Colonial Despatches
This digital archive contains the original correspondence between the British Colonial Office and the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. This project aims to digitize and publish online a complete archive of the correspondence covering the period from 1846 leading to the founding of Vancouver Island in 1849, the founding of British Columbia in 1858, the annexation of Vancouver Island by British Columbia in 1866, and up to the incorporation of B.C. into the Canadian Federation in 1871.
When the Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia were created, the governors were ordered to report “everything of interest” to the Colonial Office in London, England. With several gold rushes, conflicts with aboriginal people, a near war with the United States, ships wrecked, treaties signed, murders committed and murderers hanged, towns created and other towns destroyed… the governors were busy getting it all down in the letters, which they called “the Colonial Despatches.”
Here you can use the governors’ letters as a starting point to explore the origins of modern British Columbia and Canada through four curriculum challenges, each with lesson plans for adventurous teachers and students. To begin your journey through these “interesting” times, choose one of the curriculum challenges and after, if you wish to dig deeper into the history of British Columbia, explore the Despatches themselves.
