further agricultural settlements, which had begun in 1812. In the late 1860s, conflict arose when the Canadian and British government looked to westward expansion which consisted of the unauthorized selling of Indigenous (primarily Métis) land to the Dominion government. This was the beginning of what is known as the “Red River Resistance,” 1869-70 led by Louis Riel.3
                        Due to the resistance, the Manitoba Act of 1870, which created the new province of Manitoba, guaranteed Métis title to their lands along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. The Canadian government broke this promise. Manitoba saw the arrival of 40,000 immigrants between 1876 and 1881, slowing down by 1890, which overwhelmed the Indigenous population. Today, Manitoba is the fifth most populous province in Canada.4
                        • 1. T.R. Weir, Manitoba, The Canadian Encyclopedia, 8 August 2012.
                        • 2. Ibid.
                        • 3. Ibid.
                        • 4. Ibid.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Manson RidgeMap
                        Manson Ridge, located 5 km southeast of Hope, extends southeast from the Coquihalla River. It was likely named after one of the HBC officers accompanying A. C. Anderson's 1948 expedition through the region.1
                        • 1. Manson Ridge, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Maple BayMap
                        Maple Bay is located in the Cowichan Region and can be seen on this 1859 map of the area. According to BCGNIS, the name is still in use today.1
                        • 1. Maple Bay, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        MarseilleMap
                        Marseille is a Mediterranean port city in southeast France. It has endured surges of trade and conquest well after it held the ancient Greek name of Massilla.1
                        During the 19th century, Marseille's port traffic swelled considerably following the French conquest of North Africa and the completion of the Suez Canal. Currently, it is France's chief port, and a cosmopolitan, multi-faith city, with immigrant communities built from all corners of the Mediterranean.2
                        • 1. John Barzman, Marseille, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History.
                        • 2. Ibid.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        MassetMap
                        The community of Masset is located in northeastern Haida Gwaii, on Graham Island. Masset draws its name from the nearby Maast Island, whose etymology is traced to a Haida account in which a European officer named Masseta died during a visit to the area.1 His body was buried on a little island near his ship's anchorage, which the Haida of the day called “mah-sh-t”, likely, a Haida pronunciation of Masseta.2
                        Masset, along with Skidegate, served as congregation points for the Haida during the devastating smallpox epidemics that swept through Haida Gwaii villages in the early-to-mid 1800s.3 The HBC maintained a trading post at Masset for some time, and the Anglican Church established a mission there in 1876.4
                        • 1. Origin of European Settled Masset, Village of Masset.
                        • 2. Ibid.
                        • 3. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 366.
                        • 4. Ibid.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Matilda Inlet (incomplete)Map
                        In naval terms, a “creek” referred to a narrow tidal inlet, and this meaning is still in use in the Maritime provinces. On modern British Columbia maps, “creeks” of this nature are often to changed to “inlets” to better describe the nature of the feature.
                        Information for this place is not yet complete.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Maurelle IslandMap
                        Maurelle Island is located off the mid-eastern coast of Vancouver Island. Rapid tidal channels surround the island, which was thought to be part of Valdes Island until the 1870s, along with Quadra and Sonora islands, which were not named individually until 1903.1
                        Maurelle, however, held the name Middle Valdes Island for some time.2 The 54 square km Maurelle Island was named after Spanish naval officer Francisco Antonio Maurelle (1754-1820), deputy commander to Quadra during his expeditions to the area in the 1770s.3
                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 556.
                        • 2. Ibid., 368.
                        • 3. Ibid., 368-389.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        MauritiusMap
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        McCollums GulchMap
                        Site of a Cariboo mining claim that probably refers to McCallum Gulch, a creekbed south of Barkerville that flows west into Williams Creek.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Memeya River
                        According to this despatch, Memeya River is located near Benshee Lake, now known as Puntzi Lake, and Bridge Rivers. Klatsassin of the Tsilhqot'in tribe had the intention to return to Benshee Lake by the Memeya and Bridge Rivers; he was only waiting, as he said, for Mr. Waddington's arrival.1 Benshee Lake was one of the main areas in which the so-called “Chilcotin Massacre” took place, Klatsassin is described as the chief instigator who used the Memeya River as a passage up to this spot. However, from the despatch, Klatsassin was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Waddington who may bring men and provisions with him.2 At the end of the “massacre,” out of the 16 supposed Tsilhqot'in suspects, only four had returned back to Benshee Lake by way of the Memeya River.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        MetchosinMap
                        The municipality of Metchosin, on the south end of Vancouver Island, is a rural and agricultural suburb of Victoria. Metchosin, which is Salishan First Nation in origin, refers to a place of fish oil or stinking fish.1
                        In 1842, Douglas visited the area during his surveys of the Island's coast, where in this document he makes reference to a Whoyring, present-day Becher Bay, although historians Akrigg and Akrigg appear to misspell it as “Belcher”, perhaps in confusion with the West Coast's Belcher Point.2
                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 385.
                        • 2. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1778-1846 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1975), 349.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        MetlakatlaMap
                        The village of Metlakatla, sometimes spelled Metlakahtla, is located on the northwest side of Venn Passage (Metlakatla Pass), facing Digby Island, just west of Prince Rupert.1 The contemporary spelling is an anglicanized corruption of the Ts'msyan (Tsimshian) word Metla-kah-thla (Maxłakxaała), meaning a passage between two bodies of saltwater.2 Other spellings of the name include Metlah Catlah, Metla-kathla, Methlakahtla and Metla Catla.3
                        According to Parks Canada, which operates the Metlakatla Pass National Historic site on Pike Island, the entire region once played host to Tsimshian wintering village sites and has a rich archaeological record.4 Metlakatla features in the Despatches, such as this one, in reference to the founding of the anglican mission, there, by William Duncan.
                        By the late 1830's most of the Tsimshian living at Metlakatla had moved to new wintering grounds surrounding the HBC camp at Fort Simpson.5 It is here, that Duncan found his calling, amongst the savage spirits of the Tsimshian.6 Concerned with enlightening the Indigenous peoples surrounding the fort, Duncan began to learn their language and translate the Bible from which he also preached.7 It soon became apparent to Duncan that if this enlightenment project was to be successful, the Tsimshian would have to leave the evil influences of the heathen homes and surroundings of Fort Simpson behind.8 In 1862 Duncan and his band of Indigenous followers set out to create a model Christian village at Metlakatla.9 The community grew rapidly, eventually supporting the largest church in the north west, as well as a school—which went on to become a part of the Canadian Indian Residential School system—a sawmill, cannery, and many other services.10
                        In 1887, Duncan and approximately 600 followers left Metlakatla and established New Metlakatla, on Annette Island in Alaska, out of the jurisdictional reach of the Dominion of Canada and its Indian policy.11 According to Sean Carlton, they were fleeing from what they viewed to be increasing state intervention within the community.12 The community's population continued to decline following Duncan's departure. In 1901 a great fire destroyed most of the original buildings.13 Today, the Tsimshian First Nation own the land, but few of its members live in the village.14
                        • 1. Andrew Scott, Metlakatla, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names.
                        • 2. Ibid.
                        • 3. Ibid.
                        • 4. Parks Canada, Metlakatla National Historic Site of Canada, Parks Canada Directory of Federal Heritage Designations.
                        • 5. Ibid.
                        • 6. Sean Carleton, Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Rise of State Schooling in British Columbia, 1849–1900, PhD diss., Trent University, 2016, 166.
                        • 7. Ibid.
                        • 8. John W. Arctander, The Apostle of Alaska: The Story of William Duncan of Metlakahtla, (Toronto: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1909), 151.
                        • 9. Ibid.
                        • 10. Scott, Metlakatla, Raincoast Place Names.
                        • 11. Carleton, The Rise of State Schooling in British Columbia, 1849–1900, PhD diss., Trent University, 2016, 256.
                        • 12. Ibid.
                        • 13. Scott, Metlakatla, Raincoast Place Names.
                        • 14. Community Profile: Metlakatla, British Columbia Assembly of First Nations; Metlakatla First Nation Land Code.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Millbank (unavailable)Map
                        Information is not yet available for this place.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Miner's Bay (unavailable)Map
                        Information is not yet available for this place.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Mitchell InletMap
                        Mitchell Inlet is located on the on the northwest side of Moresby Island, in Haida Gwaii. The Inlet branches roughly south from Englefield Bay, which is known unofficially as Gold Harbour—a brawl over the precious metal occurred here in 1851, between Haida and HBC men, which is described by the reverend Thomas Boys in this letter, and by Douglas in this despatch.
                        Mitchell Inlet is named after William Mitchell (1802-76), an HBC master mariner, who in 1859 was put in charge of Fort Rupert.1
                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 393-94.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Moore ChannelMap
                        Moore Channel runs northwest of Moresby Island (Haida Gwaii). It was named after George Moore, master of the HMS Thetis, under Captain Augustus Kuper's command from 1851-53.1
                        The channel and the surrounding area was surveyed in 1852 for gold, which had been found at nearby Mitchell Inlet.2
                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 399.
                        • 2. Ibid.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Moresby IslandMap
                        Moresby Island is located in the Gulf Islands group, off the southeastern coast of Vancouver Island. Like its bigger namesake of Moresby Island (Haida Gwaii), it was named after Rear Admiral Moresby.1
                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 400.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Moresby Island (Haida Gwaii)Map
                        Of the roughly 150 islands that comprise the Haida Gwaii archipelago, the two largest islands are Graham to the north and Moresby to the south. Not to be confused with the much smaller, 6.5 square km Moresby Island in the Gulf Islands group, this Moresby is British Columbia's third largest island at over 2,000 square km: only Graham Island and Vancouver Island are larger.2
                        Moresby Island was named so in 1853 by Prevost, commander of the HMS Virago, and Moresby's son-in-law.2
                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 400-01.
                        • 2. Ibid., 401.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Mormon BarMap
                        Mormon Bar is located about 7 km above the mouth of the Fraser River. The bar was known for being one of several rich bars during the 1858 Fraser River Gold Rush.1
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Morrison River (incomplete)
                        May refer to any of several creeks in the region.
                        Information for this place is not yet complete.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Mount DouglasMap
                        This 260-metre hill is located on southwest Vancouver Island. Originally known as “The Hill of Cedars”, or simply Cedar Hill, officials turned it into a Government Reserve in 1858, and later renamed it Mount Douglas, after Governor James Douglas, in 1910.1 In an 1850 despatch, Blanshard refers to a Hudson's Bay Company survey, delineating HBC lands as the area bounded by a line drawn nearly due North from the head of Victoria harbour to a hill marked on the charts as Cedar Hill, or Mount Douglas. Cedar Hill provided settlers with lumber to build the palisades surrounding Fort Victoria in the early 1840s.2
                        Human use of Mount Douglas goes back much further for WSANEC people. It began when XÁLS, the Creator, brought stones from Cordova Bay and stood on the hill, named PKOLS, creating mountains by placing stones on the land around him.3 In the SENĆOŦEN language, PKOLS means “White Head” or “White Rock”, which alludes to an oral history of the Coast Salish people that identify PKOLS as the place where glaciers last receded from Southern Vancouver Island.4
                        Tensions surrounding the re-naming of PKOLS to Mt. Doug stem from differing versions of Governor Douglas's meeting with the local First Nations at the top of PKOLS. In general, First Nations do not see this meeting as a land settlement, some having reported the agreement as one that would allow settlers to live and farm on their land in exchange for regular payments.5 This event and the treaties signed with Douglas is still debated today.6
                        Dispute over the hill and its name is ongoing; in 2013 Chief Eric Pelkey led a group of Coast Salish people and hundreds of local supporters up the mountain to place a hand-carved sign at its summit. First Nations reclaiming of Mount Douglas as PKOLS represents a small bit of decolonization on Vancouver Island.7
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                        Mount GoochMap
                        Mount Gooch appears on this 1857 map by Pemberton. It is possible that the feature Pemberton labelled Mount Gooch is now called Mount Vernon, which sits just under 5 km south west of Cowichan Lake's westernmost shore.
                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                          Mount PrevostMap
                          Mount Prevost is located North West of the Somenos District, on southern Vancouver Island.1 The mountain is named after James Charles Prevost, a Royal Navy captain who served twice on the Pacific Station, where he commanded the HMS Virago in 1852, and the HMS Satellite in 1856.2
                          • 1. Mount Prevost, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                          • 2. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 476.
                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                            Mount RaeMap
                            “Mount Rae” appears on this 1857 map by McKay. Based on this map, it appears they were considering naming one of the peaks in the Premier Range “Mount Rae”. No mountains in the region currently bear the name; however, there are still sixteen unnamed peaks above 9,800 feet in the range.1 McKay and company may have been referring to one of these. It is also possible that, viewed from below, a section of the range appeared as a single massif, and that “Mount Rae” refers to several summits.
                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                              Mount SeymourMap
                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                              Mount TzouhalemMap
                              Mount Tzouhalem, which appears as Tsohailem Hill on this 1857 map by Pemberton, was named after a Cowichan war chief who allegedly organized a raid on Fort Victoria in 1844.1
                              The HBC had demanded that Tzouhalem pay for the slaughter of a number of the company's cows that grazed openly over First Nation land. When Tzouhalem refused, the HBC banned him from Fort Victoria, which resulted in Tzouhalem's raid.2 However, Finlayson easily repelled the attack, and dissuaded any further violence with a display from the fort's cannons, which compelled Tzouhalem to finally compensate for the cows he had killed.3
                              Mount Tzouhalem, located east of Duncan, is so named because Tzouhalem, banished from his tribe for his constant pursuit of the wives of fellow tribesmen, lived for a period in a cave on the mountain.4 In 1854, Tzouhalem was killed on Kuper Island during an attempt to increase his number of wives to fifteen.5
                              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 409.
                              • 2. Ibid.
                              • 3. Ibid.
                              • 4. Ibid.
                              • 5. Ibid.
                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                Mount WaddingtonMap
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                Mountain DistrictMap
                                The Mountain District is located on southeastern Vancouver Island, near Nanaimo.
                                The Mountain District was mapped as part of Pemberton's surveys of southern Vancouver Island during the 1850s, which can be seen on this map from 1859.
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                Munson's Mountain (incomplete)
                                Information for this place is not yet complete.
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                Naas Glee (rudimentary)Map
                                The Babine River is referred to in this correspondence as “Naas Glee.”1 From the description, it seems that Downie and Douglas considered the Babine a main section of the Skeena River, which it feeds.2
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                Nachess PassMap
                                Nachess Pass, also spelled Naches, is located in the Cascade Range in Washington State at an elevation of 4.988 feet. The pass, which has also been referred to as the “Walla Walla to Steilacoom Citizens Trail” and the “Cascade Emigrant Road,” extends into the Yakima Valley.1
                                When explorers first entered the north end of the Columbia River, they found a network of Indigenous trails which were connected through the mountains. Nachess Pass was one of these trails which explorers/settlers developed in order to do trade with various Indigenous groups.2 In 1841, an expedition group led by Charles Wilkes entered Puget Sound, except for Lieutenant Johnson and his party who continued his journey over Nachess Pass towards the Columbia Basin.3
                                Although Nachess Pass had been mentioned by the Hudson's Bay Company, Johnson's party was the first to officially document the route. In July 1853, the territorial citizens committee, led by Edward Allen, were beginning to convert Nachess Pass into a rough road. However, due to the pass's heightened cliffs and scant forage on the upper segments, it was not a popular choice for crossing.4
                                In 1854, Richard Arnold re-surveyed the pass and found it could function as a wagon road. And, during the “Indian War” of 1855-57, Nachess Pass received much use by Indigenous Peoples and the military. By the early 1860s, cattle drives were going from Yakima through the Nachess Pass to Puget Sound, this continued until 1880. The pass lost its appeal from 1890-1920 when it was nearly forgotten and used primarily for sheep grazing.5
                                • 1. Mike Hiler, A history of Naches Pass, Signpost for Northwest Trails, (July 1989), 1 ; Elva Cooper Magnusson, Naches Pass, Washington Journals, (1934), 171.
                                • 2. Hiler, A history of Naches Pass, 1.
                                • 3. Ibid.
                                • 4. Ibid., 1-2.
                                • 5. Ibid., 2-4.
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                NacoontloonMap
                                Nacoontloon was a first nations village near Nacoontloon Lake, which modern maps mark as Anahim Lake. During the later colonial period and the following decades, the names seem to have been used interchangably.1 The above map is based on current areas of habitation.
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                Naden HarbourMap
                                Naden Harbour is located on the northeast coast of Haida Gwaii and is known as a popular fishing location. Naden is the Haida name that was adopted by the Raven Crest members, they were the Ne dan xada i and lived at the mouth of the Naden River which flowed into the harbour.1
                                The Haida village of Kung, located at the entrance of Naden Harbour, was a large Indigenous community in the 1840s. Encounters with Europeans during this period brought diseases such as the smallpox, and many Haida villages such as this were wiped out. It was stated by the Hudson Bay Company in 1885 that only 800 Haida remained -- about 95% less than the original population.2 The remaining Indigenous Peoples at Kung left for the Haida settlement in Masset in 1884. The village of Masset survived and the Haida community has reformed with close to 4500 people.3
                                Naden Harbour later became the location of the Consolidated Whaling Company which operated from 1911 to 1942; as well as a cannery which processed salmon, crab, and clams.4
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                Nahwitti (region and features)Map
                                Geographical locations that bear the Nahwitti name appear mostly toward the northern end of Vancouver Island. The name Nahwitti refers to the Nahwitti First Nation, which comprise three distinct peoples: the Tlatlasikwala, Nakumgilisala, and Yutlinuk.1
                                Several despatches make reference to variant spellings of Nahwhitti, but one, Newitty, is used often, especially in despatches concerning the murder of three British deserters near Fort Rupert.
                                • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 416-17.
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                NanaimoMap
                                Nanaimo is a port city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, roughly 100 km north of Victoria. The name Nanaimo is derived from the Snuneymuxw people, part of the the Island Halkomelem First Nation, who continue to live in the area; the name has had many European spellings historically, including Sna Ney Mous, Sne-ny-mo, Snanaimuq, and Nanymo.1 The Spanish explorer Narváez was the first recorded European to see Nanaimo harbour in 1701.2
                                In the mid-1800s, this coal-rich area attracted the HBC's mining interests, which saw the creation of a trading post and then Colvile Town, named after Colvile, a name discontinued in maps of the area after 1860.3
                                • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 417.
                                • 2. Ibid.
                                • 3. Nanaimo, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                Nanaimo DistrictMap
                                At the time of this despatch, Nanaimo District, which can be seen on this map, refers to one of the electoral districts of the Vancouver Island House of Assembly. In the same despatch, Douglas mentions that the Nanaimo District was the only district that failed to provide results for the 1860 elections.
                                Currently, as a constituency in the British Columbia Legeslative Assembly, Nanaimo District is split into the Nanaimo—Alberni District to the north, and the Nanaimo—Cowichan District to the south.
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                Nanaimo HarbourMap
                                Nanaimo Harbour lies before the city of Nanaimo, on eastern Vancouver Island. Spanish explorer Narváez named it “Boca de Winthuysen” after Spanish naval officer Francisco Xavier de Winthuysen, spelling variations of which pepper the despatches.1
                                • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 417.
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                Nass HarbourMap
                                Nass Harbour is located on the southwest side of Nass Bay. See the Nass River entry for more details.
                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nass RiverMap
                                  The Nass River flows west from the Coast Mountains into Portland Inlet, northeast of Prince Rupert. Nass River was labelled on early exploration maps as “Naas”, “Nasse”, and “Nas”.1 In this correspondence, Douglas refers to the Nass or Simpson's River.
                                  In 1793, Captain George Vancouver visited the river and was told, likely by the Tlingit, that it was called “Ewen Nass”, with “ewen” meaning great or powerful.2 Nass comes from the Tlingit word meaning food basket, which refers to the abundance of salmon and eulachon in the river; the Nisga'a know the river as Lisims, which means murky.3
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 420.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Neah BayMap
                                  Neah Bay is located on the Makah People's land reserve, on the northwestern shore of the Olympic Peninsula. It looks out to the Juan de Fuca Strait, just east of Cape Flattery.
                                  Neah Bay has gone by several names: in 1790 the Spanish named it Bahia de Nunez Gaona, after an archbishop; while US traders came to call it Poverty Cove; and it was known as Scarborough Harbour, after HBC captain James Scarborough.1 Perhaps most dramatically, Neah Bay was the site of the beaching and burning of the HBC ship Una in late December, 1852, amidst a conflict between Europeans and, likely, people of the Callam Nation; read Reverend Thomas Boys's histrionic account of the incident here.
                                  • 1. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 142.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nelson RiverMap
                                  This 644 km long river flows roughly northeast from Lake Winnipeg and outflows into Hudson Bay eventually; it is considered the final link in the Saskatchewan River system.1
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nelson's CreekMap
                                  Nelsons Creek is a roughly three km long creek in the Cariboo region, near the historic mining town of Barkerville, that flows northward into Slough Creek.
                                  In this 1862 despatch, Douglas notes Nelson Dutoux, a native of Lower Canada, as the discoverer of Nelson's Creek.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  New BrunswickMap
                                  New Brunswick is one of three provinces in eastern Canada that comprise the Maritimes, along with Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In 1784, the British split what was Nova Scotia in two, naming the north and west portion New Brunswick, after the German duchy of Brunswick-Lunenburg, ruled by King George III of England at the time.1
                                  New Brunswick was one of the four original provinces and, arguably, a swing province in the push for confederation.2
                                  The first settlers to the area known now as New Brunswick were the Micmac, who had communities across the Maritimes. The Micmac had established European trade in the region as far back as the 16th century .3
                                  • 1. Ernest R. Forbes, New Brunswick, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  New CaledoniaMap
                                  The scale of New Caledonia has changed over time. In 1806, Simon Fraser used the name to denote the central and high plateau region of present-day British Columbia, in reference to Scotland—though Fraser had never been there.1 Names for the same region included Oregon, thanks to the Americans, New Hanover, a holdover from Captain Vancouver, and even North West Georgia, so called by the North West Company; when the North West Company merged with the HBC in 1821, the former carried the New Caledonia name with it.2
                                  Once the British established a crown colony in the region in 1858, Colonial Secretary Bulwer-Lytton proposed the name New Caledonia, but the French had a South Pacific colony of the same name, so Queen Victoria's choice of British Columbia won out officially on August 2, 1858.3
                                  • 1. Barry M. Gough, New Caledonia, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  New South Wales (unavailable)Map
                                  Information is not yet available for this place.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  New WestminsterMap
                                  New Westminster is a city located on the north side of the Fraser River, just east of Vancouver. New Westminster was called Prince Albert and Albert City in the mid-1800s,1 and it later became the first capital of British Columbia.2
                                  Governor Douglas had originally intended that Derby, now Langley, be the capital of British Columbia; however, Colonel Moody inspected Douglas's site and dismissed it as not a militarily defensible city.3 Moody decided that the new capital should be at present-day New Westminster, which Moody called Queenborough.4 However, Douglas found this name distasteful and he wrote to the Colonial Secretary expressing a desire that Queen Victoria should name the capital, mentioning that in the meantime it would be called Queensborough.5
                                  In this despatch, Douglas announces Queen Victoria's decision: By Proclamation Her Majesty's decision and that the Town heretofore known as Queensborough shall, in pursuance of Her Majesty's pleasure, be henceforth called the City of New Westminster.
                                  Douglas spent little time in New Westminster, as he preferred Victoria, where settlers were mainly from England and a strong British presence had been established.6 Douglas would later make Victoria a free port and impose tariffs on imports into New Westminster, thereby stunting New Westminster's economy and moving more commerce to Victoria.7
                                  In 1866, the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island were united as British Columbia, with Victoria declared as the new capital in 1868.8 In 1895, New Westminster was all but destroyed by a fire.9 The Halkomelem People gave the town the name of Skiwy-ee-mihth, meaning where many people died.10 The residents rebuilt the city, and today New Westminster has a population of over 58,000, and is a part of the Greater Vancouver Regional District.11
                                  • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 188.
                                  • 2. New Westminster, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                  • 3. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names, 188.
                                  • 4. Ibid.
                                  • 5. Ibid.
                                  • 6. Margaret Ormsby, British Columbia, A History (Toronto: Macmillan, 1976), 174.
                                  • 7. Ibid.
                                  • 8. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names, 189.
                                  • 9. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 355.
                                  • 10. Ibid.
                                  • 11. New Westminster Demographics, Statistics Canada.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  New YorkMap
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  New ZealandMap
                                  New Zealand is known in Māori as Aotearoa, which means The land of the long white cloud. It is a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean that consists of two islands of approximately 268,680 sq km, with a population of 4.9 million.1
                                  The Māori people have inhabited New Zealand since approximately 1300 AD.2 Its rocky shore coastline is approximately 15,000 to 18,000 km long.3 Dutch navigator Abel Tasman was the first European to sight New Zealand in 1642, followed by James Cook's arrival in 1769, when he claimed the land for Great Britain.4
                                  Policies and practices from New Zealand influenced decisions made by colonizers in Vancouver Island and British Columbia, birthing a relationship based on a mutual responsibility to the Crown. For example, in an effort to follow New Zealand's scheme, the British colony argued, in this despatch, for the establishment of industrial Boarding Schools upon the model of similar institutions in New Zealand on Vancouver Island, and, in Douglas, Chief Factor Governor Vice-Admiral Sir James to Lytton, Sir Edward George Earle Bulwer 4 July 1859, CO 60:4, no. 8578, 569, Governor James Douglas sought to procure information regarding New Zealandin order that we may have the benefit of their experience in legislating for British Columbia. Also, in the context of British naval superiority, James L. Sinclair, a self-proclaimed monarchist of New Zealand, states, in this letter to the Duke of Buckingham, Now, what New Zealand will be in the South Pacific, British Columbia, in my humble opinion, may, by judicious management, be made in the North—A great Naval Power.
                                  New Zealand and British Columbia's relationship demonstrates the interconnected and mobile set of imperial networks forged during British global expansion.5 New Zealand and British Columbia's connection is most evident when representatives of British Columbia use precedents from New Zealand to introduce new legislation to the colonies. Some examples of the colonial project in New Zealand include the coercion of Māori chiefs, use of military force against Māori peoples, and the extinguishment of native title to land.6 Despite the negative impacts of colonization upon the Māori people, they remain the traditional owners and custodians of Aotearoa.
                                  • 1. Aotearoa, Maori.com.
                                  • 2. Stats NZ, Population, New Zealand Government.
                                  • 3. Carl Walrond, Natural Environment: Coasts, Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
                                  • 4. John Wilson, European Discovery of New Zealand, Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
                                  • 5. Helen Bones, Arthur H. Adams and Australasian Narratives of the Colonial World, Archiving Settler Colonialism (New York: Routledge, 2019).
                                  • 6. Ranginui J. Walker, Māori Sovereignty, Colonial and Post-Colonial Discourses in Māori Sovereignty, Colonial and Post-Colonial Discourses (Auckland: Oxford University Press, 2000), 108-122.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Newcastle IslandMap
                                  Newcastle Island lies just off-shore from Nanaimo Harbour. It draws its name not from the Duke of Newcastle, but from the British city of Newcastle upon Tyne, a hotbed of coal extraction.1 Though this tiny island is hardly comparable in its coal reserves, the seams were rich enough to remind the HBC of the famous city during their mining of the area in the early 1850s, which would continue until 1883.2
                                  Quarries operated on the island from 1870 to 1932, which produced sandstone blocks for a variety of well-known buildings, including the Nanaimo post office and San Francisco's Mint.3 Newcastle Island has been home to Coast Salish villages, a CPR-built resort and, following the city of Nanaimo's purchase of it in 1955, a provincial marine park, established in 1961.4
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 425.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  • 4. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  NewfoundlandMap
                                  Newfoundland, today known as Newfoundland and Labrador, is a province in eastern Canada, nearly half of which is a large island.
                                  John Cabot's 1497 exploration of the area allowed for the development of Newfoundland as a European fishery during the 1500s.1 Newfoundland was England's first permanent colony in the “New World”, and it became the tenth province, in 1949, to enter the Canadian Confederation.2
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nica-o-meenMap
                                  Nicomen is located approximately 17 kilometers east of Lytton, and, according to this despatch, Nicâ-o-meen is the commencement of the mining region, as so far declared.1 Today the Nicomen Indian Band governs this area, which is marked by a reserve labeled “Nicomen 1.” Nicomen are Nlaka'pamux First Nations. The population of Nicomen, today, is 133 total individuals.2
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nicholas RiverMap
                                  Nicholas River is synonymous with Nicola River which flows west past Merritt and then into the Thompson River at Spences Bridge. The name originated from a nickname given to a famous Indigenous Chief, whose name was Nwistesmeekin, by French fur traders who called him “Nicolas.” They would often refer to the river and its adjoining district as “Nicolas' country.”1
                                  “Lac de Nicolas” and “R. Nicolas” appear on A.C. Anderson's 1869 map . The river is known for its historic salmon spawning tributary.2
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nicola LakeMap
                                  Nicola Lake is located roughly 10 km northeast of Merritt in the southern central interior of British Columbia.
                                  The lake was named after famous Nlaka'pamux head chief, Hwistesmexe'quen, who was given the nickname Nicolas by early fur traders.1 “Nicolas” was recognized by traders as the most powerful and influential chief in the southern interior of British Columbia.2 John Tod, an HBC trader at Kamloops, wrote that Nicola was a very great chieftain and a bold man.3
                                  • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 190.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nicolum RiverMap
                                  Nicolum River flows northwest through the mountainous terrain of the southern central interior of British Columbia; it and connects to the Coquihalla River just east of Hope.
                                  Famous map-maker Arrowsmith spells it as “Nkalaoum River” on a map from 1862,1 and this map from 1862, drawn by one J. Conroy, Royal Engineer, shows a “Nicolumne R”.
                                  Perhaps this is the river referred to by Douglas in this correspondence, from 1860, as the “Ballomme River”, which was intended to be part of a route through to the Similkameen Valley, a distance of 60 miles. How and why Douglas assigned the name of “Ballomme” is not clear.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nigei Island (unavailable)Map
                                  Information is not yet available for this place.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nimpkish LakeMap
                                  Nimpkish Lake is located on the northeastern end of Vancouver Island, near Port McNeill. The Nimpkish River flows from the western end of this lake, which Walbran offers the alternative name of Karmutzen.1
                                  • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 357).
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nimpkish RiverMap
                                  This river flows northwest from Nimpkish Lake, on northeastern Vancouver Island, into Broughton Strait; the river is named after the 'Namgis or Nimpkish people.1
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 428.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nisqually, or Fort NisquallyMap
                                  Nisqually, or Fort Nisqually was established by the HBC on what was the Nisqually people's land. The HBC wanted an increased presence in Oregon Territory, land shared jointly and delicately with the United States, so it petitioned the British Parliament for the right to form a farming colony. Parliament refused, citing concerns of umbrage from the United States, but it did extend the HBC's license to the land, unchanged from the terms of the original license, for a further 21 years.1
                                  The Puget Sound Agricultural Company formed in response to the Parliament's play, and it established its headquarters at Fort Nisqually, near modern-day Tacoma, Washington State.2 This was a shadow company for the HBC, and it was led by HBC staff and investors; in light of this influence, Nisqually became a locus of shipping and agriculture.3
                                  Dr. William F. Tolmie was Fort Nisqually's chief trader until he left for Vancouver Island in 1859.4
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  NitinatMap
                                  There are several related features named Nitinat, which is on the southwestern coast of Vancouver Island, including a bar, a lake, a narrows, and a river.
                                  According to Scott, Nitinat is a variant of the older “Nittinaht”, and before that, “Ditidaht”; both names are in reference to the Ditidaht Nation, who are loosely connected to the Nuu-chah-nulth confederacy, despite their lack of membership to the same nation.1 The narrow and shallow entrance to Nitinat Lake, which is actually a saltwater fjord, has a reputation of treachury to mariners to this day.2
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 428.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nootka IslandMap
                                  Nootka Island is nestled into the channel-cut west coast of Vancouver Island. The southern shore of Nootka Island is home to the famed Yuquot, or Friendly Cove. The island's southern shore faces Nootka Sound.
                                  According to Walbran, Nootka Island is listed on Spanish explorer Dionisio Alcalá-Galiano's 1795 chart as “Isla de Nutka”; and the Island was for a time named “Ilsa de Mazarredo” after Spanish naval officer Josef de Mazarredo.2
                                  • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 362.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nootka SoundMap
                                  Nootka Sound lies just off the west coast of Vancouver Island, just south of Nootka Island. Nootka Sound is part of the traditional and current homes of the Nuu-chah-nulth-aht, or people all along the mountains and sea,2 whose language Captain Cook mistook and anglicized upon his famous visit to the area in 1778.2
                                  Cook was the first European to explore the sound specifically; initially, he called it “King George's Sound”, but upon later inquiry as to the local name, Cook somehow confused the Nuu-chah-nulth words for “go around” (“nootka-a”) as the location name.3
                                  Yuquot, or Friendly Cove, a place famed politicially and culturally, looks out to Nootka Sound from the southern shore of Nootka Island.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Norfolk Sound (incomplete)Map
                                  For more information, see the entry on Sitka Sound
                                  Information for this place is not yet complete.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  North Bentinck ArmMap
                                  North Bentinck Arm splits from Burke Channel, which extends in from Queen Charlotte Sound on the west coast of BC.
                                  It was named after the Prime Minister of Great Britain, William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, by Captain Vancouver in 1793.1 The community of Bella Coola is located at the north end of the arm.
                                  Walbran writes that In the early colonial days…a trail led from from the head of the arm and into the Cariboo country.2
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 70.
                                  • 2. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 48.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  North SaanichMap
                                  North Saanich District, which can be seen on this map, is a land district located on the Saanich Peninsula.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  North-West Territory (1825)Map
                                  The Northwest Territories' southern border runs along the Canadian provinces of BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Prior to 1870, this area was referred to as the North-West Territory, a single territory located northwest of Rupert's Land; it would later be separated into three distinct territories.1 The most recent border transformation was the separation of Nunavut Territory, which happened from 1993-99.2 This was due to the large Inuit population which populated the eastern part of the territory, but not the west.3 Nunavut's creation is seen mostly as a success for the Inuit, as they now largely manage themselves with their own territorial government.4
                                  In this despatch, you can read about the boundaries of the North-West Territory, which then comprised of the Rocky Mountains, the Russian territories, the Arctic Ocean, and the United States.
                                  Today, the population of the Northwest Territories is roughly 52 percent Indigenous.5 Much of the territory is within the borders of the historical numbered Treaties 8 and 11.6 Treaty 8 was signed on June 1, 1899, and covers only the southernmost part of the territory, while Treaty 11 was signed in 1921, and covers a majority of the territory.7 The Dene, the Inuvialuit, and the Métis were the first to live in this vast territory; the colonizers did not arrive until just over a century ago.8 The Northwest Territories was established without any consultation with the Indigenous population.9
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  NottinghamMap
                                  Nottingham is a city located in the country of Nottinghamshire, England and lies along the River Trent. Nottingham's rapid growth came in the 18th century -- reaching a population of 28,000 by 1801. The city continued to expand when it leased land for construction in 1845; and with the official opening of the University College in 1881. Nottingham became an official city in 1897. Famous literary figures that are associated with Nottingham include Lord Byron and D.H. Lawrence.1
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nova ScotiaMap
                                  Nova Scotia, Latin for New Scotland, is one of three provinces in eastern Canada that comprise the Maritimes, along with New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The first settlers to the area known as the Maritimes were Micmac, who established European trade, largely with the French and English.1 However, a European presence can be traced back to circa 1000 AD, at the Norse settlement now known as L'Anse aux Meadows.2
                                  Novia Scotia is the home to the Mi'kmaq people.3 In 1497, John Cabot landed on Nova Scotia shores, and boatloads of European fishers and explorers plied nearby waters until the establishment of Port-Royal in 1605, which served as a prologue to the Acadian saga.4 Nova Scotia was thereafter a cauldron of trade conflict, immigration, exodus, and political drama. It confederated in 1867 to become one of the first four provinces of Canada. A year later, however, Nova Scotia parliament motioned to refuse the legitimacy of Confederation, but as deep and long as the the anti-Confederation movement ran, it did not in the years that followed gain the political traction necessary for Nova Scotia to shake loose.5
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Numukamis VillageMap
                                  The Numukamis Village, from the Indigenous name “Nuumaqimyis,” is located at the east end of Barkley Sound at the mouth of the Sarita River and is occupied, often in the winter months, by the Huu-ay-aht First Nation.1 The name of the village was given by the Huu-ay-aht either to refer to the bay that lies close to it or as a collective name for the five villages along the bay's shoreline. Huu-ay-aht peoples come here to harvest salmon in the fall.2
                                  The first official documentation of the name “Numukamis” appears on the British Admiralty Chart 584 in 1861. Today the Numukamis Village is a Canadian government-designated Indigenous Reserve labeled as “Numukamis 1,”3 which is not an accurate representation of their traditional land.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Nutts IslandMap
                                  Currently, no island in the region described in this despatch, which references disputes over gold in Englefield Bay, bears the name “Nutts Island”. However, the name may be an earlier moniker of one of the island outlined in the map above. It could also refer to nearby Hibben Island, the large triangle-shaped island in the middle of Englefield Bay, as it's unclear when the name “Hibben” comes into use, and “Nutts Island” hosted fifteen men, a block house, and two small pieces of ordnance.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Oak BayMap
                                  Oak Bay is on the southeastern end of Vancouver Island, just east of Victoria. It draws its name from the wealth of Garry Oak trees that grow on the surrounding lands.1
                                  John Tod was the first European to settle permanently in Oak Bay, which is now an affluent municipality; he built a home and farm in the early 1850s.2 Oak Bay appears on Captain Kellett's Royal Navy survey map of 1847, and as Bone Bay on an 1830s HBC map.3
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 434.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Observatory InletMap
                                  Observatory Inlet is an extension of Portland Inlet, which is located north of Prince Rupert. The inlet was named by Captain George Vancouver because of the numerous astronomical observations he made there after setting up his observatory in Salmon Cove.1 This despatch mentions that Observatory Inlet was to be one of the locations of a line of telegraph that Governor Frederick Seymour supported.
                                  • 1. Captain John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names; Their Origin and History (Vancouver/Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 364.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Ogden PointMap
                                  Ogden Point is located on southern Vancouver Island, and it marks the entrance to Victoria's harbour. It was named after Peter Skeene Ogden, in 1843, by HBC officers aboard the Beaver.1
                                  • 1. Ogden Point, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Okanagan LakeMap
                                  Okanagan Lake is a large, deep lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia's interior. The lake is 135 km long and 5 km wide. Vernon, Penticton, Kelowna, Peachland, and Summerland all border the lake.
                                  At least 47 variant spellings of Okanagan have been found, beginning with Lewis and Clark's “Otchenaukane” in 1805 and David Thompson's “Ookanawgan” in 1811.1 The word “okanagan” is believed to be Salish for seeing the top of the head, which likely refers to Okanagan Lake as the “head” of the river.2
                                  In this 1858 despatch, Douglas mentions that an HBC officer has discovered [gold] on the banks of the great Okanagan Lake. Shortly after, a large prospecting population was drawn to the area, which led to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858-1859, and the later Cariboo Gold Rush.3 During the gold rushes, miners often came into conflict with the Indigenous people of the Okanagan River region.4
                                  A small number of people in the region have claimed that Okanagan Lake is the home of the Ogopogo lake monster, or the Naltaka, which is the Salish word for lake demon.5
                                  • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 196.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. The Colonial Period, Royal BC Museum.
                                  • 4. Ibid.
                                  • 5. Ogopogo, British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Old Fort LangleyMap
                                  In 1824, Governor Simpson of the HBC directed Chief Trader McMillan to establish a fort at the mouth of the Fraser River.1 McMillan founded Fort Langley at its initial location in 1827.2 The original fort was abandoned in 1839, and a new Fort Langley was built several kilometres up the river, where the land was better for agriculture.3
                                  In 1858, the old site of Fort Langley became a scene of controversy when speculators attempted to privately sell off the Crown Land. In this despatch, Douglas describes the events: some speculators taking advantage of my absence had squatted on a valuable tract of public land commonly known as the site of Old Fort Langey…hoping by that means to interest a sufficient number of persons in the scheme as would overawe the Government, and induce a confirmation of their title…I [issued] a Proclamation…that any persons making fraudulent sales of land…would be punished as the law directs…and persons holding such lands would be summarily ejected.
                                  • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 84.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  OlympiaMap
                                  Olympia, Washington, is a coastal city at the southernmost reach of Puget Sound. The area around and including present-day Olympia is home to several Coastal Salish groups, which include the Duwamish, Nisqually, and Squaxin.1
                                  Olympia had a variety of names, such as “Stu-chus-and”, “Stitchas”, and even “New Market”, though Colonel Issac Ebey is credited with suggesting the name Olympia, no doubt in reference to the mountain of the same name that looms high on the Olympic Peninsula.2
                                  • 1. History of Olympia, Washington, The City of Olympia.
                                  • 2. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 153.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Olympic PeninsulaMap
                                  The Olympic Peninsula juts out from the northwestern tip of Washington State, where Cape Flattery marks the US entrance to the Juan de Fuca Strait. Its name likely originates from the English name for the mountains it contains, the Olympics, the largest of which was marked on British maps from the late 1700s as Mount Olympus, though Spanish Captain Juan Pérez called it El Cero de la Santa Rosalia.1
                                  • 1. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 153.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Omineca RegionMap
                                  The Omineca Region is a large region located in North-Central, British Columbia. It is bordered to the south by the Yellowhead highway, and to the north by the Liard mountains. This region is considered to be one of the top ten areas for the gold rush in BC.1
                                  Gold was discovered in Omineca on the Finlay River in 1861, although the rush did not begin until 1869. Other major gold deposits in Omineca included Mansen Creek and the Germansen River.2 Many of the prospectors in this region came from their initial search for gold in Edmonton on the North Saskatchewan river, who then worked their way up to Skeena and then to Omineca. Many Tlingit, Sekani, Kaska, and Tahltan First Nations also participated in the rush and mining-related activities.3 The gold rush, however, opened the Omineca region up to permanent settlement, and contributed to the displacement and marginalization of many Indigenous communities.
                                  According to BC exploration company, West Coast Placer, the Omineca is one of the least explored regions in BC today.4
                                  • 1. Omineca, West Coast Placer.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Diane Newell, Gold Rushes, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                                  • 4. Ibid. ; Omineca, West Coast Placer.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Orcas IslandMap
                                  Orcas is a horseshoe-shaped island in the San Juan group, Washington State, and its name arises from complex and murky origins. Middleton writes that Francisco de Eliza, a Spanish explorer, named it after the ship Boca de Horcasitas, and as it was anglicized and truncated, “Horcasitas” lost its H and became Orcas.1 However, Brokenshire is convinced that another Spaniard on the same voyage, Pantoja, named the island in reference to the volume of killer whales, or “orcas” in Spanish, that surrounded his longboat during his surveys in the area.2
                                  Both sources agree that Captain Kellett did the work to restore the name Orcas to the Island in 1847, as it had been known for a time as Hull Island, a mantle given by US explorer Wilkes during his expedition to the region from 1838-1842.3
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Oregon Territory, or Columbia DistrictMap
                                  The Oregon Territory, in northwestern North America, was formed in part as a result of US and British territorial claims and tensions. The Treaty of Ghent of 1814 decreed that the British and US concede territory seized during the War of 1812.1 The port city of Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River, became for a time the focus of these repatriations, wherein both governments postured as sovereigns.2 The Convention of 1818 quelled the stalemate's fury temporarily by decreeing co-occupation, in which the lands westward of the Stony Mountains were made free and open, for the term of ten years to the vessels, citizens, and subjects of the two Powers.3
                                  The British referred to the Oregon Territory as the Columbia District, while the United States referred to it most commonly as Oregon Country—the regions in question were subject to a variety of designations. Britain claimed a border as far south as the 42nd parallel, and the United States claimed as high as 54° 40'. Arguably, the hotly contested regions, largely for reasons of trade, were the lands between the Columbia River and the 49th parallel.4
                                  Eventually, and after much politicking, the 49th marked the territorial divide ratified in the Oregon Treaty of 1846, whereby the British received Vancouver Island and lands equal roughly to half of present-day British Columbia.5 The United States secured the land up to the 49th, which included the region between the Columbia and the 49th, roughly present-day Washington, Oregon, and Idaho States.
                                  • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1788-1846 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1975), 169.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid., 170.
                                  • 4. Arthur S. Morton, A History of the Canadian West to 1870-71 (London: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1939), 748-750.
                                  • 5. Ibid., 149.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  OsoyoosMap
                                  Osoyoos, is an anglicized version of the Sylix word Sooyoos, meaning the narrows of the lake or the place where the two lakes come together.1 Osoyoos, a town of roughly 5,000 people, is located in the Okanagan region of British Columbia.2 The Indigenous Okanagan peoples have been in what would become known as Osoyoos for thousands of years.3
                                  The first Europeans arrived in what would become Osoyoos, in 1811, were traders working for the Pacific Fur Company.4 The Hudson's Bay Company arrived in 1846 and set up a trading post in 1867, making Osoyoos a stopping place for traders working along the Fur Brigade Trail. In 1877, the Osoyoos Indian Band formed, currently home to 370 on-reserve band members.5
                                  In 1927, an irrigation project brought more water to Osoyoos, transforming the area into a lush agricultural belt that continues today, with the town's plentiful orchards and vineyards.6 On June 30th, 1983, Osoyoos incorporated to become a town.7
                                  The Osoyoos Indian Band continues to work hard to move from dependency to a sustainable economy like [it] existed before contact.8 In addition, the Band has a focus on supportive education and training and operates its own business, health, social, educational and municipal services.9
                                  Today, Osoyoos's largest economic sectors are agriculture and tourism.10
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  OttawaMap
                                  The city of Ottawa is the capital of Canada and is located on the Ottawa River on Ontario's eastern boundary with Québec. The city is located on the traditional territory of the Algonquin, a group closely related to the Odawa and the Ojibwa. The Ottawa river which runs along the city was the main fishing and hunting location of the Algonquin before European settlement. Today, the site in which the parliament buildings stand, are situated on this traditional territory.1
                                  In 1608, Etienne Brûlée became the first European explorer in this region. He was followed five years later by Samuel de Champlain. From the 17th to the 19th century, the area around the Ottawa River served as the chief artery of the Montréal fur trade, it also served as a means to further exploration into the interior of the country.2 Without a railway system, waterways, such as the Ottawa River, served as the primary means for communication and transportation.
                                  In 1800, the first permanent settlement was established by New Englander Philemon Wright. In 1827, a “considerable town” name Bytown was developed -- this town would later become Ottawa and in 1855 it was incorporated as a city. In 1857, Ottawa was announced as the capital of the province and in 1867 after Canada's confederation it became the capital of the new Dominion of Canada.3 Throughout the 1800s, Ottawa became known for its timber trade and later for having one of the largest milling operations in the world.
                                  The land in which the city is situated is Algonquin territory as there have been no signed treaties with the Algonquin First Nation concerning their land. The only treaty signed in regards to this land was not done with the Algonquins, but with the Mississaugas. This treaty took away traditional Algonquin hunting grounds without their knowledge or consent. Therefore, all Algonquin land -- which includes the city of Ottawa -- is unceded.4
                                  The Algonquin First Nation have stated that: our people never surrendered these lands […], and that the symbol of the Wampum belt -- that Indigenous Peoples will alway be recognized as the leaders of their homeland -- has not been recognized.5
                                  • 1. John Taylor, Ottawa, The Canadian Encyclopedia ; Peter di Gangi, Algonquin Territory, Canada's History, 30 April 2018.
                                  • 2. Taylor, Ottawa.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  • 4. Di Gangi, Algonquin Territory.
                                  • 5. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Palouse RiverMap
                                  The Palouse River is a tributary of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, located in Washington and Idaho.
                                  In 1803, the Lewis and Clark Expedition were the first Europeans to explore the area, naming it Drewyer's River after a member of their party.1 Since then the river has been referred to as Pavion River, Flag River, and Pavilion River.2 In 1841, the Wilkes Expedition called it Peluse River, an anglicization of Pelouse, the French word for a grassy expanse.3
                                  • 1. Edmond S. Meany, Origin of Washington Geographic Names (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1923), 206.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  PanamaMap
                                  The Republic of Panama, with Panama City as its capital, is on the isthmus that links Central and South America. Christopher Columbus landed in Panama in 1502.1 He was a precursor to larger Spanish interests, which carried troops to the region and European diseases to the Indigenous population.
                                  Panama became the Province of Columbia in 1821, and thereafter the United States impressed itself and its interests upon the region; arguably, the Panama Canal is evidence of the desire for the United States to control Panama, as it was built by them between 1904 to 1914.2 The United States relinquished control of the canal, politically, to Panama in 1999.3
                                  • 1. Panama, Oxford Reference Online.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Parry BayMap
                                  Parry Bay is on the southeast coast of Vancouver Island, east of Sooke and south of Metchosin. Quimper had named it Rada de Solano in 1790, until Captain Kellett called it Parry Bay in 1846 after his friend, the legendary Admiral Sir William Edward Parry, who was a naval officer, Arctic and Northwest Passage explorer, and hydrographer.1
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 448-449.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Peace RiverMap
                                  The Peace River originates in Williston Lake, by way of the narrow Dinosaur Lake, in east-central British Columbia. The majority of its roughly 1000 km course runs through northern Alberta, its endpoint being near Lake Athabasca.
                                  Peace River has gone by many names, Indigenous and European. Maps from the 1780s refer to it as the “River of Peace”, and Alexander Mackenzie's journal from 1793 notes it as “Unjigah or Peace River”.1 “Unjigah”, along with its many Anglicized variants, is likely Athapaskan for peace.2 A number of First Nation and settler communities exist along and near this history-rich river.
                                  • 1. Peace River, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Pedder BayMap
                                  Pedder Bay is on the south coast of Vancouver Island, just to the southeast of the Sooke Basin, and east of Becher Bay. Captain Kellett named this narrowing bay in 1846, presumably, after his friend William Pedder, a former Royal Navy officer.1
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 454; John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 376.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Pelly PointMap
                                  Pelly Point marks the south entrance of the Fraser River on the side opposite Steveston. The point was named after HBC director Sir John Henry Pelly, who oversaw the merger between the HBC and the North West Company, negotiated land claims with the Russian government, and authorized many expeditions to Northern Canada.1
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 455.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  PembertonMap
                                  The town of Pemberon is located at the north end of Lillooet Lake. According to BCGNIS, Pemberton was originally referred to as Port Pemberton, named after Surveyor-General Pemberton.1
                                  In this despatch, Douglas states that the only route into Pemberton was a 34 mile horse-way from Anderson Lake that was built in 1858.
                                  • 1. Pemberton, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Pembina RiverMap
                                  This roughly 380 km long river flows from the Rocky Mountains and into the Athabasca River at a point approximately 140 km north of Edmonton.
                                  Explorer David Thompson mentions the river in 1810: we crossed the the Pembinaw River of forty yards in width.1 This pronunciation is a European distortion of the Cree word “neepinmenan”, or summer berry.2
                                  In this despatch from 1862, Douglas mentions a passage in Mackenzie's narrative of the overland Journey from Canada, which relates that a valuable seam of Coal crops out on the Pembina.
                                  • 1. Tracey Harrison, The Place Names of Alberta, vol. 3, Central Alberta (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1994), 195.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Pender IslandMap
                                  Pender Island is part of the southern Gulf Islands, located east of Saltspring Island, between mainland British Columbia and Vancouver Island.1 Originally a single island, it is now divided into North Pender Island and South Pender Island: the two islands are separated by a man made canal, dredged in 1911.2 A single-lane bridge was built between the islands in 1955.3
                                  The Island's name has changed from an Indigenous place name, to a Spanish name and, finally, to its contemporary British name. The WSÁNEĆ (Saanich) name, in SENĆOŦEN, for Pender Island is sťéyəs.4 In 1791, Juan Pantoja y Arriaga, an officer aboard the San Carlos, named the Island Isla de Zayas, in honour of the explorer Juan Martínez y Zayas.5 Scott notes that it is thought that the commander of the San Carlo, Francisco Eliza, then changed the name to Isla San Eusebio.6 Captain George Richards, of HMS Plumper, later named the island after his senior survey officer, Second Master Daniel Pender, in 1859.7
                                  Numerous archeological sites across sťéyəs are indicative of the rich Coast Salish Indigenous life that has persisted on the island for over 6000 years;8 portions of Pender Island are part of Parks Canada's Gulf Islands National Park Reserve and is the site of the largest archaeological excavation in the Gulf Islands.9 Tourism threatens many archaeological sites with development.10 As noted in BC Archaeological News, industrial activities have disrupted several shell middens and burial sites.11 The island has one reservation, located at Hays Point, the traditional territory of the Tsawout and Tseycum First Nations.12 Today, some residents of Pender Island have begun a reconciliatory process with the local Indigenous people.13
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Piers Island (unavailable)Map
                                  Information is not yet available for this place.
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                                  Pitt LakeMap
                                  Pitt Lake is located to the northeast of New Westminster, and is an expansion of the Pitt River; see the Pitt River entry for more on this feature's name origins.
                                  In this correspondence, Douglas reports that he toured Pitt Lake with a handful of local military, civil, and religious dignitaries, in order to celebrate the auspicious natal day of our most Gracious Queen, amidst the wild romantic scenery of that mountain Lake.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Pitt RiverMap
                                  Pitt River is a large tributary of the Fraser River. It is roughly 20 km east of Vancouver, and it flows north from New Westminster. The river was named after William Pitt, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at age 24.1 The river's Indigenous name is Kwantlen, which is also the name of the band who traditionally inhabit the region along and around the river.2
                                  In this despatch, Douglas notes the Pitt River's importance toward the great object of opening roads from the sea-coast into the interior of the country.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Plumper Bay (rudimentary)Map
                                  In the correspondence, Plumper Bay refers to a bay on the west side of Quadra Island. It is not to be confused with the cove and marine park in the southeastern portion of Esquimalt Harbour.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Plumper PassMap
                                  In his testimony, Augustus Pemberton describes his place as located both in Miner's Bay and along Plumper Pass.1 Therefore, Plumper Pass seems to indicate the passage between Galiano Island, to the northeast, and Mayne Island, to the southwest.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Point Aitch Bee CeeMap
                                  From what can be deduced from the limited information available, Point Aitch Bee Cee is located on the southern bank of the southern main delta of the Fraser River, in the present-day municipality of Delta. This map does indeed depict the feature of H.B.C Tree, beside what appears to be a sketched pine tree to indicate the same.1
                                  In this despatch, Douglas mentions a Point Aitch Bee Cee, which is presumed to be a phonetic spelling of the point known as “H.B.C. Tree” mentioned in this despatch, which notes that the feature draws its name from the first explorers of the River having marked a tree with those letters.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Point Cumming (unavailable)Map
                                  Information is not yet available for this place.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Point GreyMap
                                  Point Grey is located at the south entrance to the Burrard Inlet. Captain George Vancouver named the point after his friend Captain George Grey.1 Spanish explorer Dionsisio Alcala-Galiano named it Punta de Langara.2 Today, the nearby residential district of Langara keeps alive the old Spanish name.3
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 467.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Point Macneill (incomplete)Map
                                  In this document, Pike may be refering to a point near Port Macneill, located on Vancouver Island along Broughton Strait.
                                  Information for this place is not yet complete.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Point ReyesMap
                                  Point Reyes is located about 64 kilometers from San Francisco. Today the Point Reyes National Seashore is 71,028 acres. The original inhabitants of Point Reyes were the Coast Miwok First Nations who were uprooted and relocated to “missions” around the area in the late 1700s and early 1800s -- after settlements were established.1
                                  In 1579, Sir Francis Drake was noted as the first European explorer to land here. However it was in the early 1800s, that Mexicans established cattle ranches at Point Reyes. These establishments encouraged a further wave of other agricultural operations.2 This area is also known for its rocky shores that caused many shipwrecks such as the Labouchere which, according to Kennedy, was lost at Point Reyes as it was on its way to San Francisco from Victoria.3
                                  Due to all the shipwrecks at Point Reyes, the United States Government established lighthouses and lifesaving stations in the late 1800s to early 1900s. This area became an official part of the United States in 1850 once California was incorporated as a formal state.4
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Point RobertsMap
                                  Point Roberts juts into the Strait of Georgia, though politically it is part of Washington State. Its border speaks to the complicated nature of the boundary dispute, which was settled in part through the Oregon Treaty of 1846: since Point Roberts fell below the 49th parallel, it was annexed to the United States.1
                                  Captain Vancouver named the point in 1792 in honour of a sailing comrade, Captain Henry Roberts, who was initially set to command the Discovery, with Vancouver as second in command.2 However, because of pressures at Nootka Sound, the British Navy jostled its fleet to meet the potential threat of the Spanish, should they mass a presence in response to the Nootka tensions.3 In the shuffle to make the “The Spanish Armament”, Roberts was relocated to the Caribbean, so Vancouver was assigned command of the Discovery mission, whose purpose, beyond scientific and navigational observation, was to reassert command over the lands the Spanish had apparently seized.4
                                  In this despatch Douglas writes to Lytton that it is reasonable to infer that the intention of the [boundary commission] negociators must have been to carry on the line of Boundary along the 49th Parallel to the middle of the channel which separates the land of Point Roberts from the land shewn in the charts of that day as the East Coast of Vancouver's Island.
                                  • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 425.
                                  • 2. Ibid., 425-426.
                                  • 3. Ibid., 425.
                                  • 4. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Poor Man's DitchMap
                                  Poor Man's Ditch was an area owned by Mr. Melodey and three other men native to Ireland who came to British Columbia in 1858. The name “Poor Man's Ditch” referenced the state in which these men came to the colony -- with no capital and as simple miners.1 According to this despatch from 1861, Poor Man's Ditch was presumably somewhere along the Fraser River between Yale and Lytton. In the same despatch, Douglas mentions that the ditch is is seven miles long.2
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Port AngelesMap
                                  Port Angeles is on the northern shore of the Olympic Peninsula, approximately 27 km south across the Juan de Fuca Strait from Victoria. In 1791, Spanish explorer Juan Francisco de Eliza noted that the bay would make an excellent harbour, which he named Peurto de Neustra Senora de Los Angeles.1 In 1792, the name was shortened and anglicized to Port Angeles by Captain George Vancouver.2
                                  The town was permanently settled by Europeans in 1862, and its surrounding forest supplied the building materials for Seattle and San Francisco.3 The sheltered harbour facilitated a thriving fishing industry, as well as lumber, paper, and food-processing plants.4
                                  • 1. Robert Hitchman, Place Names of Washington (Tacoma: Washington State Historical Society, 1985), 237.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. History, Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce.
                                  • 4. Port Angeles, Encyclopædia Britannica.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Port AugustaMap
                                  Port Augusta was located in the Comox Harbour, although it does not go by that name today. Before European arrival, the territory belonged to the K'omoks.1
                                  The port was known as an anchorage for vessels engaged in trade, exploration, and surveillance along the west coast of British Columbia. The well-known Beaver ship was one of the first exploration ships to come to Port Augusta. In 1868, the screw steamer James Douglas commenced regular service to Port Augusta. And by 1871, the “Maude” connected Port Augusta to mail service.2
                                  Throughout the late 1800s, the Royals Navy often anchored at Port Augusta; and in the late 1890s, J.B. Holmes built the “Port Augusta Hotel,” located just off the actual port. The hotel served as a store and occasionally a church.3
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Port DouglasMap
                                  Port Douglas, originally called Douglas, is located at the north end of Harrison Lake, where it intersects Lillooet River. It draws its name from James Douglas who, in answer to the Fraser River gold rush, set to build an overland route to the Cariboo gold fields,1 a route referred to in several despatches as the Harrison-Lillooet route.
                                  Douglas writes on the subject in this despatch, in which he argues that the construction of good roads to access gold farther up the Fraser would be of prodigious advantage to the country.
                                  Port Douglas reported its population of miners at 600 in 1858.2 Following the gold rush, Port Douglas's population declined steadily; the British Columbia Forest Service noted that only a couple of families remained at the site as of 1997.3
                                  • 1. Port Douglas, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                  • 2. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 600.
                                  • 3. Port Douglas, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Port EssingtonMap
                                  Port Essington was a town on the south bank of the Skeena River estuary, between Prince Rupert and Terrace. Captain George Vancouver named the port after his friend William Essington, not realizing it was the estuary of the Skeena River.1 Later, the name Essington became associated with the community that was founded at the mouth of the Skeena.2 In the local Tsimshian language, the site of Port Essington is called Spaksuut, which means autumn camping place.3
                                  In 1876, the first salmon cannery was built, and by 1900, Port Essington had seven more canneries, a sawmill, hotels, stores, brothels, and a peak population of 2,000.4 However, the town went into decline after Fort Rupert was built, and a fire destroyed what remained of Port Essington in the 1960s.5
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 471.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  • 4. Ibid.
                                  • 5. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Port HardyMap
                                  Port Hardy is located on the northeastern shore of Vancouver Island, and looks out onto Hardy Bay. Both the city and the bay derive their name, along with other features in the vicinity such as Hardy Island and Hardy Peak, from Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy (1769-1839), the man who heard Admiral Lord Nelson's final death-bed words, Kiss me, Hardy, during the Battle of Trafalgar, in 1805.1
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 249.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Port McNeillMap
                                  Port McNeill is located on the northeastern shore of Vancouver Island, on the south side of Broughton Strait. Starting in the mid-1800s, this area became of interest to the HBC for its coal deposits; in fact, it draws its name from Captain William McNeill, who established Fort Rupert, near Port Hardy, on behalf of HBC interests.1
                                  In this 1846 document, Ogden and Douglas consider a coal-extraction establishment at McNeil's Harbour an object of importance; their coordinates for this apparently coal-rich area [≈ 50.65 -127.16] appear just northwest of present-day Port McNeill, on the western shores of Malcolm Island.
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 473.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Port MoodyMap
                                  Port Moody extends from the southeast side of Burrard Inlet, east of Vancouver.1
                                  The body of water was named by Captain George Richards in 1860 after Colonel Moody, who commanded the Columbia detachment of Royal Engineers in BC from 1858-63.2 The land around it became the original terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway; however, the terminus was quickly moved to Vancouver, which slowed the Port's economic growth.3
                                  Port Moody's first main industries were an oil refinery and a sawmill, but it was developed primarily as a residential suburb of Vancouver.4 It maintains an active port as well as many important industrial facilities.5
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 397.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  • 4. Ibid.
                                  • 5. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Port San JuanMap
                                  Port San Juan is located on the west side of Vancouver Island, southeast of Nitinat Lake, and north of the Juan de Fuca Strait. In 1789, Spanish explorer José María Narváez visited the port on the feast day of John the Baptist, giving Port San Juan its name.1 Early fur traders knew it as Poverty Bay, but Captain George Vancouver adopted Port San Juan over the English name on his chart.2
                                  In this despatch, Douglas lists desirable anchorages for ships in distress; he notes that Port San Juan is a spacious bay with a very convenient depth of water well sheltered from all but SW winds, which would send a swell into it, and adds that ships with good ground tackle would ride out in safety almost any gale, and vessels of moderate size might even find shelter from these winds.
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 473-474.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Port Staniforth (rudimentary)Map
                                  At present, there is no known location for a Port Staniforth. However, there is a a Staniforth Point in the area Pike refers to as Port Staniforth.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Port TownsendMap
                                  Port Townsend is located on the shores of northwest Puget Sound, at the end of the Olympic Peninsula, in Washington State. It was, certainly in the pre-steam era, a choice port of call for vessels of all sizes, particularly those from England.1 Prior to Spanish arrival to the area, circa 1789-92, the region was, as with today, populated by a variety of Salish-speaking peoples.2 However, the site of Port Townsend was the traditional land of the Chimacum.3
                                  Vancouver arrived there in 1792 after a year at sea, as part of his mission to divine a rumoured waterway through which to lead vessels from the North American coast, across the continent, and into the Atlantic. Instead, he sailed to the southern reaches of Puget Sound.4 And, as with the Sound, Vancouver named Port Townsend after a naval colleague: the Marquis Lord Townshend (1724 - 1807), who was a key figure in the siege of Quebec.5
                                  Later, though, the first US settlers to the region dropped the H from Townshend.6 Arguably, the town dropped its morality, too, in the mid-1850s, as it became a port of depravity and questionable indulgence. The town was rumoured to have one saloon for every seventy residents.7 Drunkards, gamblers, and soon-to-be-Shanghaied sailors stumbled through the streets and cavorted with prostitutes. Generally, sin abounded.8
                                  According to J. Ross Browne's 1853 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, even the US Customs employees were somehow seduced by base pursuits, as they apparently spent what free time they had uselessly engaged in chasing wild Indians and porpoises.9
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Portage InletMap
                                  Portage Inlet is located northwest of the Gorge Waterway, at the narrow head of Victoria harbour. It appears on an 1855 map by Joseph Pemberton, and on Admiralty charts thereafter.1 According to Scott, an ancient First Nation trail ran between the head of the Inlet and Thetis Cove, in Esquimalt Harbour.2 It draws its European names from Pemberton's era, when small-craft navy sailors chose to portage across the nearby land to avoid rougher outside waters.3
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 469.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  PortlandMap
                                  Portland City, Oregon, is on the southern banks of the Columbia River, across from Vancouver, Washington. The Willamette River intersects the Columbia through the city centre, splitting Portland into east and west sectors.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Portland CanalMap
                                  The Portland Canal marks part of today's British Columbia-Alaska Boundary, extending 114 km north from Portland Inlet to the town of Stewart. In 1793, Captain George Vancouver named the canal in honour of William Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland.1
                                  This despatch notes that the canal marks the boundary between the Colony of British Columbia and the Russian Possessions.
                                  The canal is a common fishing and food gathering area for the Nisga'a people, who know the entire body of water as “X'alii Xk'alaa”.2
                                  • 1. Portland Canal, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Portland Inlet (unavailable)Map
                                  Information is not yet available for this place.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Portland Island (unavailable)Map
                                  Information is not yet available for this place.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  PortsmouthMap
                                  Portsmouth is located in the country of Hampshire, England and lies on Portsea Island -- a narrow Peninsula that separates two inlets of the English Channel. Portsmouth is known as a major naval base. It was founded in about 1180 by a merchant named Jean de Gisors, and its dockyard dates back to 1496.1
                                  In 1849, Portsmouth gained its first modern hospital -- the Royal Portsmouth Hospital. And, Sir John Richardson was assigned as senior physician to the Royal Navy Hospital at Haslar, which was near Portsmouth.2 By the 1860s, four masonry forts were built along the Spithead to defend the naval base and the port. In 1871 Portsmouth saw massive growth in its population as it reached 100,000, a large feat for a tiny seaside town on the South West corner of Portsea Island.3
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Prevost Island (unavailable)Map
                                  Information is not yet available for this place.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Priest's RapidsMap
                                  Priest Rapids is located on the Columbia River and, according to this despatch from 1858, it is about 305 kilometers away from The Dalles. In the despatch's explanatory notes, Douglas' goal for Priest Rapids was to extend steamboat navigation as far as the rapids.1
                                  Before the arrival of Europeans, the Wanapum Peoples lived in their village of P'na at the foot of Priest Rapid, at least peacefully until after the 1850s. With the rapid movement of white settlers, many of the Indigenous Peoples on this land were relocated to the Colville Reservation. Some of the Wanapum First Nation remained and refused to move off the land, such as the prophet Smohalla from whom “Priest Rapids” gets its name.2
                                  Today Priest Rapids' name is most known for the Priest Rapids Dam, which was first suggested by Alton S. Dam in 1906 but not built until the 1940s.3
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Prince Albert's FlatMap
                                  Prince Albert's Flats, located roughly 5 km below Yale, is named after the husband of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.1
                                  Bancroft described the flats as a highly auriferous digging site that could give employment to thousands of miners, allowing each twenty-five feet frontage and five hundred feet depth.2 In this despatch, Douglas offers a more moderate estimate of the flat's gold yield, writing that Prince Albert's Flats will afford profitable employment to hundreds of Miners for years to come.
                                  • 1. Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, vol. 32, History of British Columbia 1792-1887 (San Francisco: The History Company, 1887), 464.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Prince Edward IslandMap
                                  The province Prince Edward Island (PEI) is located in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and is separated from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick by the Northumberland Strait. PEI is Canada's smallest province, at 224 km long and width ranging from 4–60 km.1
                                  The Micmac have lived on the island and surrounding region for at least 2,000 years, and the Micmac's ancestors occupied what is now PEI as far back as 10,000 years ago.2 Jaques Cartier was the first European to record sight of the island, and he made several landings upon its shores in 1534.3 The French settled there in the 1720s, calling it the Île St-Jean, and by 1748 the population was roughly 700.4
                                  The island was ceded by the French to the British following the Treaty of Paris in 1763; the British then Anglicized its name to the Island of Saint John.5 The island became part of the Province of Nova Scotia until 1769, when a separate administration evolved.6 In 1799 the name of the colony changed to PEI, in honour of a son of King George III, who was stationed in Halifax at the time.7 PEI resisted Confederation until 1873, when, driven largely by financial need, it joined Canada.8
                                  • 1. S. Andrew Robb and H. T. Holman, Prince Edward Island, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  • 4. Ibid.
                                  • 5. Ibid.
                                  • 6. Ibid.
                                  • 7. Ibid.
                                  • 8. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Prince GeorgeMap
                                  Prince George, originally Fort George, is a city in northern British Columbia, near the junction of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers. The Carrier Sekani name for this junction is “Thle-et-leh”, meaning the confluence.1
                                  This fur-trading post was founded by Simon Fraser of the North West Company in 1807 and named after King George III.2 Trade at Fort George carried on through the 1800s, though Fort Saint James, its rival, reigned as the main trading post.3 An 1862 visitor to Fort George described it as a dreary Hudson Bay Company's trading post, infested with dogs.4
                                  In this despatch, Douglas describes the harsh winter living conditions at Fort George: the cold being then intense, often 20 degrees below Zero (Fahrenheit), the Rivers frozen, and the ground invariably covered with snow…the miner has no inducement to remain, and possibly has not means enough to purchase a supply of food to keep him until the return of the mining season.
                                  The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway passed near Fort George in 1903, which caused its expansion.5 The town soon surpassed Fort Saint James and other communities to become Prince George, British Columbia's Northern Capital.6
                                  • 1. Prince George, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. Ibid.
                                  • 4. Art Downs, Paddlewheels on the Frontier (Seattle: Superior Publishing Co, 1971), 47-59.
                                  • 5. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 215.
                                  • 6. Welcome to the City of Prince George, City of Prince George.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Prince of Wales ArchipelagoMap
                                  Prince of Wales Archipelago is part of the larger Alexander Archipelago, in Alaskan waters, off the northwest British Columbia coast. In this despatch, Douglas makes reference to the Prince of Wales' Archipelago, which is presumed to refer to what would be considered commonly today as the Alexander Archipelago. Among these islands is Prince of Wales, which is rather large at roughly 200 by 70 km.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Prince RupertMap
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Princeton (unavailable)Map
                                  Information is not yet available for this place.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Prospect PointMap
                                  Prospect Point is the highest lookout in Stanley Park, and overlooks Burrard Inlet. In the 1800s, it was known as Obervation Point.1
                                  In 1888, the HBC steamship Beaver wrecked at the point, which prompted the construction of a signal station.2
                                  • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 217.
                                  • 2. Prospect Point, Vancouver Info Center.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Puget SoundMap
                                  Puget Sound, now part of the Salish Sea, is a body of water on the west coast of North America. Puget Sound flows between the Olympic Peninsula and mainland Washington State. The cities of Seattle and Tacoma look out onto this estuary-riddled stretch of water, which was named in 1792 by Captain Vancouver after his 2nd Lieutenant on the Discovery, Peter Puget.1
                                  In the mid-1800s, Puget Sound was part of the HBC's administrative and trade link between Fort Vancouver, on the banks of the Columbia River in the south, and Fort Victoria, on Vancouver Island in the north; it was part of the territory ceded to the United States by Britain following the Oregon Treaty of 1846.2
                                  • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 404.
                                  • 2. Arthur S. Morton, A History of the Canadian West to 1870-71 (London: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1939), 730-732.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Puntzi LakeMap
                                  Puntzi Lake, which was known by the name Benshee or the traditional name Bendziny, is located at the junction of Bentinck Arm and Bute Inlet Road, and approximately 60 kilometers west of Alexis Creek.1 In the summer months, Indigenous groups would move to various lakes in the area to fish and then to dry out the caught trout, whitefish, and suckers.2
                                  Puntzi Lake was one of the main sites of the “Chilcotin Massacre.” A Tsilhqot'in man named Tahpit killed a settler by the name of William Manning at Puntzi Lake. Manning, although thought to be on good terms with the Tsilhqot'in had, in the years before, driven them off the land that he occupied.3 In the aftermath of the “massacre,” Governor Seymour sent three expeditions to capture the Tsilhqot'ins who were involved. The expeditions went to Alexandria, Bentinck Arm, and Bute Inlet and then to converge towards Banshee.4
                                  On 10 August, after the “massacre,” the son of Tahpit traveled to Puntzi Lake in order to negotiate the voluntary surrender of Klatsassin, Telloot, and six others.5 During the contact period, Puntzi Lake saw exploitation and exploration go hand in hand, in which fur traders, and then settlers, took over the land Tsilhqot'in viewed as sacred. However, years later, the Vancouver Sun wrote that the Tsilhqot'in are one of the few native Indian groups in Canadian history to actually fight a war in defense of their territorial sovereignty.6 The recent decision in Tsilhqot'in v. British Columbia (2014) affirming Tsilhqot'in title over their land is a testament to their ability to control their traditional lands from settler encroachment.
                                  • 1. Kennedy to Cardwell, 8 October 1864, 10964, CO 305/23, 325.
                                  • 2. William J. Turkell, The Archive of Place: Unearthing the Pasts of the Chilcotin Plateau, (UBC Press, 2008), 109 and 116.
                                  • 3. Ibid., 180.
                                  • 4. Ibid., 181.
                                  • 5. Ibid., 183.
                                  • 6. Ibid., 13 and 57.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Quadra IslandMap
                                  Quadra Island is located off the mid-east coast of Vancouver Island. Turbulent tidal channels surround the island, which was considered Valdes Island until the 1870s, along with Sonora and Maurelle islands—these three islands did not receive their individual names until 1903.1
                                  Quadra Island was named after Spanish naval explorer Captain Don Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, who met and debated with Captain Vancouver at Friendly Cove.2
                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 483.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Quamichan DistrictMap
                                  The Quamichan District is located in southwestern Duncan. The district is named after the Kw'amutsun village in the area.1 According to historians Akrigg and Akrigg, the village was named Kw'amutsun, which is the Halkomelem word for humped back, because the shape of the hill behind the village reminded the people of a hunchbacked old man.2
                                  The Quamichan District was mapped as part of Pemberton's surveys of the southern Vancouver Island during the 1850s, which can be seen on this map and another, both from 1859.
                                  In 1862 the amount of arable land around Victoria was limited, so Douglas took prospective farmers upcoast to Cowichan Bay aboard the Hecate to give them the opportunity to take out land in the Somenos, Shawnigan and Quamichan districts.3 According to the British Colonist, the government gave the Indigenous people two blankets per person to compensate for the land that they surrendered.4
                                  The official Cowichan Tribes website notes that the Quamichan District, along with the Somenos and Comiaken districts, were three of seven traditional villages that were separated into districts and later forced to amalgamate into one Cowichan “band” under the Indian Act.5
                                  • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 291.
                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                  • 3. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1788-1846 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1975), 255.
                                  • 4. The Cowichan Expedition, British Colonist, August 22, 1862.
                                  • 5. Cowichan Tribes Overview, Cowichan Tribes Overview.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                  Quamichan LakeMap
                                  Quamichan Lake is located in the Comiaken and Quamichan Districts, north east of Duncan. According to the Akriggs, the lake derives its name from a hill located behind the Quamichan First Nation village that resembles a humpbacked person.1 A note on the BC Geographical Names website states that Quamichan was an ogre who feasted on children.1
                                  • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 219.
                                  • 2. Quamichan Lake, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                    QuebecMap
                                    Québec is an eastern province of Canada, and it makes-up nearly one-sixth of Canada's total landmass. The name Québec originates from the Algonquian word meaning where the river narrows.1
                                    Québec was settled by the French in the early 1600s, but the area was lost to the British in the 1754-1763 French and Indian War.2 In 1867, Québec joined the Dominion of Canada.3 However, the struggle for authority over the province between the French and British continued.4
                                    • 1. Claude Couture, Québec, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                                    • 2. Ibid.
                                    • 3. Ibid.
                                    • 4. Ibid.
                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                    Queen Charlotte SoundMap
                                    Queen Charlotte Sound is the body of water that separates Haida Gwaii from Vancouver Island.
                                    Its waters merge with the Hecate Strait to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Queen Charlotte Strait to the south. It was, along with other “Queen Charlotte” locations, named after Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), wife to King George III of England.1
                                    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 485.
                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                    Queen Charlotte StraitMap
                                    Queen Charlotte Strait is the body of water that separates northeastern Vancouver Island from mainland British Columbia. Its waters merge with Queen Charlotte Sound to the north and, as it hits the cluster of islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland, it eventually connects to Johnstone Strait to the south.
                                    This strait was, along with other “Queen Charlotte” locations, named after Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), wife to King George III of England. The prevailing view is that James Strange, an English fur trader, named it in 1786 during an expedition to the region.
                                    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 486.
                                    • 2. Ibid.
                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                    QuesnelMap
                                    Quesnel is located at the convergence of the Fraser and Quesnel Rivers in the BC interior.1
                                    Once called Quesnelle Mouth, after North West Company clerk Jules Maurice Quesnel, it should not be confused with Quesnel Forks, an early Cariboo gold camp located further up-river.2 It was named by Fraser after Jules Maurice Quesnel, one of the two North West Company clerks who had travelled with Fraser.3
                                    According to this despatch the region was a popular destination for miners possessing extravagant visions of wealth and fortune.
                                    • 1. Quesnel, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                    • 2. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 221.
                                    • 3. Quesnel, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                    Quesnel RiverMap
                                    The Quesnel River outflow begins at Quesnel Lake and flows 100 km west to its confluence with the Fraser River at the city of Quesnel. Simon Fraser named the river after Jules Maurice Quesnel, a young guide who accompanied Fraser on his journey of the Fraser River.1 It was also known as Swift River.2
                                    Quesnel River became known for its gold deposits. In this despatch, Douglas reports that Alluvial diggings of extraordinary value have been discovered on Quesnel River…. Some adventurous Miners have ascended this Stream as far as the lake of the same name from which it rises, and have been rewarded with rich strikes; as much, it is reported, as £40 a day having been made to the hand.
                                    • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 221.
                                    • 2. Ibid.
                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                    Race PointMap
                                    British Columbia Geographical Names Information System lists two Race Points: one on the northwest point of Galiano Island,1 and another on the west side of Discovery Passage.2
                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                    Race RocksMap
                                    This small collection of rocky islets in the Juan de Fuca Strait, off the south coast of Vancouver Island, has been an ecological reserve since 1980.1 In 1846, Captain Kellett adopted the name given to these treacherous rocks by officers of the HBC, circa 1842.2 In his log, Kellett described the name as appropriate because the tide makes a perfect race around it.3
                                    A lighthouse was built on Race Rocks from 1859-60, and recently received some much-needed restoration.4 The presence and maintenance of the lighthouse appears essential, as at least 35 ships have wrecked on or near the Rocks over the years.5
                                    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009).
                                    • 2. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 412.
                                    • 3. Ibid.
                                    • 4. Restoration, Racerocks.com.
                                    • 5. Scott, Raincoast Placenames, 488.
                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                    Rae RiverMap
                                    Rae River appears on this 1857 map by McKay.
                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                      Rae's Pass
                                      Rae's Pass appears on this 1857 map by McKay. It's difficult to pinpoint exaclty which feature this name refers to, as very few names written on McKay's map remain in use.
                                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                                        Rascal's Village (rudimentary)Map
                                        May refer to Bella Coola.
                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                        Rat LakeMap
                                        According to Alexander Caulfield Anderson's map, Rat Lake is located above Rivière à la Grise and to the eastern side of the Okanogan River. However it is unclear if this is the correct location as there is another known Rat Lake which is situated in almost the same location except that it is situated the westernside of the Okanogan River.1 It is unknown whether Anderson misrepresented the lake or if there are two Rat Lakes.
                                        Rat Lake of the Okanogan Country, Washington State, is located just up from the town of Brewster and is known as a great fishing lake; as well as, one of the better ice fishing lakes in the Okanogan.2
                                        • 1. Rat Lake, Okanogan Country.
                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                        Red RiverMap
                                        The Red River flows north from its United States origin at Lake Traverse, for nearly 900 km, across the border at Emerson, Manitoba, to the myriad channels that feed into Lake Winnipeg.1 Its banks, at the confluence of the Red and the Assiniboine Rivers, were home to the Red River Settlement.2
                                        • 1. James Marsh, Red River, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                        Red River SettlementMap
                                        The Red River Settlement, or Colony, was located at the fork of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, in the Red River Valley, on the boundary of present-day Manitoba and North Dakota.1 This was the first Métis settlement in 1800, so in 1812 when the HBC sold the settlement to Thomas Douglas, to bring in Scottish settlers, this led to conflict between the HBC, and the Northwest Company and Métis alliance.23 The HBC and the Northwest Company contested trade in the territory, but in 1820, the Northwest Company merged into the HBC.4 Eventually, tensions between Métis and settlers rose: many settlers were members of the Protestant Church's Orange Order, a violent anti-French and anti-Catholic group known for discriminating against the Métis, who were primarily French-speaking Catholics.5
                                        By the time Canada confederated in 1867, the Red River Settlement's fur trade was declining; in 1869, the HBC sold the Settlement's land to the Canadian government, without consulting the Métis.6 As a result, Métis political leader Louis Riel started to organize the Métis to defend their rights to the land, which would later be known as the Red River Resistance/Rebellion.7 Riel successfully negotiated for the Settlement to enter confederation as part of the province of Manitoba in 1870.8 He was later exiled to the United States for the murder of Thomas Scott -though this remains contested, but in 1884 he returned to ensure that the Métis held proper title to their land, later known as the North-West Resistance.9 The resistance resulted in Riel surrendering himself to the Canadian militia and he was executed for treason in 1885.10 He was an advocate for both Métis and Francophone rights, and his death was widely mourned by these populations.11
                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                        Red-Earth Stream
                                        According to this despatch, at the Red-Earth Fork the Similk-a-meen is left, and the Red-Earth Stream […] crosses the height of land which divides the water-shed of Frazer's River from that of the Columbia.1
                                        It is unclear where exactly the Red-Earth Stream is located, but it has been stated the “Tulameen” means red earth. If the Red-Earth Stream is close or is synonymous with the Red-Earth Fork, Alexander C. Anderson locates it on his map approximately 73 kilometer from Nicholas Lake and 109 kilometers from Kamloops.2 It seems, as well, that the Red-Earth Fork may be synonymous with present day Princeton, as it was stated that the HBC men always called the area around modern-day Princeton the Red-Earth Forks.3
                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                        Rich BarMap
                                        The community of Rich Bar is located roughly 5 km south of Quesnel, on the Fraser River.
                                        According to this despatch, Rich Bar was also referred to as Ferguson's Bar, and like the other bars situated along the Fraser River, was rich with gold deposits. The same despatch notes that miners initially earned up to $60 per day; however, such earnings would shortly fall to $7-$10 after miners had depleted the original pay-streak, and more exhaustive methods of extracting the gold were necessary.
                                        Unlike the other bars, the same despatch notes that the soil at Rich Bar was free of trees and roots, and the covering sand itself contained enough gold to cover the cost of some of the more intensive mining expenses. Douglas also notes in the above dispatch that numerous chunks of a dark brown mass similar to coal, which he presumed to be a form of lignite, were also discovered in the region.
                                        An incorporated township near the old mining sites still bears the name Rich Bar.
                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                        Richards IslandMap
                                        Richards Island, which is located in Esquimalt Harbour, is named after Lieutenant Fleetwood John Richards, an officer of who served aboard the HMS Fisgard from 1843 to 1847.1 Several other BC places and features bear the names of officers of the HMS Fisgard, including Dyke Point, and Ashe Head.2
                                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 500.
                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                          RichfieldMap
                                          The town of Richfield arose in 1862, named for the rich gold claim found at that part of Williams Creek by a miner named Bill Cunningham. Richfield was like a modern day banking town which included a branch of the Bank of British Columbia and the Bank of British North America. Not many miners got rich in Richfield, and they soon left for more promising places, like nearby Barkerville.
                                          • 1. G. Basque, British Columbia Ghost Town Atlas (Langley: Sunfire Publications Ltd, 1982), 20.
                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                          Rio de JaneiroMap
                                          Rio de Janeiro is a city located in the southeast part of the country of Brazil. In this despatch from Addington, Rio de Janeiro has been described as having exceedingly rich soil, a mild temperature compared to the North American Countries and England, and has no white inhabitants.1
                                          Rio de Janeiro got its name from the European explorers who arrived on 1 January 1502 and named it Rio after they mistakenly took the bay they entered for a river, and janeiro for January. Rio became the colonial capital in 1763 and the capital of independent Brazil from 1822-1960. In the 17th century the population in all of Brazil was 8,000 -- two-thirds of which were African slaves and Indigenous Peoples.2
                                          During the 18th century, Rio was in an economic deficit due to the competition in the sugar market with Central America. Rio regained its prosperity in the early 1800s with its coffee production and the resettlement of the Portuguese family in the city. By the mid-1800s, Brazil expanded its world export trade to coffee, cotton, sugar, and rubber.3
                                          In 1890, Rio de Janeiro had 520,000 inhabitants. Today, Rio is recognized as one of the world's most beautiful and interesting urban centres.4
                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                          Riviere a la GriseMap
                                          Rivière à la Grise is mentioned in this despatch as one of the places noted on the list of estimated distances on the Route via Columbia River and the Dalles to the Fraser River gold fields.1
                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                          Rocher de la Biche
                                          Rocher de la Biche may be synonymous with Alleyne Lake, as seen from statements made by Alexander C. Anderson. He describes the lake as sitting between rocky hills and ridges.1 In this despatch, Rocher de la Biche is approximately 137 kilometers away from the forks of Thompson River, which is about the same distance as modern-day Alleyne Lake is from this area.2
                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                          Rock BayMap
                                          Rock Bay appears on both this 1851 map, as well as this 1853 map by Pemberton. The name is still in use for the bay itself, as well as the surrounding community.
                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                          Rock CreekMap
                                          Rock Creek is a small town named after a stream of the same name located in south-central British Columbia. In October 1859, a Canadian man discovered gold in the stream, which launched a gold-rush and attracted large numbers of Canadian and American miners.1
                                          The much aggrandized “Rock Creek War” occurred in the summer of 1860, due to American miners' non-compliance with Douglas's requirement of a British Columbia mining license, as well as the violent expulsion of the appointed gold commissioner.2 Douglas quelled the situation with a promise of a wagon road from Hope, but also cautioned the miners that should their disobedience persist he would return with a force of 500 marines.3 Douglas then shook every man's hand and departed to a round of applause.4
                                          According to this despatch, in October of 1860, Rock Creek contained 15 structures, mainly houses and shops to serve the miners of the region. According to Akrigg, however, the gold settlement was abandoned by 1864.5
                                          • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 164.
                                          • 2. Ibid., 195.
                                          • 3. Ibid., 197.
                                          • 4. Ibid., 198.
                                          • 5. Ibid., 313.
                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                          Rocky PointMap
                                          This point is located on Bentinck Island, which lies just off the Sooke coast, on southern Vancouver Island.
                                          • 1. Rocky Point, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                          Rosario StraitMap
                                          Rosario Strait runs east of the San Juan Islands, northeast of Puget Sound, Washington State, between the Georgia and Juan de Fuca Straits. At roughly 40 km in length, it seems diminutive compared to its Spanish name, first used in 1791: Gran Canal de Nuestra Senora del Rosario la Marinera.1 It was Captain Kellett who, in 1847, dropped all but Rosario on his charts of the area.2
                                          This was a strait of much consequence during the Oregon Treaty boundary disputes of the latter 19th and early 20th century, which divided the United States from British territory at the middle of the channel which separates the continent from Vancouver's Island.3 Further to this, in this despatch, Douglas argues in his third point to Lytton that it is the Rosario and not the Haro Strait to which the treaty must refer:
                                          In those Despatches I stated the reasons which induced me to assume that the Islands of San Juan, Lopez and Orcas, to which the United States have set up a claim did of right belong to Her Majesty the Queen, and come within the jurisdiction of the Government of Vancouver's Island, or in other words that 'Vancouver's Strait' now more generally known as 'Rosario Strait' is the true channel through which the line of Water Boundary was intended to be carried.
                                          • 1. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 178.
                                          • 2. Ibid.
                                          • 3. [US] National Park Service, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Racerocks.com.
                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                          Royal RoadsMap
                                          In 1846, Captain Henry Kellett of the HMS Herald gave the name “Royal Bay” to an area just outside of Esquimalt Harbour.1 The epithet “Royal Roads” eventually became more popular, as vessels would wait at Royal Bay before they entered into Victoria and Esquimalt Harbours—a roadstead, which is shortened to “roads”, is a less-protected anchorage than a harbour.2
                                          Manuel Quimper originally named the area Rada de Valdés y Bazan in 1790, in honour of the Spanish minister of marine at the time, Antonio Valdés y Bazan.3
                                          • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 512.
                                          • 2. Ibid.
                                          • 3. Ibid.
                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                            Rum IslandMap
                                            Rum Island, also known as Isle-de-Lis, is located nine kilometres east of Sidney, British Columbia. The island is a popular destination for kayakers and was used to store alcohol during Prohibition.1
                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                            Rupert's LandMap
                                            Rupert's Land was a vast expanse of land granted to the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 1670 by Charles II, King of England (1630-85), who chose the name in homage to Prince Rupert, his cousin and first governor of the HBC.1 The charter was geographically, economically, and politically sweeping, with its heart in the Hudson Bay and its arteries extending throughout the Bay's various drainages: Rupert's Land covered an area equivalent to roughly one third of present-day Canada.2 The territory included what is now Northern Quebec and Labrador, Northern and Western Ontario, all of Manitoba, most of Saskatchewan, South and Central Alberta, a portion of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and parts of the United States.3 This territory held great commercial importance to the HBC, as it provided access to the Northern “Frozen Sea,” and routes into the heart of the continent's best fur country.4 The charter gave HBC merchants exclusive rights to trade and colonize all the lands containing rivers flowing into the Hudson's Bay.5 Over 200 years, the HBC built trading posts on most major waterways.6 By 1870, Rupert's Land had 97 posts within its borders.7 The HBC held title to Rupert's Land for two years after the British North America Act, and Canadian Confederation, to 1869, when they signed a deed drafted to transfer its chartered territories to the Crown and governments of Great Britain and Canada.8 The vast territory was sold to the Canadian government for $1.5 million.9 The Canadian government and Indigenous nations within the territory negotiated seven treaties in 1869.10 The HBC charter and the transfer of the land to the Crown from the HBC, represents a key moment in both Canadian history and Indigenous-settler relations. Scholar Kent McNeil disputes the legality of the claims of sovereignty made by the charter. He states that Britain did not have the sovereignty to grant HBC the charter.11 McNeil argues that Britain had to have title over the lands prior to granting them to the HBC, which they claimed to have through settlement; however, in 1670, there was little to no settlement on Rupert's Land which was largely unexplored.12 The charter granted only areas of land within the Hudson's Bay watershed.13 Effectively, the Crown used the HBC to settle the area and gain land title of all those Seas, Streights [sic], Bays, Rivers, Lakes, Creeks, and Sounds, in whatsoever Latitude they shall be, that lie within the entrance of the Streights commonly called Hudson's Streights, together with all the Lands, Countries and Territories, upon the Coasts and Confines of the Seas, Streights, Bays, Lakes, Rivers, Creeks and Sounds, aforesaid, which are not now actually possessed by any of our Subjects, or by the Subjects of any other Christian Prince or State.14 At the time of the land transfer to the Crown in 1870, Indigenous Nations made up the larger portion of the population and had considerable influence over the activity in the region.15 The HBC claimed to hold no political or physical control over the local Indigenous Peoples, who governed themselves and the territory, as seen in testimony given by Simpson at the House of Commons, in which he states the following in conversation with Mr. Grogan and Lord Stanley: They are at perfect liberty to do what they please; we never restrain Indians, to which Lord Stanley asks what authority is exercised over Indigenous Peoples, and Simpson replies, None at all.16 However, as Canada's colonization scheme progressed through the end of the nineteenth into the twentieth century, prairie Indigenous groups found themselves marginalized from centres of power and influence and dispossessed from their traditional lands through the treaty process.
                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                            Russian TerritoryMap
                                            In the Colonial Despatches, Russian Territory refers to the lands owned and worked by Russia on the North American continent—roughly, the lands covered by present-day Alaska.
                                            Perhaps most relevant to the years covered by the Colonial Despatches are the treaties between Russia, the United States, and Britain in 1824 and 1825, which fixed Russia's southernmost border on the continent at 54° 40'; this line became the northern boundary of British settlements, and later, the divide between British Columbia and the State of Alaska.1
                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                            Saanich HillMap
                                            Saanich Hill appears on this 1852 map by Pemberton. The feature that Pemberton labelled Saanich Hill is located in the approximate area of what is now called Observatory Hill, and it is possible they are the same feature.
                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Saanich InletMap
                                              Saanich Inlet cuts into southeastern Vancouver Island, and divides Malahat Ridge on the west from the Saanich Peninsula to the east. Scott says that There is uncertainty as to the origins of the word Saanich, which is associated with local First Nations, who, according to Scott, self-identify as Wsanec First Nations, made up of the Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout, and Tseycum groups.1
                                              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 516.
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Saanich PeninsulaMap
                                              Saanich Peninsula is located on the southeastern end of Vancouver Island, north of Victoria, and contains three distinct districts: Central Saanich, North Saanich and Sidney.1
                                              The Peninsula is peppered with rolling hills and farmlands, as well as several urban centres, including the towns of Brentwood Bay on the west side, and Sidney on the northeastern end. To its west are the waters of Saanich Inlet, to the north, the Strait of Georgia, and to the east, the Haro Strait. According to the Geographical Names Information System website, Saanich means raised up in Wsanec.2
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              SacramentoMap
                                              Sacramento is the capital of the State of California and is located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American River, it is known as the “river city.” The territory in which Europeans established settlements, was the traditional land of the Maidu Peoples. In 1839, the first colony was established by John Sutter and it was known as “Nueva Helvetia” (New Switzerland).1
                                              In 1840, Sutter built a palisaded trading post known as “Sutter's Fort.” When gold was discovered in 1848, Sutter's settlement evolved into a trading and mining epicentre. Six years later, the Sacramento State Legislature officially moved to Sacramento in 1854 and named the state capital in 1879.2
                                              Due to Sacramento's location on two rivers, the city was prone to floods. In 1850, Sacramento experienced its first major flood, which happened again only two years later. The floods caused major damage in Sacramento which led to a suggestion of a project to raise the city above the flood level in 1853. The project was not officially accepted until 1862 when another flood devastated the city. Today, Sacramento is referred to as one of the state's oldest incorporated communities.3
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Safety Cove (rudimentary)Map
                                              The map location provided is the most likely of three possible Safety Coves, given the northern location of the other places mentioned in the correspondence.1
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Sailors BarMap
                                              Sailors Bar is located south of Spuzzum on the Fraser River, roughly 10 km north of Yale. According to this despatch, the bar was famous for its rich gold deposits, which was monopolized by a man named Mead and one other. In this despatch, Douglas writes that the greatest instance of mining success which I heard of in course of our journey fell to the lot of a party of three men, who made one hundred and ninety ounces of gold dust in seven working days on Sailor's Bar.
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Saint HelenaMap
                                              Saint Helena is part of a remote British island territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean, which includes Ascension Island and the Tristan da Cunha group; it is characterized by its geographical isolation. Ascension Island is over 1000 km to the north, and Tristan da Cunha lies over 2000 km to the south. Most sources agree that the island was first discovered by a Eurpoean, at least, in 1502 by João da Nova Castella (c.1460–1509), a Portuguese sailor who happened upon it on the feast day of Saint Helena. The East India Company took possession of the island, effectively, on behalf of Britain in 1659 and it became an official crown colony in 1834.1
                                              Access to Saint Helena has not changed much since its heyday as a 19th-century trans-Atlantic waypoint for all manner of sea traffic. Today, the only regular transport to the 75 square km island is by the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) St Helena, the last of the Royal Mail Ships, which visits occasionally with critical cargo and the odd clutch of tourists.2 Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to Saint Helena in 1815, where he died in 1821.3
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Saint James IslandMap
                                              Tiny and rocky Saint James Island is part of the Haida Gwaii archipelago. On its southern end is Cape Saint James. Formerly, it was known as Hummock Island.1
                                              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 107.
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Saint KittsMap
                                              Saint Kitts is one island in the country known as Saint Kitts and Nevis located in a chain of Caribbean islands called the Lesser Antilles.1 In the correspondences, Saint Kitts is mentioned in comparison to British Columbia’s colonial policy. For example, in this correspondence, Seymour writes that the vacated barracks in New Westminster are of so little value to the Colony that British Columbia should not be required to pay for them. Seymour equates the barracks in New Westminster to perishable huts on the Fraser compared to those in Saint Kitts.2
                                              Saint Kitts was named when Christopher Columbus landed on the Island in 1493.3 Before colonization, Saint Kitts was called “Liamuiga” (meaning “fertile land”) by the indigenous Kalina-go (or Caribs) population.4 Like all of the Caribbean Islands, the Ciboney (sometimes Siboney), the Tiano (a subgroup of the Arawak), the Kalina-go (Carib) were indigenous to Saint Kitts.5
                                              Saint Kitts was eventually settled by the English in 1623 (and Nevis shortly after in 1628) and, for the following two centuries, was an entry point for enslaved Africans who were sold as commodities in the international slave trade or used as forced labour in Saint Kitts.6 As with the rest of the British Empire, slavery ended in Saint Kitts in 1834. The island became independent from Britain in 1983.
                                              • 1. Momsen, J. D. and Gladstone E. M. Mills. Saint Kitts and Nevis, Encyclopedia Britannica.
                                              • 2. Seymour to Cardwell, 8 October 1864, 11639, 60:19, 321.
                                              • 3. Momsen, J. D. and Gladstone E. M. Mills. Saint Kitts and Nevis, Encyclopedia Britannica.
                                              • 4. Con Aguilar, Eldris, Heritage Education—Memories of the Past in the Present Caribbean Social Studies Curriculum (Leiden: Sidestone Press, 2020), 19-20.
                                              • 5. Ibid.
                                              • 6. Saint Kitts and Nevis, minorityrights.org.
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Saint Lawrence RiverMap
                                              The Saint Lawrence River runs across the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and forms part of the boundary between Ontario and the state of New York. It flows from southwest to northeast, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The river was named by Jacques Cartier in 1535 when he arrived in the estuary during the feast day for Saint Lawrence; as such, he named it the Gulf of St. Lawrence.1
                                              Early explorers originally hoped that the Saint Lawrence River would offer a direct route to China.2 Instead, it became the main route for European exploration of the North American interior, pioneered by French explorer Samuel de Champlain.3
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Saint Vincent (unavailable)Map
                                              Information is not yet available for this place.
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Salish SeaMap
                                              The Salish Sea is a collective name for the marine waters of Juan de Fuca Strait, the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound, and their associated channels, passes and straits. This 18,000 square km sea has its western entrance at the mouth of the Juan de Fuca Strait, its northern boundary just above the top of the Strait of Georgia, and its southern boundary near the base of Puget Sound.1
                                              The name Salish Sea was first proposed in 1989, but not considered until 2009 when it was proposed again, and, finally, accepted in British Columbia's Throne Speech of February 9th, 2010.2
                                              • 1. Salish Sea, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                              • 2. Ibid.
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Salmon RiverMap
                                              Salmon River flows from the west to the northeast, terminating at the south end of Shuswap Lake.1 At the time of writing, it's possible that “Salmon River” referred to a longer stretch of the watershed, as Seymour implies it connects to Lake Kamloops.2
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Salt Lake CityMap
                                              Salt Lake City is located in the state of Utah. The first inhabitants of this area were the Ute and Shoshone Tribes until the exploration of the city by Mormon Pioneers, led by Brigham Young, and the establishment of the first settlements on 24 July 1847. The Mormon settlers were in search of a place where they could freely practice their religion away from persecution -- Young decided upon Salt Lake City as this place.1
                                              The California gold rush in the late 1840s brought many emigrants through Salt Lake City, as well as previous pioneers from various areas who would generally convert to Mormonism upon arrival. U.S soldiers were also stationed here in the 1850s and during the Civil War. Due to the continuous flow of people through the city, the Mormons were able to begin trading and gain prosperity.2
                                              Salt Lake City became the territorial capital in 1856 and remained the capital until 1896. During this time, the city opened up its mining industry in the 1860s and completed the Utah Central Railroad in the 1870s. Both of these industrial expansions led the city to become a thriving hub of Western commerce.3
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Saltspring IslandMap
                                              Saltspring Island is the largest of the Gulf Islands and is located off the south coast of Vancouver Island, in the Strait of Georgia.
                                              Scott notes that the Saanich First Nations called the island “Cuan”, which means each end, and the Quw' utsun' called the island “Klaathem”, which means salt.1 The Quw' utsun' also named a mountain on the south of the island “Chuan”, or facing the sea, which is the name Douglas applied to the entire island on a map from 1854.2
                                              Pemberton's 1855 map names the island Saltspring Island, an epithet coined by HBC officials in reference to the island's salt-water springs.3 In 1859, Richards changed the name to “Admiral Island”, marked so on this map, after Rear Admiral Baynes; however, in 1905 the Geographic Board of Canada reverted the name back to Saltspring Island, as local parlance decreed.4
                                              One of the Island's memorable early inhabitants was a deranged, gun-toting surveyor named Rowe, who built himself a hut and declared himself the “Czar of Salt Spring Island”. Rowe periodically posted absurd proclamations for his loyal subjects to follow.5 “The Czar”, however, met an unfortunate end, as he was murdered by a small group of people from the Quw' utsun' First Nation in October of 1861 while away from his empire, on the Saanich Peninisula.6
                                              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 520.
                                              • 2. Ibid., 520-521.
                                              • 3. Ibid., 521.
                                              • 4. Ibid.
                                              • 5. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 226.
                                              • 6. Ibid., 227.
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              San FranciscoMap
                                              San Francisco is a port city located roughly midway along the California State coast. Though the waters near where the large city stands today were sailed past in the late 16th century, it would be the late 18th century that would see the city take shape. The tussle for coastal domination between Spain, England and Russia fell, in this case, to the Spanish, who occupied the area with both military and religious intentions.1
                                              San Francisco became a locus for those afflicted with gold rush fever during the mid-1800s, a time when the city's population boomed. In 1850, the year San Francisco incorporated, 60,244 men and 1,979 women arrived.2
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              San JoseMap
                                              San Jose is located in west-central California, it lies in the Santa Clara Valley along Coyote Creek and the Guadalupe River and is 80 kilometers southeast of San Francisco. Before European explorers first arrived in the mid-18th century, the Costanoan Tribe were the first and original inhabitants of the area.1
                                              The first “civic settlement” was founded in 1777 by Jose Joaquin Moraga, created to be a Spanish farming community and was originally named “Pueblo de San José de Guadalupé for St. Joseph.” This area supplied wheat, vegetables, and cattle to military garrisons at Monterey and San Francisco.2
                                              In 1846, California became a part of the United States, which made San José, for a brief time, the new state's first capital. By March 1850, San José became the first chartered state in California. During this time, San José became known as a trade depot for the goldfields in Sacramento. Today, San José's economy relies on high technology such as computers, hardware design, and manufacturing.3
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              San Juan IslandMap
                                              San Juan Island is located in US waters, south and east of Vancouver Island. This island is at the heart of several bodies of water, including the Salish Sea. Its western shore looks to the Haro Strait, its southern end rests in the Juan de Fuca Strait and points to Puget Sound, further south. The Spanish named the island in the late 1700s, which Vancouver also adopted on his charts, though early fur traders knew Port San Juan as Poverty Bay.1
                                              San Juan Island staged the colloquially named “Pig War” when, in 1859, a US farmer shot a British farmer's pig, during Anglo-America joint occupation of the Island—theirs was a conflict in miniature of the larger border concerns left unresolved following the Oregon Treaty of 1846, which settled, so it was thought, the disputes over Oregon Territory.2
                                              The ambiguous treaty clause in question stated that the boundary lie in the middle of the channel which separates the continent from Vancouver's Island.3 Unfortunately, San Juan Island touched two channels: the Haro Strait to the left and the Rosario Strait to the right. After much posturing, both political and naval, the whole matter was settled by Kaiser Wilhelm I in 1872, when an arbitration commission ruled the Haro Strait to be the boundary strait, thus awarding the Island to the United States.4
                                              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 474.
                                              • 2. The Pig War, San Juan Island National Historical Park.
                                              • 3. Ibid.
                                              • 4. Ibid.
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              San Juan IslandsMap
                                              This archipelago rests north of Puget Sound, in the Juan de Fuca Strait, Washington State, and is part of the Salish Sea. The San Juan Islands are divided from their nearby Canadian cousins, the Gulf Islands, by the Haro Strait. Of the collection of more than 170 islands, the largest are San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez, followed by the smaller, sparsely inhabited, Stuart, Waldron, Lummi, Shaw, Blakey, Cypress, Guemes, and Decatur islands.1
                                              Though San Juan Island planted the seed for the Pig War, the surrounding islands, too, were swept into the outcome of the political fray, and ceded to the United States in 1872 by boundary-arbiter Emperor William I of Germany.2
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Sand HeadsMap
                                              Sand Heads marks the northern entrance to the main channel of the Fraser River. The position of Sand Heads was ever changing due to the roughly 20 million tons of sediment that the Fraser River empties into the Strait of Georgia each year.1
                                              Scott describes Sand Heads as a nightmare for mariners.2 In 1859, gold prospectors demanded a light at the river mouth, but it was not until 1865 that the government purchased a vessel and anchored it offshore to mark the safe route upstream.3 Later, in 1879, a unique lighthouse was built, one of twisted iron poles driven deep into the silt and topped with a wooden lighthouse tower.4 As the entrance to the Fraser River shifted over the years, more lighthouses and anchored boats were used to mark the safest entrance.5
                                              • 1. Sand Heads Lighthouse, Lighthouse Friends.
                                              • 2. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 522.
                                              • 3. Ibid.
                                              • 4. Ibid.
                                              • 5. Sand Heads Lighthouse, Lighthouse Friends.
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                              Sansum NarrowsMap
                                              According to Scott, in 1858 Captain George Richards named Sansum Narrows, seen on this 1859 map, after RN officer Arthur Sansum.1
                                              Sansum served on the Pacific Station as the 1st lieutenant of HMS Thetis from 1851 to 1853.2 He suffered a stroke and, as a result, passed away in Mexico in 1853.3
                                              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 524.
                                              • 2. Ibid.
                                              • 3. Ibid.
                                              Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                Santa Clara BarMap
                                                Santa Clara Bar is located about 10 km above Hope. See the Santa Clara Creek entry for further details.
                                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                Santa Clara CreekMap
                                                Santa Clara Creek is located about 10 km above Hope.
                                                During the Cariboo gold rush, Santa Clara Creek and the surrounding gold claims were often a scene of uproar and confusion. In this despatch, Douglas illustrates the difficulties of maintaining stability among the gold prospectors in the Santa Clara Creek region; he writes that men are almost out of their senses, and are determined to infringe on the privilege granted to others. I was compelled to issue Injunction notices to Messrs Williams, Burns, and six others, to restrain them from carrying a ditch from Santa Clara Creek on to the bar and flat, and very much interfering with other operations in progress.
                                                No place in British Columbia called “Santa Clara Creek” currently exists. The map outline above highlights a network of creeks draining into the area of Santa Clara Bar, any one of which could be the creek referred to.
                                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                SappertonMap
                                                Sapperton is a community located within New Westminster, on the north side of the Fraser River. This despatch reveals that a group of Royal Engineers led by Colonel Moody were sent to assist Douglas in maintaining law and order in the gold fields. The engineers, who were known as “sappers”, set up their camp a mile above the proposed capital of British Columbia, which Moody named Sapperton.1
                                                • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 440.
                                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                Saskatchewan RiverMap
                                                The Saskatchewan River flows 550 km eastward across Saskatchewan and Manitoba to empty into Lake Winnipeg. Like the province, the Saskatchewan River takes its name from the Cree word kisiskāciwani-sīpiy, which means swift-flowing river.1
                                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                Satellite ChannelMap
                                                Satellite Channel, seen on this 1859 map, is located between Vancouver Island and Saltspring Island, and is named after HMS Satellite.1
                                                Captain James Charles Prevost, commander of HMS Satellite, led the investigation of the Swiss Boy affair—an incident that involved the alleged plunder of the U.S. merchant brig the Swiss Boy.2
                                                • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 526-527.
                                                • 2. Barry M. Gough, Gunboat Frontier: British Maritime Authority and Northwest Coast Indians, 1846-1890, (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1984), 111.
                                                Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Saturna IslandMap
                                                  Saturna is the eastermost of the Gulf Islands. It draws its name from the Spanish naval vessel Santa Saturnia, a ship in which Spanish explorers sailed throughout the Strait of Georgia in 1791.1
                                                  Today, Saturna is considered a rather remote Gulf Island, with minimal population, and a large part of its land and shores protected as part of the Gulf Island National Park Reserve; its Sencot'en—Coast Salish—name is Teketsen, which means long nose.2
                                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 527.
                                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Schwartz Bay (unavailable)Map
                                                  Information is not yet available for this place.
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Scott IslandsMap
                                                  A cluster of exposed islands west of Cape Scott; see the Cape Scott entry for more information.
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  SeattleMap
                                                  Seattle is a coastal city on the eastern shores of Puget Sound, Washington State. According to Middleton, the name Seattle refers to a Suquamish chief, who was baptized as “Noah Sealth” by Father Demers.1
                                                  The variations on Seattle, such as “See-yat” and “Se-yalt” stem from the European inability to glean the correct pronounciation of, likely, “Sealth”.2 The local name for the area was “Tzee-Tzee-lal-itch”, or “little portage”, in reference to a trail to a nearby lake.3
                                                  • 1. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 185.
                                                  • 2. History & Culture, The Suquamish Tribe.
                                                  • 3. Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 186.
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  SecheltMap
                                                  Sechelt is located on the Sunshine Coast and is home to the first self-governing Indigenous nation in Canada -- the Shishalh First Nations -- the original inhabitants of the Sunshine Coast.1 The Shishalh Nation home stretches between Queens Reach in Jervis Inlet and Howe Sound. Traditionally, there were four main settlements at Kalpilin (Pender Harbour), Ts'unay (Deserted Bay), Xenichen (Jervis Inlet), and Tewankw near Porpoise Bay.2
                                                  The first European settlements were established in the 1860s. Prior to that, men such as Captain George Henry Richards, on the Plumper, came to the region in order to prepare more detailed charts of the area in support of [a] safer coastal navigation. With the arrival of Europeans, so came the arrival of smallpox which ravaged the Indigenous groups around Sechelt in 1862.3
                                                  The first private landowner in Sechelt was John Scales, a retired military man. The land that he was allotted was over 150 acres -- way above the limit the Land Office meant to grant. The amount that Scales received is the extent of the present day village of Sechelt. In 1895, Sechelt began to grow as a commercial centre due to Herbert Whitaker's construction of general stores and hotels. In the later years, rental cabins, a wharf, a tea room, and a post office were built.4
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Seleassa (incomplete)
                                                  According to this correspondence, Seleassa was 60 miles from Fort Simpson.
                                                  Information for this place is not yet complete.
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  SemiahmooMap
                                                  Semiahmoo is east of White Rock, near the British Columbia-Washington border. The name comes from the Coast Salish Semiahmoo people. According to Scott, the word “semiahmoo” is often reported to mean half moon, referring to the shape of the shoreline, but historians note that this translation is dubious at best.1
                                                  In this despatch, Douglas reports that Drayton harbour, located within the Semiahmoo area, possesses great natural advantages for trade being accessible by land from Semiamhoo, having deep water, a bold shore and good anchorage. The land is also clear of trees, and was surveyed at a very small expense, and therefore perfectly suiting our pecuniary means.
                                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 536-537.
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Seton BeachMap
                                                  Seton Beach, which at the time of this despatch was referred to as Port Seaton, is located at the north end of Seton Lake, 8 km from the mining town of Cayoosh. Port Seaton presumably shares its name origins with Seton Lake.
                                                  The above geocoordinates are a rough estimate of the location of Port Seaton.
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Seton LakeMap
                                                  Seton Lake is located 10 km west of the town of Lillooet, where it drains into the Fraser River. The lake was named by HBC officer J. R. Alexander, who writes that he named it after his near relative and playmate of my early days, Colonel Alexander Seton of the 74th, whose heroic fate I also commemorate by naming the connecting link, the Birkenhead Strait, after the ship in which he so nobly perished.1
                                                  • 1. Seton Lake, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Seymour HillMap
                                                  Seymour Hill, which appears as Mount Seymour on this 1864 map, is named in honour of Sir George Francis Seymour, who was the commander-in-chief of the Royal Navy's Pacific Station from 1844 to 1848.1 Seymour Narrows is also named after Sir George Francis Seymour.2
                                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 538.
                                                  • 2. Ibid.
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Seymour NarrowsMap
                                                  Seymour Narrows is a precarious body of water that flows with tidal rushes up to 16 knots (30 kmh) between Vancouver Island's central east coast and Quadra Island, which Vancouver called one of the vilest stretches of water in the world, perhaps, because the infamous Ripple Rock lurked just below the surface.1
                                                  By the mid-20th century this vilified twin-peaked rock damaged and sunk 119 vessels until, in 1958, it was packed with dynamite and decapitated in the world's largest non-nuclear peacetime explosion.2
                                                  Seymour Narrows was named after Rear Admiral George Francis Seymour (1787-1870), who was commander of the Pacific Station, from 1844-88, while the Station was located at Valparaiso, Chile.3
                                                  • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 538.
                                                  • 2. B.C.'s Deadly Ripple Rock Blown Up, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Digital Archives.
                                                  • 3. Scott, Raincoast Placenames, 538.
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Shadwell PassageMap
                                                  Shadwell Passage is located at the northern end of Vancouver Island, between Hope Island and Nigei Island. In modern times, the passage is a RockFish Conservation Area.1
                                                  In 1863 Captain Pike spent a night anchored in Shadwell Passage with the HMS Devastation.2
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Shawnigan DistrictMap
                                                  The Shawnigan District surrounds Shawnigan Lake, which is located about 48 km north of Victoria. This despatch reports that the Shawnigan, Comiaken, Quamichan and Somenos districts make up the Cowichan Region.
                                                  Shawnigan is an anglicization of the Hul'qumi'num name for the area, “Shaanii'us”.1 The Hul'qumi'num used the area for cedar harvesting and salal gathering, as well as hunting and spiritual bathing.2
                                                  The Shawnigan District was mapped as part of Pemberton's surveys of the southern Vancouver Island during the 1850s, which can be seen on this map and another, both from 1859.
                                                  In 1862, the amount of arable land around Victoria was becoming scarce, so Douglas took prospective farmers upcoast to Cowichan Bay aboard the Hecate to give them the opportunity to stake land in the Somenos, Shawnigan and Quamichan districts.3 According to the British Colonist, in compensation for the land, the government gave the Indigenous people two blankets per person for the land that they surrendered.4
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Ship ChannelMap
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                  Shoal PointMap
                                                  Shoal Point appears on this 1851 map.
                                                  Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Shushartie HarbourMap
                                                    Shushartie Harbour or Bay was a hub for economic activity on the north part of Vancouver Island. Before the establishment of Fort Rupert by the Hudson's Bay Company, trading vessels would often anchor and trade at Shushartie Bay.1 The area is part of the traditional territory of the Nahwitti First Nation, the main trading post became known as “Newitty” which was really Shushartie Harbour.2
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Shuswap DistrictMap
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Shuswap RiverMap
                                                    The basin of the Shuswap River lies northeast of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, originating in the central Monashee Mountains. It is the upper part of the drainage better known to British Columbians as belonging to Shuswap Lake and the South Thompson River. The river's drainage basin is over 1,969 square kilometres in area.
                                                    The Shuswap River was identified in 1863 as containing extensive placers…which will afford employment, at highly remunerative rates, to a large population.1 The Shuswap River was considered to be among the most valuable and agreeable parts of the colony.2
                                                    The Shuswap River is located in the northern Okanagan region. The West Canadian Hydro Electric Corporation built the Wilsey Dam at the Shuswap Falls in 1929.3 In modern times, two hydroelectric dams exist at Shuswap falls.4
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Sierra NevadaMap
                                                    The Sierra Nevada is a major mountain range of western North America, it runs along the eastern edge of the state of California. The indigenous inhabitants of the Sierra Nevada were divided into five main groups: the Yokut, Sierra Miwok, Maidu, Paiute, and Washoe.1
                                                    The first Europeans in this area were Spanish explorers and missionaries in the 1700s. The traditional territory of the Indigenous Peoples in the Sierra Nevada were further disrupted when Samuel Bishop marched into [and occupied] the valley in 1860. Due to this occupation, the Indigneous food stores became depleted.2
                                                    The Indigenous Peoples in this region, particularly the Paiute, fought for their land until 1865 when settlers murdered approximately 41 Paiute people. Prior to this, the U.S government pursued a policy of “Indian removal” from 1854 to 1859. During this time, California state officials pursued Indigenous extermination in this region.3
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Simcoe ValleyMap
                                                    According to this despatch, the Simcoe Valley housed Colonel Steptoe's headquarters.1 It is likely that these “headquarters” were Fort Simcoe which was located in this valley. The Simcoe Valley is located in Washington State, United States and it was recorded by Colonel George Wright that this was the traditional territory of the “Klikitats.”2 The name Simcoe is from the Indigenous sim-ku-ee meaning saddle hill. The Yakama peoples used it as a geographic place name to designate a very evident saddle-like dip in a ridge north of the site.3
                                                    Fort Simcoe was located approximately 61 kilometers southwest of a city called Yakima (established before the current city of Yakima) and was built on the southern boundary of the Simcoe Valley. The proximity to the valley was important for the Fort's establishment as it was close to where the Indigenous groups camped during the winter months. Therefore, the oak-studded region between Simcoe and Toppenish creeks produced the best area to set up a fort to do trade.4
                                                    The Fort was located 106 kilometers from Fort Dalles. In September 1856, a wagon road was constructed in order to connect the two forts together -- making the journey through the valley more passable. Although, the weather in the valley was said to be better than that farther north.5
                                                    Today, Fort Simcoe is one of the few remaining pre-Civil War forts even though it operated for only three years. It now serves as a museum.6
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Similkameen RiverMap
                                                    The Similkameen River originates in southwest British Columbia and passes through the towns of Princeton, Hedley, Keremeos, and Cawston in the Similkameen Valley.1 The name Similkameen comes from the Samilkameigh people, who early explorers thought to be a member of the 12 tribes making up the Okanagan Nation.2 Similkameen is roughly translated to mean treacherous waters.3
                                                    In this despatch, Douglas writes about the rich gold diggings found by the Americans in the Similkameen River. In the same letter, Douglas reports the he will begin focusing on the river because the greater part of the Shimilcomeen Valley lies north of the 49th parallel of latitude, and within the limits of this Colony.
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Similkameen ValleyMap
                                                    The Similkameen Valley is a region surrounding the Similkameen River in southern British Columbia. Today, it is part of the Similkameen Division Yale Land District, and the region around the valley is referred to as Similkameen Country. See the Similkameen River entry for further details.
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Simpson River (incomplete)Map
                                                    On modern maps, “the Simpson River” is marked as Babine River. On this 1864 map, both terms were used.
                                                    “Simpson River”, or Babine River, flows northwest from Fort Babine into the Skeena River. To reach Observatory Inlet, as per the route described in this despatch, the travelling party may have struck overland or portaged to either the Cranberry or Nass Rivers.
                                                    Information for this place is not yet complete.
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Sitka SoundMap
                                                    In this despatch, Douglas makes reference to the Russian Settlements in Norfolk Sound, which is likely Sitka Sound.
                                                    Sitka City, and Sound, is located in southeastern Alaska, on the eastern shores of the Gulf of Alaska, on Baranof Island, which is part of the Alexander Archipelago.1 The Sitka region is the traditional and current home to the Tlingit, some of whom would have met a Russian expedition to that region in 1741.
                                                    The Russians had trade interests there, and built a fort near present-day Sitka City in 1799, which a group of Tlingit destroyed during a skirmish with the Russians in 1802.2 Despite such hostilities, the Russian-American Company relocated its trade headquarters to Sitka in 1804, from Kodiak.3
                                                    Sitka, Tlingit for on the outside of Shee [Baranof Island], served as territorial capital for nine years, after the 1867 transfer of Alaska to the United States.4
                                                    • 1. Sitka, Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
                                                    • 2. Ibid.
                                                    • 3. Ibid.
                                                    • 4. Ibid.
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Skeena RiverMap
                                                    Skeena River is the second largest river in British Columbia, after the Fraser River.1 The Skeena originates in northwestern British Columbia and flows 570 km to the Pacific Ocean at Chatham Sound. Skeena is an adapation of the Tsimshian phrase k'shian, which means water of the clouds.2
                                                    In 1793, Joseph Whidbey explored the mouth of the Skeena.3 Whidbey reported to Captain George Vancouver that the river was insignificant because its entrance was rocky and muddy.4 Walbran argues that the Skeena was overlooked [by early explorers] much in the way as the Fraser, from ignorance as to what the entrance of a large river would be like when deploying the sea.5
                                                    This despatch shows that, in 1859, a group of explorers navigated the Skeena River by canoe, going a distance of 177 km from the sea. Douglas writes that the leader of the expedition, Mr Downie, made several important discoveries in course of his adventurous journey. He found gold in small quantities on the Skeena River; he also saw very valuable and extensive beds of coal.
                                                    In the same letter, Douglas speculates correctly that The valley of the Skeena is thus shewn to be an available avenue into the interior of British Columbia, and will, I have no doubt, soon become a most important outlet for the upper Districts of Fraser River; which, from the course of the River and the direction of the Coast, are brought in close proximity with the sea.
                                                    • 1. Site Specific Water Quality Guidelines for Skeena River, Tri-Star: Environmental Consulting.
                                                    • 2. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 548.
                                                    • 3. Ibid.
                                                    • 4. Ibid.
                                                    • 5. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 459.
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    SkidegateMap
                                                    Skidegate is located on the southeast side of Graham Island, in Haida Gwaii. Skidegate is, in one meaning, named after a head chief of the area.1 Along with the community, there is Skidegate Channel, Inlet, and Landing.
                                                    Fur trader Charles Duncan visited the Skidegate region in 1788, and since his arrival, both European and US explorers and traders have named the surrounding features dozens of English names; variants on the now-standard Skidegate, adopted on British Admiralty charts in 1866, include Sge'dagits, Skitekat, Skit-ei-get, Skittagets, Skettegats, and others.2 One 1853 despatch refers to specimens of Coal at Skiddegate's harbour, while another letter, in the same year, pushes for the Port of Skidigate to be declared a Free Port, and to encourage British Subjects to settle there by offering land for Six pence an Acre.
                                                    • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 549.
                                                    • 2. Ibid.
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Smith IslandMap
                                                    Smith Island is located in the eastern part of the Juan de Fuca Strait, Washington, about halfway between Admiralty Inlet and Lopez Island. Smith Island was mainly known for its powerful lighthouse and foghorn.1 Spanish explorer José María Narváez named it Isla De Bonila in 1741.2 In 1841, the Wilkes Expedition named it “Blunt's Island” after a midshipman of the expedition; historians speculate that the present name for Smith Island was probably introduced by the HBC.3
                                                    • 1. Edmond S. Meany, Origin of Washington Geographic Names (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1923), 277.
                                                    • 2. Harry Majors, Exploring Washington (Washing: Van Winkle Publishing, 1975), 21.
                                                    • 3. Meany, Origin of Washington Geographic Names, 277.
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Snake RiverMap
                                                    Snake River is the 13th largest river in the United States, and it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River.1 The river rises in western Wyoming, and flows westwards before swinging north into the state of Washington. Its drainage basin goes through six US states.
                                                    Large amounts of salmon travelled up the Columbia River and into Snake River, which supported large Aboriginal populations along the river.2 The first European explorers in the area misinterpreted a local Aboriginal hand sign for fish, which they took to mean snake, thus giving the Snake River its name.3
                                                    Snake River was inside the land-dispute area between the United States and Canada; indeed, the HBC decided to kill all the beavers along the Snake River, so there would be less incentive for the Americans to settle.4 By 1848, when Snake River became part of the Oregon Territory, most of the beaver population had been decimated.5
                                                    Berens, Henry Hulse to Lytton, Sir Edward George Earle Bulwer 3 August 1858, CO 6:26, no. 7696, 455 records the events surrounding an 1858 skirmish between US mounted troops and the Aboriginals in the area. Shortly after the US troops crossed the Snake River, the Americans were met by a number Indians of the Spokan and other Tribes who objected to the soldiers passing through their country…two [American] officers and five men killed, together with some ten more wounded, and being moreover short of ammunition, [the Americans] quietly withdrew leaving behind all baggage and stores and two mountain howitzers.
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Snohomish RiverMap
                                                    This river feeds into mid-eastern Puget Sound; it goes by several names, which include Sdoh-doh-hohbsh, Sinahomis, Sinnahamis, and Tuxpam River.1
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Snowshoe CreekMap
                                                    In this despatch from 1862, Douglas mentions a Snow Shoe River, Carribou District, and to confuse matters of its exact location, BCGNIS lists four “Snowshoe Creeks”, two of which are in the Cariboo region in south-central British Columbia.1
                                                    Likely, it is the one that flows south into Keithly Creek,2 as this is nearest another feature Douglas mentions in this despatch from 1863: Snow Shoe Mountain, which is likely on or near present-day Snowshoe Plateau, or a lump term for all the summits of that massif.3
                                                    These features mentioned by Douglas were of mining interests for their rich specimens of Auriferous Quartz.
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Snowshoe Mountain (rudimentary)Map
                                                    In this 1863 document, Douglas may be using “Snow Shoe Mountain” as a general term for all the summits of the Snowshoe Plateau massif, located between Quesnel and the Cariboo Mountains. Today, one of the peaks on the plateua still carries the name French Snowshoe Peak.1
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                    Snowy MountainMap
                                                    The description Snowy Mountain in Rae's Pass appears on this 1857 map by McKay. Based on this map, it appears they may have been considering naming one of the peaks in the region “Mount Rae” or “Snowy Mountain”. No mountains in the region currently bear the name; however, there are still sixteen unnamed peaks above 9,800 feet in the nearby Premier range.1 McKay and company may have been referring to one of these. It is also possible that, viewed from below, a section of the range appeared as a single massif, and that “Mount Rae” and “Snowy Mountain” refer to several summits.
                                                    Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                      Society IslandsMap
                                                      The Society Islands are located in the South Pacific, and are part of French Polynesia.
                                                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                      Soda CreekMap
                                                      Soda Creek is a rural subdivision north of Williams Lake, located on the east bank of the Fraser River. In 1863 a relay was established in Soda Creek from New Westminster to Alexandria. River steamers ran from Soda Creek to Quesnel along the Fraser River, completing the journey in eight days.1
                                                      Soda Creek is home to the Xat'sull First Nation, the northernmost tribe of the Secwepemc Nation, the largest nation within the British Columbian interior.2 Xat'sull means on the cliff where the bubbling water comes out.3 Large runs of Sockey and Chinook salmon travel through Soda Creek in the Autumn, and were a staple for the Xat'sull.4 The first native reserve in the area was created in 1865 by Sir James Douglas, consisting of an area 35 km long and 12.5 km wide, but was reduced to 1.5 square km over the course of several years.5 European land claims extorted the Xat'sull and settlers in the area; Xat'sull staged protests, but were largely ignored until 1895 when European settlers began to protest as well.6
                                                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                      SointulaMap
                                                      Sointula is a community on Malcolm Island, just off the northeastern shore of Vancouver Island, across from Port McNeill.
                                                      In 1901, Finnish settlers attempted to set up a socialist colony, and received a provincial land grant to do so.1 The colony peaked at a population of roughly 2000, which dissolved until its demise in 1905; nevertheless, many colonists remained, and today, the community has a trace of its Finnish roots, albeit at the reduced population of around 700 permanent residents.2
                                                      • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 555.
                                                      • 2. Ibid.
                                                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                      Somenos DistrictMap
                                                      The Somenos District is located roughly 10 km north of Duncan.
                                                      In 1862, the amount of arable land around Victoria was becoming scarce, so Douglas took prospective farmers upcoast to Cowichan Bay aboard the Hecate to give them the opportunity to stake land in the Somenos, Shawnigan, and Quamichan districts.1 According to the British Colonist, in compensation for the land, the government gave the Indigenous people two blankets per person for the land that they surrendered.2
                                                      The Somenos District was mapped as part of Pemberton's surveys of the southern Vancouver Island during the 1850s, which can be seen on this map and another, both from 1859.
                                                      The official Cowichan Tribes website notes that the Somenos District, along with the Quamichan and Comiaken districts, were three of the seven traditional villages that were separated into districts and later forced to amalgamate into the one Cowichan “band” under the Indian Act.3
                                                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                      Somenos LakeMap
                                                      Somenos Lake is located within the Somenos District, north of Duncan. Somenos is the plural form of the Cowichan word for a resting place.1 According to the Akriggs, the name originally referred to an area on the Cowichan River that was calm enough for canoers to rest before they continued their journey upstream.2
                                                      • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 249.
                                                      • 2. Ibid.
                                                      Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Sonora IslandMap
                                                        Sonora Island is located off the mid-east coast of Vancouver Island. Fierce tidal channels surround the island, which was considered, until the 1870s, Valdes Island, along with Quadra and Maurelle islands—these three islands did not receive their individual names until 1903.1
                                                        The 174 square km Sonora Island was named after the Sonora, an 11 m Spanish vessel that sailed west coast waters in the 1770s.2
                                                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 556.
                                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        SookeMap
                                                        In 1842, James Douglas refers to Sooke as “Sy-yousung”, and makes several entries about the geographical features of Sooke in Pelly, Sir John Henry to Hawes, Benjamin 24 October 1846, CO 305:1, no. 1301, 25. In another spelling, with the addition of the letter “i”, Douglas refers to “Sy-yousuing” again in an 1849 despatch, wherein he states that it is 25 miles distant from Fort Victoria, and has the important advantage of a good mill stream and a great abundance of fine timber.
                                                        Another possible Sooke-landscape reference exists in the name “Whoyring”, present day Becher Bay, which Douglas refers to as a port, located eight miles east of “Sy-yousuing”.2
                                                        • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1788-1846 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1975), 349.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Sooke BasinMap
                                                        The Sooke Basin is part of the Sooke region, with its relative location east of Sooke Harbour, on the southwest side of Vancouver Island.
                                                        In 1790, Quimper applied the name “Puerto de Revilla Gigedo” to the basin, harbour, and inlet.1
                                                        • 1. Sooke Basin, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Spokane RiverMap
                                                        The Spokane River flows in Washington and Idaho States. It is a tributary of the Columbia River.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        SpuzzumMap
                                                        Spuzzum, a small community located beyond Hope and just before Hell's Gate, was established in 1848 as a depot for the HBC.1 It was originally known as Simon's House before it became known as Spuzzum.2 The name is an adaptation of the Indigenous name for a nearby creek called Spozem, which means little flat lands.3
                                                        The community was situated in the gold mining area west of the Fraser River, between Yale and Boston Bar. Douglas notes that the banks of the Fraser River near Spuzzum were known as a rich mining area. In this despatch, Douglas writes that Chinese Miners have settled near Spuzzum and that their own small means are insufficient to bring in an artificial supply [of water] from the neighbouring mountains, [so] they convey the soil for washing wheel barrows to the rivers edge, a fact which goes far to prove the extensive richness of the deposit.
                                                        • 1. Spuzzum, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                                        • 3. Ibid.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        SquamishMap
                                                        Squamish is a town and harbour on the Squamish River. The town is located nearly halfway between Vancouver and Whistler. The Squamish River is named after the Squamish First Nation band.1 Squamish has been translated as people of the sacred water.2 The river was first recorded on an 1863 admiralty chart, and many obsolete spellings have been recorded, including Chomes, Whoomis, Skqo'moc and Squohamish.3
                                                        Europeans moved into the area in the late 1880s, and a small logging and agricultural community formed.4 The settlement was briefly renamed as Newport; however, in 1912, the government of British Columbia reverted the official name back to Squamish.5 Today, Squamish is a district municipality with a population of 14,000.6
                                                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 562.
                                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                                        • 3. Ibid.
                                                        • 4. Ibid.
                                                        • 5. Ibid.
                                                        • 6. Ibid.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        StanleyMap
                                                        Stanley is the capital of the Falkland Islands. Richard Moody was the lieutenant governor of the Falkland Islands before he became the lieutenant governor of British Columbia.1
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Statapoosten (incomplete)Map
                                                        In 1859, the Northwest Boundary Survey established Statapoosten, or Statapoostin, as an astronomical station slighty east of Gilpin. The map provided, above, covers two high points in the area that they might have used.
                                                        Information for this place is not yet complete.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        SteilacoomMap
                                                        Steilacoom is located on the southern shore of Puget Sound, just southwest of Tacoma. Its name is an anglicization of “č'tilqʷɘbš” (pronounced “CH'tilQWubSH”) in the Steilacoom People's language, Whulshootseed, a subdialect of Puget Sound Salish.1
                                                        In 1792, Vancouver's crew sailed past and met with Indigenous people offshore from Steilacoom, and by 1824, the HBC visited the village.2
                                                        This 1856 despatch makes reference to a principal military station at Steilacoom.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        StevestonMap
                                                        Steveston is a town located at the mouth of the Fraser River, near Vancouver. According to Scott, the first European family in the area was that of Manoah Steves, his wife, and his seven children.1 In 1889, the eldest son, William Steves, developed a town called Steves on the family land that served as a market for the many farms and canneries that lined the Fraser River.2
                                                        The town developed strong boat-building and salmon-canning industries, and local promoters nicknamed it “Salmonopolis” in the late 1800s.3 Eventually, the name Steveston rerred to nearby Steveston Bar and Steveston Island.4 Today, Steveston is inside of the city of Richmond, and it is home to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, a national historic site.5
                                                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 566.
                                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                                        • 3. Ibid.
                                                        • 4. Ibid.
                                                        • 5. Ibid.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Stikine RiverMap
                                                        The Stikine River flows southwest out of Stikine Plateau through Northern BC and the BC-Alaska boundary.1 It is the fourth-longest river in the province and its Tlingit First Nation name simply means the river.2
                                                        Stikine River was a transportation route to several northern gold rushes during the 1800s.3 Its lower reaches were traversed by stern-wheeled paddle steamers for almost a century.4
                                                        This 1860 map, from the Colonial Despatches collection, provides several fascinating details on the “Stekin River”.
                                                        The Stikine Ranges in North-central BC are named after the river.5
                                                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 568.
                                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                                        • 3. Ibid.
                                                        • 4. Ibid.
                                                        • 5. Ibid.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Stikine TerritoryMap
                                                        The Stikine Territory today would cover present-day northwest British Columbia in the south, the Yukon to the north, and its top-most right portion would push into the Northwest Territories. Its official boundaries were as follows: the Alaska border to the west, the 62nd parallel to the north, the 125th meridian to the east, and the border of the colony of British Columbia to the south.1
                                                        This territory existed for a short time as a discrete political region, mostly due to gold discoveries on the Stikine River in 1861.2 Eventually, the British government gave Douglas legal authority in the region,3 and the despatches collection tracks the fate of this short-lived entity up to the point, in 1863, when Newcastle includes the following passage in a memorial [in Helps, Arthur to Fortescue, 1st Baron Carlingford Chichester 12 June 1863, CO 60:17, no. 5704, 143]:
                                                        I think the present opportunity should be taken to annex Stickeen to the Colony of British Columbia. I see no other way of adequately providing for its Government without making it a separate [Government] at the expense of the Mother Country, which must be avoided.
                                                        See the Stikine River entry for more information.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        StoweMap
                                                        Stowe is a small village located in Buckingham, England. In 1589, John Temple purchased the Stowe Manor and estate, the gardens were later expanded and swallowed three nearby villages: Boycott, Dadford, and Lamport. In 1712 the village consisted of only 180 residents, when it expanded the only original building that remained was Stowe Church.1
                                                        By the 1830s, some areas of Stowe were not even 100 years old. After the Temples, the next tenant of the estate was the 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. The duke was very poor at managing money and borrowed a very large sum in order to buy new furniture and repair the estate upon a royal visit by Queen Victoria in 1845. It was the 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos that saved the estate from ruin in the 1860s. Stowe was sold after the First World War.2
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Strait of GeorgiaMap
                                                        This 200 km long strait separates mainland southern British Columbia from Vancouver Island. From its start in the Gulf Islands in the south to its northernmost point, Cape Mudge on Quadra Island, the Strait of Georgia contains several clusters of smaller islands.
                                                        In 1791, Spanish naval officers called it the Gran Canal de Nuestra Señor del Rosario la Marinera, but in 1792, British Captain George Vancouver named it the Gulph of Georgia in honour of King George III, which was particularly jingoistic given strained relations between the Spanish and British, which would play out further in a meeting between Captains Quadra and Vancouver in Friendly Cove the same year.1
                                                        By 1858 its name changed officially to the Strait of Georgia, and now it is part of the Salish Sea, along with the Puget Sound and Juan de Fuca Strait.2
                                                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 218.
                                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Strawberry IslandMap
                                                        The tiny Strawberry Island lies just off of western Cypress Island. It is part of the San Juan group. Strawberry Island, as with Strawberry Bay, was given its European name by Vancouver on June 6, 1792, in reference, presumably, to the abundance of wild strawberry that grew in the area.1
                                                        • 1. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 199.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Stuart IslandMap
                                                        Stuart Island is located at the mouth of Bute Inlet, east of Sonora Island. Captain George Vancouver named both Stuart Island and Bute Inlet in honour of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, who was the British Prime Minister from 1762-1763.1
                                                        Bute Inlet is notorious for its strong outflow winds and for “Bute wax”, an oily material that appears on the inlet's surface.2 This 1858 despatch notes that Stuart Island's landlocked harbours are a good shelter for a fleet.
                                                        • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 571.
                                                        • 2. Ibid., 96.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Stuart LakeMap
                                                        This large lake is located in central British Columbia, and Fort Saint James is on its shores.1 Originally named Nak'al Bun by the Dakelh people, Stuart Lake was called Sturgeon Lake by Simon Fraser; he later named it after John Stuart, who was a part of Fraser's expedition down the Fraser River.2
                                                        • 1. Stuart Lake, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                                        • 2. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 257.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Sumas RiverMap
                                                        The Sumas River is a tributary of the Fraser River, and flows north from Washington State into the Fraser, east of Abbostford.1 The Sumas takes its name from the Halkomelem word for big flat opening.2
                                                        Originally, the Sumas flowed into Sumas Lake, a mosquito-infested body which provided an extremely unpleasant environment for the Royal Engineers working in the Fraser Valley: night and day the hum of these blood-thirsty tyrants was incessant…it was utterly impossible to work or write, one's entire time being occupied in slapping, stamping, grumbling, and savagely slaughtering mosquitos.3 The large, shallow lake was drained in the 1920s to expand agricultural land and to reduce mosquito infestations.4
                                                        • 1. Sumas River, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                                        • 2. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 259.
                                                        • 3. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 114.
                                                        • 4. Akrigg and Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names, 259.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Sutleth (incomplete)Map
                                                        The area outlined on the map, above, estimates a range of where a Sutleth village or palisade may have existed.
                                                        Sutleth is mentioned during the Chilcotin War, and a southern route to Sutleth appears on this map. A “Sutleth Lake” often appeared on contemporary maps, adjacent to Nimpo, or Nimpoh, Lake. However, on modern maps Nimpo Lake does not appear to have any nearby lakes of a similar size and shape, as Sutleth Lake was shown in colonial sources. It is unclear if this is due to errors in colonial sources, or if the topography of the region has changed.
                                                        Information for this place is not yet complete.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        SwanseaMap
                                                        Swansea is a county and city in south Wales, England. In the 19th century, it was a thriving coal exporter.1
                                                        • 1. Swansea, Oxford Reference Online: World Encyclopedia.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Tabuaeran AtollMap
                                                        This atoll in the west-central Pacific Ocean was known as Fanning Island or Fanning Atoll; it is comprised of islets that surround a lagoon that is roughly 50 km in circumference.1
                                                        The Fanning name is in reference to a US exporter and trader named Edmund Fanning, who found it in 1798.2 In 1888, Britain used it as a site for a transpacific cable-relay station, which remained in service until 1963.3
                                                        Its name changed to modern usage in 1979, when it joined the Republic of Kiribati.4 Today, the atoll exports seaweed and copra and, among other things, serves as a waypoint for yachts cruising southwest across the Pacific from Hawaii.5 As of 2005, its population was estimated at 2,539.
                                                        In the minutes to Pennell, Henry Cholmondeley to Fortescue, 1st Baron Carlingford Chichester 15 July 1861, CO 305:18, no. 6401, 10, Blackwood notes that, According to the Directory for the Pacific Ocean this Island [would] seem of little value to this Country as a Colony, & is likely to cause more trouble than it is worth. And, in a subsequent minute, Elliot asks rhetorically, What possible object there can have been in the folly of declaring this Island British I am unable to imagine.
                                                        • 1. Tabuaeran Atoll, Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
                                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                                        • 3. Ibid.
                                                        • 4. Ibid.
                                                        • 5. Ibid.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        TacomaMap
                                                        Tacoma, Washington State is located at the southern end of Puget Sound, and now surrounds the historical site of Fort Nisqually, an HBC trading post.
                                                        In 1884, Tacoma incorporated, and by 1890 its population reached 36,000, thanks to booming business in lumber processing, coal mining, and a variety of exports.1
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        TasmaniaMap
                                                        Tasmania is an island state of Australia, its original inhabitants are the “palawa” an Indigenous group that have been situated on the island for over 10,000 years. Abel Tasman was the first European to arrive in Tasmania in 1642, followed by Captain Cook in 1777. The first permanent European settlement was located on the eastern bank of the River Derwent and established in 1803.1
                                                        In 1804, the first unprovoked attack on Tasmanian peoples began what was known as the “Black War.” In the “Black War,” white settlers mistreated the Indigenous Peoples, seeing them as subhuman, depleted their food supply, attacked the women, and killed the men. The Indigenous Peoples were later removed to live on Flinders Islands until they were able to return in 1847. During the “Black War,” the Indigenous Peoples in Tasmania died from settler violence and settler-brought diseases.2
                                                        Tasmania is also known for its penal system, the first penal settlement was founded in 1822. In the early 19th century, many convicts were sent to Tasmania; however, this transportation of convicts ended in 1852. The last person to be hanged in Tasmania was Margaret Coghlan in 1862.3
                                                        During the 19th century, Tasmania also saw a development in its whaling industry and a growth in the amount of seal hunters on the island. In the 1870s tin was discovered in Tasmania and by the 1890s, copper mining began. In the same year, the University of Tasmania was founded.4
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Tatla LakeMap
                                                        Tatla Lake, or “Tatl'ah Biny,” is located on the western edge of the Chilcotin grasslands. This lake, along with Chilcotin and Alexis Lake, form a triangle which are all approximately 40 kilometers apart. Tatla Lake is one of the three main fishing grounds that the Tsilhqot'in congregate to in the spring months.1
                                                        The Tsilhqot'in early winter hunting and trapping ground is in and around the lower elevations of lakes such as Tatla Lake. It was also noted in 1872 that the “Stone Tsilhqot'ins” under Chief Keogh occupied the land from Tatla Lake to the Chilko River.2 The lakes in the Chilcotin region are an important resource to the Tsilhqot'in, demonstrated by the connectivity throughout the various areas of the region via trails, such as the one that connects the fishery at Little Eagle Lake to Tatla Lake.3
                                                        In the aftermath of the “Chilcotin Massacre,” William George Cox and his men were sent by Governor Seymour to chase rogue Tsilhqot'in near Tatla Lake.4 In 1875, George Mercer Dawson surveyed the Chilcotin region, including Tatla Lake. Tatla Lake, like many Indigenous named places, is an example of a place settlers/explorers visited and then named them for themselves. This act was an erasure of the community and life that existed prior to European settlements.5
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Tatoosh IslandMap
                                                        Tatoosh Island is a collective name for a small group of islands located one mile off the tip of Cape Flattery. Captain John Meares named the island Tatooche after Makah chief Tatootche.1 “Tatoosh” is the Chinook word for thunder bird or nourishing beast, which, according to Makah legend, was the creature that inhabited the island.2 The Cape Flattery Lighthouse was built on the main island in 1857 to guide ships into the Strait of Juan De Fuca.3 Other names that have been used to describe Tatoosh Island are “Tu-tutsh”, I“sla de Tutusi”, and “Tatouche”.4
                                                        • 1. Robert Hitchman, Place Names of Washington (Tacoma: Washington State Historical Society, 1985), 298.
                                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                                        • 3. Ibid.
                                                        • 4. Ibid.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Tchae-tse-sum RiverMap
                                                        On Alexander Caulfield Anderson's 1867 map, Tchae-tse-sum River is located approximately eight kilometers downriver from Fort Hope. In this despatch, Tchae-tse-sum River is described as having almost no mosquitos, unlike the Fraser River. This area seems to be free of these troublesome pests.1
                                                        • 1. Andrea Lynne Laforet and Annie York, Spuzzum: Fraser Canyon Histories, 1809-1939, (UBC Press 1999) ; Douglas to Stanley, 15 June 1858, 7830, CO 60/1, p.54.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                        Telegraph PassageMap
                                                        Telegraph Passage, which appears as Telegraph Pass on this 1865 map, is located near the Skeena River. 1 The pass was named in 1865 in honour of the Collins Overland Telegraph to Asia that was supposed to be built in the area; however, due to the effectiveness of the trans-Atlantic cable, the project was deserted.2
                                                        • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 264.
                                                        • 2. Ibid.
                                                        Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          TempleMap
                                                          The Temple is a series of buildings associated with the legal profession and it lies between Fleet Street and the Embankment in the City of London. The buildings are named after the Knights Templar -- a medieval religious and military order -- which established the buildings in 1160.1
                                                          The Templars order ended in 1312, the buildings were then voted to be given to the order of St. John of Jerusalem, which then began to lease the buildings to law students. Each section of the Temple contains its own halls, gardens, courts, and library collections.2 Most of the medieval buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of London and other parts of the Temple were destroyed by bombs in the Second World War.3
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          The Cleft
                                                          In this despatch, Douglas refers to The Cleft as one of the passes of ominous fame, so notorious in the history of the Colony, along with Jackass Mountain, The Great Slides, and The Rocking Bridges. These features' general location is in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. As of this writing, however, the exact location of this pass remains unknown.
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          The DallesMap
                                                          The Dalles, in Oregon, is a city on the Columbia River. It is, roughly, 100 km east of Portland, and the largest community in Wasco County. The city incorporated in 1857, but it was a significant settlement for many years prior, especially as it was considered the town at the end of the Oregon Trail;1 it was inhabited by the Wasco and Wishram tribes for some 10,000 years before European arrival.2 The Dalles, as with other cities on the Columbia, was embroiled in the Oregon Territory land disputes of the mid-1800s.
                                                          In extracts associated with Shepherd,John to Labouchere, Henry 7 February 1856, CO 305:7, no. 1227, 238, The Dalles appears as a site of conflict between US Troops and the Yakima, as well as other indigenous groups. The Dalles, or “the flagstones”, from the French “dalle”, was so named due to the rocks and rapids on the city's riverfront.3
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          The FallsMap
                                                          “The Falls” refers to a set of Fraser River rapids located approximately six km north of Yale. An important site during the Fraser Gold Rush, the falls are, in various despatches and documents, also referred to as the “Great Falls”, and the “Fraser falls”. Douglas was an unwitting perpetrator of this confusion, as he used the name “Great Falls” interchangeably to describe more than one locale in his despatches (as seen here and here).
                                                          The trail around the falls was described as a particularly treacherous and slow-going area for miners and travellers, called a mere-goat track with inclines of thirty to thirty-six degrees, and with yawning precipices; Mayne allegedly described the area as the roughest trail he ever encountered.1
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          The Great Slides
                                                          In this despatch, Douglas refers to The Great Slides as one of the passes of ominous fame, so notorious in the history of the Colony, along with Jackass Mountain, The Cleft, and The Rocking Bridges. These features' general location is in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. As of this writing, however, the exact location of this pass remains unknown.
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          The Rocking Bridges
                                                          In this despatch, Douglas refers to The Rocking Bridges as one of the passes of ominous fame, so notorious in the history of the Colony, along with Jackass Mountain, The Cleft, and The Great Slides. These features' general location is in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. As of this writing, however, the exact location of this pass remains unknown.
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          The Rocky MountainsMap
                                                          The Rocky Mountains, or The Rockies, are part of North America's Continental Divide, which separates the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic basins; they run 4800 km from Alaska to northern Mexico, and for a number of large rivers the Rockies act as either drainage or as a source, including the Yukon, Columbia and Fraser.1
                                                          The British Columbia section of the Rockies cover a length of roughly 1200 km, from just shy of the Yukon border in the north, to the Canada-Montana state border to the south.2
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          Thetis CoveMap
                                                          Thetis Cove is on the east side of Esquimalt Harbour. It, as with other Thetis features, was named after HMS Thetis, a Royal Navy ship that sailed west coast waters in the 1850s.1
                                                          Interestingly, Kuper makes reference to another "Thetis" Cove, presumably somewhere on western Haida Gwaii.
                                                          • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 588-589.
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          Thetis IslandMap
                                                          Thetis Island is part of the Gulf Islands chain, off southeastern Vancouver Island. It is separated from Kuper Island, to the south, by a narrow, artificial canal called The Cut. Thetis Island was named after HMS Thetis—commanded by Captain Kuper during most of its life on the coast.1 This famous, or infamous, ship also gave names to Thetis Anchorage, Cove, and another Thetis Island.
                                                          • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 588-589.
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          Thlik-um-chee-naMap
                                                          Thlik-um-chee-na is the Indigenous name for the junction of Nicholas, now Nicola, River and Thompson River. In this despatch, it is described that at Thlik-um-chee-na, or the Little Fork, and upwards, rattle-snakes, wormwood and the cactus (prickly-pear) characterize the scene.1
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          Thompson RegionMap
                                                          Thompson Region refers to the area within the watershed of the Thompson River. Simon Fraser named the river after fellow explorer David Thompson; however, the region was also known as “Couteau Country”, after the Thompson Salish people, then referred to as “Couteau” by explorers.1
                                                          The Thompson and Fraser Rivers merge at Lytton, which is the heart of the Thompson Region. Lytton and the surrounding area was a key site of the Fraser River Gold Rush, as this despatch, for example, illustrates. Today, the Thompson Region, together with the Nicola Valley, constitutes the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.2
                                                          • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 266.
                                                          • 2. Thompson-Nicola Regional District, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          Thompson RiverMap
                                                          Thompson River is in the southern interior of British Columbia. It flows west from Kamloops, and south and west into the Fraser River at Lytton. The Thompson was named in 1908 by Simon Fraser, after prolific geographer and explorer David Thompson.1
                                                          The Thompson merges with the North Thompson and South Thompson at Kamloops. In this despatch, Douglas describes the North River as a North Branch of the Thompson.
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          Tranquille RiverMap
                                                          Tranquille River flows southeast into the east end of Kamloops Lake.1
                                                          The story regarding the origin of its naming is controversial. Either the river was named after a Shuswap chief who was particularly friendly with the fur traders, or the chief named himself after the river.2
                                                          Upon the chief's death in 1841, his nephew murdered the HBC Chief Factor at Fort Kamloops because he was led to believe there was some negative encounter between him and Chief Tranquille.3
                                                          • 1. Tranquille River, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                                          • 2. Ibid.
                                                          • 3. Ibid.
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          TravancoreMap
                                                          Travancore is a southern Indian state, which merged with Cochin in 1949, and both merged with Malabar in 1956 to become Kerala State.1
                                                          • 1. Travancore, Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names.
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                          Trial IslandsMap
                                                          According to Scott, some sources posit that the name comes from a naval practice that required repaired naval vessels at Esquimalt to complete a “trial run” around the islands to test their seaworthiness.1 However, Scott claims that this origin is likely false, due to the fact that the name appears on charts that antecede the construction of the repair facilities at Esquimalt Harbour.2 A more likely inception of the name comes from the difficulty with which a vessel rounds the Trial Islands—which represents a “trial” of a captain's skills.3 The Trial Islands are the home to a number of wrecks; as well, many individuals have perished in the rough seas around the islands' shores.4
                                                          • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 601.
                                                          • 2. Ibid.
                                                          • 3. Ibid.
                                                          • 4. Ibid.
                                                          Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            TrinidadMap
                                                            Trinidad is an island off the coast of Venezuela. The island was a colony of the British Empire in 1864.1
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Tsawwassen (unavailable)Map
                                                            Information is not yet available for this place.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            TuckkwiowhumMap
                                                            According to this despatch, Tuckkwiowhum is a populous village six miles above Ke-que-loose and situated at the mouth of Anderson's River. The village is located in Nlaka'pamux territory and is only five kilometers south of Boston Bar, British Columbia.1
                                                            The village, on this traditional territory, has existed for over a thousand years but saw dramatic change over the last 200 years after settlers arrived. The area was given its name by the Nlaka'pamux Peoples which translates to great berry picking place. The forests surrounding the area contain: wild huckleberries, blueberries, and medicinal plants.2
                                                            Today the village has evolved into a heritage site and is run by the Nlaka'pamux peoples. The focus of the village today is to preserve Indigenous territory, history, and culture -- with many tourists coming to visit and learn the culture.3
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Tugwell IslandMap
                                                            Tugwell Island is just west of Prince Rupert on the northern coast of British Columbia. It was named by Captain George Richards in 1862 when he sailed there on the HMS Hecate.1
                                                            • 1. Andrew Scott, Tugwell Island, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            TulameenMap
                                                            Tulameen is the namesake of both tributary of the Similkameen River and a small village in southern British Columbia. The name comes from the Thompson language and means red earth. The river was valued by the Thompson Salish for its rich deposits of red ochre.1
                                                            • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 274-275.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Turks and Caicos IslandsMap
                                                            The Turks and Caicos Islands are a group of roughly 50 islands in the Caribbean. They were incorporated into the Bahamas in 1799, and were under Jamaican rule from 1859 to 1959, until the latter gained independence, and the Federation of the West Indies dissolved—the Turks and Caicos became a British Overseas Territory in 1962, though they are a self-governing territory with respect to domestic affairs.1
                                                            • 1. Travancore, Oxford Reference Online: A Dictionary of Contemporary World History.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Tête Jaune CacheMap
                                                            Tête Jaune Cache is a community located on the Fraser River near the British Columbia-Alberta border. The area is named after Pierre Bostonois, an Iroquois guide with blond hair who first led HBC explorers west through the Rocky Mountains pass in 1820. “Tête jaune” is French for yellow head, and the Yellowhead Pass is also named after Bostonois.1
                                                            Tête Jaune Cache became an important travel point on the way to Jasper, and was described in this despatch as remarkable [for] being the western terminus of one of the least elevated and most accessible passes in the Rocky Mountains. The community boomed at the beginning of the twentieth century with the establishment of a supply depot for the Grand Trunk Railway.2 At one point, Tête Jaune Cache was considered the largest tent city in British Columbia, with all the trappings associated with living rough in close quarters: gambling, fighting, and seized whisky smuggled into the fray in the bellies of pig carcasses.3 Today, however, Tête Jaune Cache is a ghost town.4
                                                            • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 265.
                                                            • 2. E. O. S. Scholefield, British Columbia from the Earliest Times to the Present, vol. 1, 1875-1919 (Vancouver: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1914), 292.
                                                            • 3. Bruce Ramsey, Ghost Towns of British Columbia (Vancouver: Mitchell Press, 1963), 210-13.
                                                            • 4. Ibid.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Umatilla RiverMap
                                                            Umatilla River runs through Umatilla County, Oregon State, roughly 250 km east of Portland. It is a tributary of the Columbia, from which it branches off southernly at Umatilla City.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Union BarMap
                                                            Union Bar, one of the many bars situated along the Fraser River, was located about 4 km north of Hope.
                                                            According to this despatch, Union Bar was rich with silver lead, a number of tons of which were sent to New Westminster for a quality assessment. Considerable gold was also discovered at Union Bar;1 Bancroft notes that 20 men earned $4 to $5 a day.2
                                                            The Fort Yale, a sternwheeler, forced its way through a rough stretch of the Fraser at Union Bar in April, 1861; its boiler exploded, leaving four dead and two missing.3
                                                            • 1. Hubert Howe Bancroft, The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, vol. 32, History of British Columbia 1792-1887 (San Francisco: The History Company, 1887), 441.
                                                            • 2. Ibid., 444.
                                                            • 3. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 218.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Uztlius CreekMap
                                                            Uztlius Creek is a tributary of the Anderson River, which flows into the Fraser River near Boston Bar; the name is a Thompson Salish word that means water that boils, a reference to the rapids in the creek.1
                                                            • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 277.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            ValparaisoMap
                                                            Valparaiso is the capital of Chile. This port city is mentioned throughout the Despatches, especially as it was a way point for many ships headed up the coast to Vancouver Island.
                                                            In 1865, The Royal Navy established Esquimalt as an alternative station to Valparaiso for its Pacific Fleet, and the former became more strategically necessary, largely, in answer to US and Russian expansionism.1
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Vancouver HarbourMap
                                                            Vancouver Harbour is located in the Burrard Inlet, east of the Lions Gate Bridge and Coal Harbour. The harbour divides Vancouver from the North Shore, and, like the surrounding cities, bears the name of George Vancouver.1
                                                            • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 617.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Vancouver IslandMap
                                                            Vancouver Island (VI), British Columbia, is the largest island in the Pacific Northwest region at just over 31,000 square km—nearly the size of the Netherlands; it is roughly 460 km long and 50-120 km wide.1 VI is separated from mainland British Columbia by Queen Charlotte Sound to the north, the Strait of Georgia to the east, and, from the United States, by the Juan de Fuca Strait to the south. VI is home to British Columbia's provincial capital of Victoria.
                                                            Human presence on VI goes back several thousand years,2 and a variety of indigenous groups still inhabit nearly every region. VI received its English name from British Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver, who made exploration surveys of VI and its surrounding waters, at various times, between 1792 and 1794.3
                                                            Initially, the island was named Quadra and Vancouver's Island to commemorate Spanish Captain Don Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra and Vancouver's amicable meeting at Nootka in 1792, amidst increased naval tensions in the area between Spain and Britain.4 VI became the focus of HBC and British interests, particularly after the Oregon Treaty of 1846, which established the 49th parallel, including VI, as part of the boundary between US and British territory.5
                                                            • 1. Alan F. J. Artibise, Vancouver Island, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                                                            • 2. Ibid.
                                                            • 3. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 501.
                                                            • 4. Ibid., 502.
                                                            • 5. E. E. Rich, Hudson's Bay Company 1670-1870, vol. 3, 1821-1870 (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1961), 749-786.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Vancouver, British ColumbiaMap
                                                            Vancouver is British Columbia's largest city. It is located on the southwest shores of the province, roughly 50 km north of the Canada-US border, and a 90 minute ferry ride from Vancouver Island. Vancouver looks out to the Strait of Georgia, and the Salish Sea, into which the nearby Fraser River flows.
                                                            The city was named, posthumously, after Captain Vancouver, who sailed nearby waters in the 1790s. In 1906, Walbran characterized it as growing and prosperous.1 Further, Walbran notes that the area was known as Granville, prior to Canadian Pacific Railway adopting Vancouver as its terminus; and thanks, in part, to the rail line, the city grew. It incorporated in 1886 as Vancouver—a handle proposed by William van Horne, general manager of the CPR.2
                                                            • 1. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 507.
                                                            • 2. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 619.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            VernonMap
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            VictoriaMap
                                                            Victoria City, formerly Fort Victoria, is located on the south end of Vancouver Island. Now British Columbia's capital, this city sprouted from meager means as the HBC fur-trade post of Fort Victoria, christened as such in honour of Queen Victoria in 1843—a change from its shared name, to that point, as Fort Albert, and the originally intended Fort Adelaide.1 By the mid-1800s, and following the Oregon Territory boundary dispute, Fort Victoria would become the HBC's Pacific headquarters.2
                                                            The Songhees Nation, now located in Esquimalt, had villages on the land where much of present-day Victoria stands, including the British Columbia Legislature building, and had contributed labour to the Fort Victoria's construction.3 As with today, the areas surveyed and reported on by Douglas in 1842, as shown in this document, were home to a variety of indigenous groups.4
                                                            During the Fraser River Gold Rush, which started in earnest in the late 1850s, Victoria's population boomed under the governorship of Douglas, who had replaced his successor, and the first Crown-appointed Governor, Blanshard. Victoria City incorporated in 1862, and two years afterward, what remained of the old fort was torn down.5 In 1868, Victoria became the capital of the British Columbia colony, and then the provincial capital following British Columbia's confederation in 1871.6
                                                            • 1. Denis F. K. Madill, Fort Victoria, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                                                            • 2. Ibid.
                                                            • 3. Current History, Songheesnation.com.
                                                            • 4. Ibid.
                                                            • 5. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 623.
                                                            • 6. Ibid.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Victoria BarMap
                                                            Victoria Bar, referred to in an enclosure to this correspondence as “Fort Victoria Bar”, was located somewhere above Yale, though its precise location is uncertain, presently, and the map location, given above, is approximate.1
                                                            Victoria Bar was one among the many bars and gold-mining sites on or near the Fraser River during the 1858-59 gold rush. According to Bancroft, Victoria Bar was disregarded at first, owing to the fineness of [its] gold, along with dozens of other similarly rated bars.2
                                                            On Saturday, March 12th, 1859, the British Colonist reported that water ditches were completed at Victoria Bar and Prince Albert Flat, in order to supply the miners there with water.3
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Victoria DistrictMap
                                                            At the time of this despatch, Victoria District, which can be seen on this map, referred to one of the electoral districts of the Vancouver Island House of Assembly.
                                                            In the same despatch, Douglas states that the January 1860 elections were keen contest[s] in nearly every District represented.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Victoria HarbourMap
                                                            Victoria Harbour, like the city of Victoria, was named in honour of Queen Victoria.1 The local First Nations called the area Camosack or Camosun, which means rush of water. According to Scott, the name refers to the Gorge tidal rapids.2 Victoria Harbour is divided into five parts, which include the Inner Harbour, the Upper Harbour, Selkirk Water, Gorge Waters, and Portage Inlet.3
                                                            • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 623.
                                                            • 2. Ibid.
                                                            • 3. Victoria Harbour, BC Geographical Names Information System.
                                                            Mentions of this place in the documents
                                                            Victoria, AustraliaMap
                                                            Victoria is a state in Southwestern Australia. Formed as a colony in 1851, it was named after Queen Victoria, and is Australia's most densely populated state.1
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                                                            Virgin IslandsMap
                                                            The Virgin Islands are part of the Caribbean, in the group known as the Lesser Antilles, and, today, they divide politically into the British Virgin Islands, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.1 The main islands in the former are Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Tortola, and, in the latter, St John, St Croix, and St Thomas. The diversity of these islands' names speak to their political and cultural past.2
                                                            • 1. Virgin Islands, Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language.
                                                            • 2. Ibid.
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                                                            Waldron IslandMap
                                                            Named during the Wilkes Expedition of 1841, Waldron Island is located in the San Juan Islands, north of Orcas Island.1 Waldron Island was also named “Isla Lemos” by Spanish explorers.2 The island is mentioned by Richards in this despatch as having two good anchorages.
                                                            • 1. Lynn Middleton, Place Names of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing, 1969), 220.
                                                            • 2. Robert Hitchman, Place Names of Washington (Tacoma: Washington State Historical Society, 1985), 322.
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                                                            Walla WallaMap
                                                            Walla Walla is a city in Washington State, just east of the Columbia River. What would become Old Fort Walla Walla began its life in 1811, as a pole in the ground, thanks to David Thompson passing through the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers on behalf of the North West Company.1 In 1818, the North West Company shifted its trade centre from Spokane House to Thompson's site, and built Fort Nez Perces.2
                                                            Largely, the North West Company traded with Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla people, but a rise in commerce saw a rise in tensions that would, ultimately, result in ongoing conflicts, which started early with the Cowlitz. As Rich argues, the fort's position soon had less to do with fur trade and more to do with the security of the route to Snake Country,3 particularly as the US government muscled its politics into the region.4
                                                            The HBC took over the fort, following the merger with the North West Company, in 1821; it was destroyed by fire in '41, then rebuilt of adobe, but it burned again during conflicts with indigenous groups in 1855.5 The HBC abandoned the fort in 1857, and the US military built an new Fort Walla Walla several km upstream—the military would go on to build two more Fort Walla Wallas.6
                                                            • 1. D. W. Meinig, The Great Columbia Plain, (Washington: University of Washington Press, 1968), 61-73.
                                                            • 2. Establishment of Fort Nez Perces, Trail Tribes: Umatilla, Walla Walla & Cayuse.
                                                            • 3. E. E. Rich, Hudson's Bay Company 1670-1870, vol. 3, 1821-1870 (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1961), 619.
                                                            • 4. Our History & Culture: Part 2, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
                                                            • 5. Joseph Drayton, Fort Nez Perce, The Oregon History Project.
                                                            • 6. Lyn Topinka, Fort(s) Walla Walla…, The Columbia River: A Photographic Journey.
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                                                            Washington CityMap
                                                            Washington, DC, formally the District of Columbia, is located on the Potomac River—“potomac” is Algonquin for trading place.1 In 1790, US Congress drew a 260 square km boundary to mark the capital of the federal government, called the District of Columbia, even today, DC is a territory, not a state.2
                                                            • 1. Washington, Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
                                                            • 2. Ibid.
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                                                            Washington TerritoryMap
                                                            Washington Territory was a fallout region of the Oregon Treaty of 1846, which saw the creation, on paper, at least, of Oregon Territory. Soon after the treaty, settlers north of the Columbia pushed for a separate territory, which came to pass in the US Congress in 1853, first on a February bill as “Columbia Territory”, and then amended to “Washington Territory” in March, in honour of the first US president, George Washington.1
                                                            Washington Territory became the state it is today in 1889.2
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                                                            Washoe River
                                                            May be synonymous with Salmon River. The BC Geographical Names Office has no listing of current creeks or rivers called “Washoe”.
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                                                            West BayMap
                                                            During his survey of south Vancouver Island in the HMS Herald from 1846 to 1847, Captain Henry Kellett named the western shore of Victoria Harbour West Bay.1 In the 1930's, hydrographer Henri Parizeau attempted to have the name changed to Bolduc Bay, in honour of Jean Baptiste Bolduc, a Roman Catholic missionary who accompanied Douglas when he came to Fort Victoria in 1943; however, the Geographic Board of Canada rejected Parizeau's request to change the name.2
                                                            • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 638.
                                                            • 2. Ibid.
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                                                              Western ChannelMap
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                                                              Whatcom CountyMap
                                                              Whatcom is the most northern county in Washington State. It is the traditional home to a variety of Indigenous Peoples, which include the Lummi, Samish, Nooksack, and Semiahmoo. The Lummi named the area “what-coom”, or “noisy, rumbling water”, in reference to a waterfall near Bellingham Bay, Bellingham.1
                                                              In 1775, the Spanish claimed much of what is considered Whatcom County today, but as with much of the Salish Sea region, Whatcom piqued Russian, British, and US trade interests throughout the 19th century.2 The San Juan Islands, as part of Whatcom County, were at the fulcrum of the British-US boundary teeter-totter, which destabilized vigorously after the famous Pig War on San Juan Island.
                                                              • 1. History, Whatcom County.
                                                              • 2. Ibid.
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                                                              Whidbey IslandMap
                                                              Whidbey lies southeast of the San Juan Islands. On the northern end of the Whidbey Island's serrated shores is Deception Pass, while the southern end of the island wedges into Puget Sound. It was named by Vancouver in 1792, after the indefatigable Master Joseph Whidbey, who, according to Middleton, explored more coastline in an open boat than any of Vancouver's officers.1 Walbran concurs, and concedes that his seminal book on place names would be incomplete without a notice of Whidbey; Walbran goes on to pen a remarkably thorough and eloquent obituary for the man.2
                                                              • 1. Lynn Middleton, Placenames of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Victoria: Elldee Publishing Company, 1969), 223.
                                                              • 2. John T. Walbran, British Columbia Coast Names (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1971), 527-530.
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                                                              White River (Washington, USA)Map
                                                              White River runs through present-day Washington State, and its headwaters feed from glaciers on Mount Ranier.1
                                                              In this 1855 despatch, Douglas remarks on the tragic events detailed in the Puget Sound Newspapers on the apparent attacks on American Settlements on the White River by local Indigenous groups.
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                                                              Willamette RiverMap
                                                              This tributary of the Columbia River runs through, among other farming and urban regions, Portland, Oregon, and the Willamette Valley. The US Geographic Names Information System lists 18 spelling variations for Willamette,1 some of which, such as “Wallamette” appear in this 1846 despatch.
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                                                              Willamette ValleyMap
                                                              The Willamette Valley is a fertile region of land, in northwest Oregon State, fed largely by the Willamette River and its wealth of tributaries.
                                                              Throughout the mid-1800s, with Fort Vancouver as its economic and trading hub, the Willamette Valley became a focal point for farming, settlement, trade, and conflict—between Indigenous and settler populations and over US and British interests.1
                                                              • 1. J. S. Galbraith, The Hudson's Bay Company as an Imperial Factor, 1821–1869 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1976), 177-91.
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                                                              William HeadMap
                                                              William Head is a headland on the southern end of Vancouver Island, just to the southeast of the Sooke Basin, on the north side of Pedder Bay.
                                                              In 1846, Captain Kellett, of the HMS Herald, named William Head in honour of accomplished Arctic explorer William Parry.1 However, the area is perhaps best known as a former quarantine station for passengers and crew who arrived, largely from Asia, to Vancouver Island between 1894 and 1958; a year after the station closed it became a minimum-security prison, which it remains to this day.2
                                                              • 1. Andrew Scott, The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2009), 645.
                                                              • 2. Ibid.
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                                                                Williams CreekMap
                                                                Williams Creek is located just north of the community of Wells, which is roughly five km northwest of the historic mining town of Barkerville, in south-central British Columbia.
                                                                In this 1861 report on gold in the Cariboo, Douglas notes that Thomas Brown, an American citizen, claims the honour of having discovered and taken up the first mining claim on William's Creek.
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                                                                Williams LakeMap
                                                                Williams Lake is a city located halfway between Kamloops and Prince George. Europeans settled the area in 1859, and the name “Williams Lake” could be attributed to one of the early settlers, William Pinchbeck, who ranched and farmed there from 1860 onward.1 However, BCGNIS notes Jack Williams, a Cornish settler, as another source for the name.2 Finally, the name could have originated from the nearby lake, Williams Lake, named after Chief William, a local Secwepemc (Shuswap) leader who is credited with keeping peace between First Nations and miners during the gold rush.3
                                                                The settlement expanded in 1919, with the arrival of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, and became known as the “Hub of the Cariboo”; today, Williams Lake is an important cattle ranching centre and is home to the Williams Lake Stampede, a major professional rodeo.3
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                                                                Willow RiverMap
                                                                The Willow River is a tributary of the Fraser River in the north-central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It enters the Fraser at the community of Willow River, just upstream from the city of Prince George, near the confluence of the McGregor River. Its source is in the Cariboo goldfields at Jack of Clubs Lake in the mining and arts community of Wells, British Columbia, near Barkerville.
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                                                                WinnipegMap
                                                                Winnipeg is the capital city of Manitoba; it incorporated in 1873 with a population of around 3700.1 It is roughly 100 km north of the Minnesota border.2 The area covered by today's city supported European fur-trade interests as early as 1738, with the building of Fort Rouge and, later, the Red River Settlement.3
                                                                Winnipeg derives from the Cree word “win-nipi”, or “murky water”, likely in reference to the Red and Assiniboine Rivers that intersect at the heart of the city.4
                                                                • 1. Alan F. J. Artibise, Winnipeg, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                                                                • 2. Ibid.
                                                                • 3. Ibid.
                                                                • 4. Ibid.
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                                                                Wisconsin TerritoryMap
                                                                Wisconsin Territory, located in the United States of America, did not become its own territory until 1836. Before then, it was incorporated into Illinois, Indiana, and then Michigan territory. It was not until 4 July 1836 that Wisconsin officially became a territory due to its increasing population.1
                                                                Before the U.S occupation of Wisconsin, the British held control over the territory until the end of the War of 1812. Afterwards, Wisconsin grew in productivity. Throughout the 1820s, Wisconsin was known as a primary lead mining area. By 1829, over 4,000 miners traveled to the territory. Their arrival led to the production of 13 million pounds of lead a year.2
                                                                Wisconsin is the traditional territory of the Sauk and Mesquakie Indigenous Peoples who fought against their removal from this area during the “Black Hawk War” in April 1832. The war led many young and old members of the Black Hawk tribe to die of hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and outright government official- led violence. This war sent the message to other Indigenous leaders that refusal to accept U.S terms would lead to slaughter.3
                                                                By 1840, most of Wisconsin belonged to the United States and in 1848 it became the 30th state. Although there had been over 70 treaties signed with the Indigenous Peoples in Wisconsin Territory between 1804-1854, the treaties granted very little to Indigenous sovereignty but transferred almost all of Wisconsin to U.S ownership. The land that was later settled became vacant due to the removal of the Indigenous Peoples during the “Black Hawk War.”4
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                                                                Yakima RiverMap
                                                                The Yakima River is located in south-central Washington, United States and flows approximately 320 kilometers to join the Columbia River. The Yakima River is in the traditional territory of the Yakama Peoples on the eastern border. The 1855 treaty that Indigenous Peoples signed with the settler government of Washington Territory included over 12 million acres of land, in which the tribe reserved their right to continue to fish, hunt, and gather in this area.1
                                                                The Yakima River used to be home to wild trout -- downstream of the river. It had also been a primary breeding ground for salmon, but due to the creation of impassable dams, the salmon had been absent from this area for over 100 years.2 Indigenous Peoples used the river as a plentiful fishery until the arrival of settlers in the 1800s. Settler development of the region, consequently, led to a decline in the salmon in the river and its tributaries.3
                                                                Today, there is a conservation plan in place in order to provide water enhancement and supply, which is meant to create a better environment for fishing and fish habitats. The bringing back of the missing fish was also re-giving the spiritual aspects of the fish back to the Indigenous community. Overall, the goal today for the Yakima River is to improve water quality and quantity from a modern landscape perspective.4
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                                                                Yakima ValleyMap
                                                                The Yakima Valley is located at the foot of Mt. Rainier and near to the Cascade Mountains in Washington State, United States. This region serves as the traditional hunting, fishing, and agricultural grounds for the Yakama tribe. The rights of the Indigenous Peoples to continue fishing and hunting in this area are included in the Yakama Nation Treaty, signed on 9 June 1855. Today this land is considered ceded but this is disputed by some.1
                                                                The first foreign exploration of this region began in 1805 by Lewis and Clarke, and it was reported in the early 1800s that approximately there were 3,000 inhabitants in the Yakima Valley. In 1847, the first Catholic mission was established in the valley.2 In 1884, the Northern Pacific Railroad was extended into the Yakima Valley; however, due to the inhabitants refusal to make certain concessions for the railroad, it was re-routed. The new route was placed approximately six kilometers north of the original Yakima City. The new route of the railroad began the construction of the second Yakima City that exists today, and the movement of buildings such as the courthouse, banks, and general store.3
                                                                Today, the Yakima Valley is remembered by a museum and heritage site, which depicts and tells the stories of the people living on the plateau. The Yakama Nation Museum is recognized as one of the finest Native American Museums in the United States.4
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                                                                YaleMap
                                                                Yale is a small community located on the Fraser River, 32 km north of Hope. Established as an HBC fort in 1847, the fort was named after James Yale.1 It was known also as “The Falls”, due to its proximity to a stretch of rapids on the Fraser).2 Yale's population greatly expanded during the Fraser Gold Rush, and the town developed a raucous and dangerous reputation.3
                                                                Yale was the southern terminus of the Cariboo road, and the northern terminus for steamship navigation of the Fraser River; as such, it became a pivotal gold-rush station for travel both to the Cariboo gold fields and along the Fraser River.4 After the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Yale's geographical importance diminished and today the town has fewer than 200 residents.5
                                                                • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 301.
                                                                • 2. Ibid.
                                                                • 3. Ibid.
                                                                • 4. Yale, Encyclopedia of BC.
                                                                • 5. Ibid.
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                                                                YukonMap
                                                                Yukon Territory, or The Yukon, is Canada's northwestern-most territory and became so in 1898.1 Its northern border looks to the Arctic Ocean, its eastern to Northwest Territory, its southern to British Columbia, and most of its western border runs along the US state of Alaska.
                                                                This resource-rich territory has fed both fur and mineral trades, particularly during the Yukon gold rush of the late 1800s; it draws its name from the Yukon River, whose drainages dominate much of the Yukon region.2
                                                                • 1. William C. Wonders, Yukon, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
                                                                • 2. Ibid.
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                                                                Yukon RiverMap
                                                                The Yukon River is located in northwest North America. It is the fifth largest river on the continent and flows for roughly 3000 km from its source in northwestern BC, through the Yukon Territory, across Alaska State, and into the Bering Strait; the river draws its name from the Gwich'in “Yu-kun-ah”, or “great river”.1
                                                                • 1. James Marsh, Yukon River, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
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                                                                Zayas IslandMap
                                                                Zayas Island lies west of Dundas Island and northwest of Prince Rupert.1 Pike, in command of the HMS Devastation in 1862, and Richards both travelled around Zayas Island in search of the murderers of Brady and Henley.2 Pike, who policed the coast of British Columbia, and Richards, who surveyed the British-American boundary, successfully captured the two First Nations who were involved in the murder.3 The island was named by Lieutenant Jacinto Caamaño, a Spanish explorer in 1792 who surveyed BC's coast.4
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