Gold in British Columbia

The Fraser River and Cariboo gold rushes were defining moments, not only in the history of British Columbia, but also Canada. With the influx of over 25,000 European and Chinese miners to the Fraser River in the spring of 1858, all of them hungry for gold, the British government was compelled to declare the mainland, known then as New Caledonia, the Colony of British Columbia. Thirteen years later the colony would join Confederation, assuring that the country would reach from sea to sea. In an attempt to capture the excitement of this period and the challenges faced by the colonial government during the years prior to Confederation, Gold in British Columbia seeks to answer three vital questions: How did the two gold rushes unfold? Who were the participants? And what were the outcomes? Excerpts from the correspondence of government officials and from Matthew Baillie Begbie, the only Supreme Court judge in the Colony of British Columbia for most of that period, provide insight, humour and new perspectives on the actual gold rush events and the enormous task of establishing law and order during one of the major social upheavals of North America. In this history, readers will meet the miners, First Nations peoples, Hudson’s Bay Company personnel, governors, Royal Engineers, assistant gold commissioners, steadfast community leaders, and brave women who trekked over the mountains — a kaleidoscope of colourful people and events.