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104-513: Founded in 1970, the college is named after the former Governor of British Columbia, Sir James Douglas . In 1981, Kwantlen College split off from Douglas College. Douglas College's coat of arms was revealed to the public on January 21, 2020. The emblem was designed by Coast Salish artist Carrielynn Victor for the college's 50th anniversary. The emblem was the first to be completely designed by an Indigenous artist in Canada's history. The crowned heart in

208-737: A conflict of interest between his duties to the company and to the colony. In 1856, gold was discovered in the Thompson River , a tributary of the Fraser River , and a year later in the Fraser River itself. That sparked an influx of miners and others, as word of the discoveries spread south to the United States. Thousands of Americans flooded into British Columbia during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush . Although without political authority on

312-472: A brigade of canoes. Interpreters and guides could earn up to three times as much as a middleman. The social dynamics of the company was rooted in kinship and descent or ethnic origin. The company was formed by a closed network of persons of Scots descent related through blood or marriage. Several important Montreal agents were related to Simon McTavish; and his successors, brothers William and Duncan McGillivray, were his nephews. Of 128 leading figures in

416-519: A few blankets or a few shillings ). The treaties, concluded between 1850 and 1854, acquired 14 parcels of land for the Crown from the native peoples, totaling 570 square kilometres (220 sq mi). The treaty-making was halted after the Colony ran out of money to pursue its expansion policy. The administration also founded public elementary schools, worked to control alcohol in the colony, and constructed

520-493: A former Dean of Commerce and Business alleged Douglas College President Scott McAlpine said "he needed plausible deniability and he wanted to see and hear nothing" when approached about the issue. Since then, Douglas College and the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education completed an independent review of the situation and issued a report. Although the report found "no evidence of academic dishonesty or fraud in

624-607: A fur trader, and he sought to conclude treaties (the Douglas Treaties ) with First Nations on southern Vancouver Island. On the other hand, Douglas supplied Washington Territory's Governor Isaac Stevens with arms and other supplies to assist the US government in its conflict with Native American tribes. The treaties that he concluded were later criticized as having provided woefully inadequate compensation to First Nations in return for their cession of large swaths of territory (in most cases,

728-654: A heart attack on August 2, 1877, at the age of 73. His funeral procession was possibly the largest in the history of B.C., and he was interred in the Ross Bay Cemetery . North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in the regions that later became Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario . With great wealth at stake, tensions between

832-493: A rival organization, Gregory, McLeod and Co., which brought several more able partners in, including John Gregory, Alexander Mackenzie , and his cousin Roderick Mackenzie. The 1787 company consisted of 20 shares, some held by the agents at Montreal (see below), and others by wintering partners, who spent the trading season in the fur country and oversaw the trade with the aboriginal peoples there. The wintering partners and

936-725: A second line of forts be built in case the Columbia River valley fell into American hands. Charged with the task, Douglas founded Fort Victoria , on the site of present-day Victoria, British Columbia . That proved beneficial when in 1846 the Oregon Treaty was signed, extending the British North America and the United States border along the 49th parallel from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Georgia . In 1849, Britain leased

1040-511: A shareholding partner, although many remained clerks. The engagés or servants did not constitute a uniform group with equal status. The lowest level of the status pyramid was formed by the voyageurs , who paddled between Montreal and the posts around the Great Lakes. Seasonally employed, they were known by their diet and referred to as mangeurs du lard ('pork-eaters'). Hivernants , or wintering servants, who paddled canoes from

1144-495: A small amount of land and from which Douglas's mother, 'a half-breed', originated. Douglas's ethnicity made him 'an affront to Victorian society'. Mary Moody, the descendant of the Hawks industrial dynasty and the Boyd merchant banking family, wrote on 4 August 1859 'it is not pleasant to serve under a Hudson's Bay Factor' and that the 'Governor and Richard can never get on'. In a letter to

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1248-534: A smaller Training Centre campus in Surrey . Douglas offers bachelor's degrees, associated degrees, and various programs, certifications and diplomas. Each year, more than 4,000 international students from 92 countries take for-credit courses at Douglas College, accounting for roughly 18 percent of the student population. [1] The Other Press was formerly the Douglas College's student newspaper from 1976 to 2021. It

1352-528: Is complex, but it is necessary to keep track of who was competing with whom. Note that the definition of partner is not completely clear. For example, after Duncan McDougall surrendered Fort Astoria , he became a NWC partner with one one-hundredth of a share. XY Company or formally the New North West Company, and sometimes Alexander MacKenzie & Co. In 1798 Forsyth, Richardson & Co, Parker, Gerrand & Ogilvy and John Mure of Quebec formed

1456-652: Is now Nunavut Territory, the Eddystone , a ship that Fraser acquired. At Charlton Island, they laid claim to the region inhabited by the Inuit , in the name of the North West Company, and were able to capitalize on the rich furs of the area. Their expansion northwestward cut into the profits of the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1800, HBC profited £38,000 in trade compared to the North West Company's £144,000 in 1800. This bold move caught

1560-410: Is said that Simon McTavish made a personal petition to Prime Minister William Pitt , but all requests were refused. A few years later, with no relief to the Hudson's Bay Company's stranglehold, McTavish and his group decided to gamble. They organized an overland expedition from Montreal to James Bay and a second expedition by sea. In September 1803, the overland party met at Charlton Island , in what

1664-849: The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) and the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). In January 2012, Global's 16x9 news magazine aired a story alleging large scale fraud at Douglas College's Chinese partner campuses. Some faculty members complained that some Chinese students were unable to speak basic English upon graduation. They alleged mass-scale fraud whereby students were guaranteed to pass their courses through various methods such as black market answer sheets, progressively easier make-up exams, and grade tampering. Robert Buller,

1768-822: The Empire , Queen Victoria promoted him Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath . Upon his retirement, Douglas was honoured with banquets in both Victoria and New Westminster , the capital of the mainland. He also received a thank you on paper signed by 900 people. From 1864 to 1865, Douglas toured Europe. He visited relatives in Scotland and a half-sister in Paris. He had to return early when his daughter, Cecilia, died. Douglas continued to be active but kept out of politics in all forms. He died in Victoria of

1872-541: The Lower Mainland . In contrast, Europeans in the Colony numbered under 1000. Meanwhile, in neighboring Oregon and Washington Territory the Cayuse and Yakima Wars and other conflicts between Americans and indigenous peoples were raging. His relations with First Nations peoples were mixed. On the one hand, Douglas' wife was Cree , he had established many close business and personal relationships with indigenous peoples as

1976-701: The North American beaver in particular. The destruction of the North West Company post at Sault Ste. Marie by the Americans during the War of 1812 was a serious blow during an already difficult time. In addition, the company was hurt by the refusal after the war with the United States to let Canadian traders freely cross its northern border. This reduced much of the border trade, which had previously been profitable for them, and artificially divided traders' relations with those several Native American tribes whose territories spanned

2080-611: The San Juan Islands . The protracted, twelve-year standoff came to be known as the Pig War . Douglas pressed Britain to exert sovereignty over all islands in the archipelago dividing the Strait of Georgia from Puget Sound . Named for the largest island of the group, the San Juan Islands are immediately adjacent to Victoria and so were of great strategic interest and worry. While opposing troops remained garrisoned on San Juan Island ,

2184-516: The War of 1812 led to its sale to the North West Company in 1813. When HMS Racoon and its Captain Black arrived, he went through a ceremony of possession, even though the fort was already ostensibly under British control. Due to treaty complications of the Treaty of Ghent requiring the return of seized assets, putative ownership of the site was returned to the United States in 1817. Renamed as Fort George by

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2288-797: The "Stikine lisière." The area leased by the RAC was on the Alaskan Panhandle , on the northern coast from Mount Fairweather south to 54°40′. In return, the RAC received 2000 otter pelts and a number of other goods, notably a large supply of wheat and provisions needed at various Russian stations. To meet the demand, Simpson and members of the governing committee created the Pugets Sound Agricultural Company (PSAC) to both meet this demand and promote settlement of territories around Cowlitz Farm and Fort Nisqually . Both stations are now located within modern Washington . In November 1839, Douglas

2392-548: The British East India Company's monopoly, but little profit was made there. The company also expanded into the United States' Northwest Territory (today's Midwest of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin). In 1796, to better position themselves in the increasingly global market, where politics played a major role, the North West Company briefly established an agency in New York City . Despite its efforts,

2496-624: The Canadians to get around the British East India Company 's monopoly and ship furs to the Chinese market. Cargo ships owned by the North West Company conveniently sailed under the American flag, and doing so meant continued collaboration with John Jacob Astor . However, Astor was as aggressive as Simon McTavish had been. An intense rivalry soon developed between him and William McGillivray over

2600-647: The Caribbean. Its headquarters are across the street from the Forts Rouge, Garry, and Gibraltar National Historic Site of Canada, the site of an old North West Company fort. Further information on the North West Company can be found in Marjorie Wilkins Campbell 's 1957 book The North West Company , as well as her 1962 biography of William McGillivray, McGillivray, Lord of the North West . Campbell served as

2704-574: The Colonial Office formally confirmed Douglas's proclamation of sovereignty and established a new colony encompassing the mainland. After the British Parliament in 1858 created the Crown Colony of British Columbia , Douglas was assigned as governor and was asked to resign as Chief Factor of the western portion of the Hudson's Bay Company. The Crown did not renew the company's trade monopoly on

2808-524: The Colonial Office of 27 December 1858, Moody boasted that he has ‘entirely disarmed [Douglas] of all jealously' Douglas repeatedly insulted the Engineers by attempting to assume their command, and refusing to acknowledge their value in the nascent colony. Margaret A. Ormsby, author of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry for Moody (2002), condemns Moody for a contribution to the abortive development of

2912-566: The Crown. He started work at 16 for the North West Company and then the Hudson's Bay Company and became a high-ranking officer. From 1851 to 1864, he was Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island . In 1858, he became the first Governor of the Colony of British Columbia and asserted the authority of the British Empire during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush , which had the potential to turn

3016-659: The English in Hudson Bay (1670). Unlike the French who traveled into the northern interior and traded with First Nations in their camps and villages, the English made bases at trading posts on Hudson Bay, inviting the indigenous people to trade. After 1731, La Vérendrye pushed trade west beyond Lake Winnipeg . After the British conquest of New France in 1763 (and the defeat of France in Europe),

3120-453: The Great Lakes to the interior trading posts, and worked at them during the winter, formed the next higher band of employees. Status and pay differed depending on a man's role in the canoe . The milieu or middleman was the drudge of canoe travel, while the responsibilities of the bowsman or devant and the steersman or gouvernail were rewarded with up to five times as high pay as a common middleman, especially if serving as leader of

3224-775: The HBC. Being a Chief Trader was a very important position that was held by only four others in the large district. He received his commission as one of "the gentlemen of the interior" on June 3, 1835, in York Factory during a meeting of the Council of the Northern Department. In 1838, Douglas was put in charge of the Columbia District while Chief Factor John McLoughlin was on furlough in Europe. While he commanded Fort Vancouver, he denounced

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3328-517: The Hudson's Bay Company off guard. In succeeding years it retaliated rather than reaching a compromise, which McTavish had hoped might be negotiated. Simon McTavish brought several members of his family into the company, but nepotism took a back seat to ability. His brother-in-law, Charles Chaboillez , oversaw the Lower Red River trading post. McTavish also hired several cousins and his nephews William McGillivray and Duncan McGillivray to learn

3432-519: The Mainland into an American state. He remained governor of both colonies until his retirement in 1864. Douglas was born in 1803 in Guyana. His father was John Douglas, a Scottish planter and merchant from Glasgow, in business with three of his brothers. The Douglas family were part of "the business elite of Scotland ". His uncle was Lieutenant-General Sir Neil Douglas , Commander-in-Chief, Scotland . His aunt

3536-803: The Montreal agents met each July at the company's depot at Grand Portage on Lake Superior , later moved to Fort William . Also under the auspices of the company, Alexander Mackenzie conducted two important expeditions of exploration. In 1789, he descended the Grand River (now called the Mackenzie River ) to the Arctic Ocean, and in 1793 he went overland from Peace River to the Pacific Ocean. Further explorations were performed by David Thompson , starting in 1797, and later by Simon Fraser . These men pushed into

3640-508: The NWC since around 1787. McTavish, Fraser & Co. was the London agent of Simon McTavish, from about 1790. John Fraser was his cousin. Simon McGillivray worked there and became a partner in 1805. Edward Ellice , a man of great influence, was involved. Todd & McGill was formed in 1776, was in the NWC by 1779, separated in 1784 and rejoined in 1792. They apparently wanted to concentrate on

3744-470: The NWC, having 25% interest in the combined company. The South West Company: was an 1811 attempted partnership between two North West Company firms (McTavish, McGillivrays & Co and Forsyth, Richardson & Co) and John Jacob Astor to import goods through New York and deal with the Great Lakes trade. It was mostly blocked by the War of 1812 but remnants existed until at least 1820. Astor had been dealing with

3848-461: The North West Company and 76 that belonged to the Hudson's Bay Company. When the competition between both companies came to an end, new board of directors wanted two field governors to oversee the newly defined territory, and George Simpson was appointed to the Northern Department. George Simpson (1787–1860), the Hudson's Bay Company Governor-in-Chief of Rupert's Land , who became the Canadian head of

3952-509: The North West Company was at a distinct disadvantage in competing for furs with the Hudson's Bay Company, whose charter gave it a virtual monopoly in Rupert's Land , where the best furs were trapped. The company tried to persuade the British Parliament to change arrangements, at least so the North West Company could obtain transit rights to ship goods to the west needed for trading for furs. It

4056-525: The North West Company, continued to operate until the Hudson's Bay Company's takeover and the replacement of Fort Astoria by Fort Vancouver . The Canadian fur trade began to change in 1806, after Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the blockade of the Baltic Sea as part of the ongoing struggle between France and Britain for world dominance. Britain was dependent for almost all of her timber on the Baltic countries and on

4160-507: The Oriental market and westerly expansion to unclaimed territory in what is now the Columbia River basin , in the present-day states of Washington and Oregon . Astor's Pacific Fur Company beat the North West Company in an effort to found a post near the mouth of the Columbia, Fort Astoria . A collapse in the sea otter population and the imminent possibility of British seizure of Astoria during

4264-586: The U.S. states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts (which at that time included the large territory of Maine). By then, however, tensions had also begun to escalate again between Britain and the United States. In 1809 the American Government passed the Non-Intercourse Act , which effectively brought about an almost complete cessation of trade between the two countries. Britain became totally dependent on her Canadian colony for her timber needs, especially

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4368-402: The Victoria District Church (the forerunner to the Christ Church Cathedral ). In 1856, as ordered by the British Government, Douglas reluctantly established an elected Legislative Assembly . That was a turning point for Douglas, who had grown accustomed to administering the colony with absolute authority. The council was opposed to Douglas on many issues and consistently criticized him for having

4472-417: The XY Company. In 1799 MacKenzie left the NWC and went to England. Next year he bought shares in XY and soon became the effective head of the firm. Alexander Henry the younger was an XY winterer. They built a number of posts close to NWC and HBC posts. The murder of an HBC man by an XY man at Fort de l'Isle led to the Canada Jurisdiction Act which extended Quebec law to western Canada. In 1804 it merged with

4576-473: The accused before taking him away. Various accounts were passed around the area, and Douglas generally acquired a negative reputation among the local First Nations as a result. Fearing for Douglas's life, Connolly asked HBC Governor George Simpson to transfer the younger man elsewhere. He was reassigned to Fort Vancouver, headquarters of the company's Columbia District , near the mouth of the Columbia River in present-day Washington . His wife joined him after

4680-460: The age of 16, James Douglas signed on to join the North West Company (NWC), a major organization active in the North American fur trade . He sailed from Liverpool for Lachine , Lower Canada , in spring 1819. From there, Douglas was assigned as a clerk at Fort William in what is now Thunder Bay . The following year, he was moved to Île-à-la-Crosse on the Churchill River in what is now northern Saskatchewan . The rival Hudson's Bay Company

4784-411: The best of British culture, not just a police force," sought men who possessed "courtesy, high breeding and urbane knowledge of the world," and decided to send Moody, whom the Government considered to be the archetypal "English gentleman and British Officer" at the head of the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment . Moody and his family arrived in British Columbia in December 1858, and was sworn in as

4888-498: The border. All these events intensified competition between the companies. When Thomas Douglas convinced his fellow shareholders in the Hudson's Bay Company to grant him the Selkirk Concession , it marked another in a series of events that would lead to the demise of the North West Company. The Pemmican Proclamation , the ensuing Battle of Seven Oaks in 1816, and its violence, resulted in Lord Selkirk arresting William McGillivray and several North West Company proprietors. He ordered

4992-502: The business. William McGillivray was groomed by his uncle to succeed him as Director of the North West Company, and by 1796 he had effectively done so, acting as Montreal agents' representative at the annual meetings at Grand Portage, and later at Fort William. Simon McTavish was an aggressive businessman who understood that powerful forces in the business world were always ready to pounce on any weakness. As such, his ambition and forceful positions caused disagreements between him and some of

5096-403: The chaos accompanying the California Gold Rush was not repeated in British Columbia. He was nicknamed "Old Squaretoes" for his stiffness. In December 1861, during the ongoing Trent Affair , Douglas argued for his London superiors to invade and conquer the Washington Territory as America was too busy in the East with the Civil War . He reasoned because there were few U.S. troops stationed in

5200-431: The city. However, most other historians have exonerated Moody for the abortive development of the city and consider his achievement to be impressive, especially with regard to the perpetual insufficiency of funds and the personally-motivated opposition of Douglas, whose opposition to the project continually slowed its development. Robert Edgar Cail, Don W. Thomson, Ishiguro, and Scott have praised Moody for his contribution,

5304-418: The colony, and few of them owned property. He was friends with Robert Ker , the First Auditor General of the Two Colonies of British Columbia, and John Sebastian Helmcken a future Speaker of the House of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia . Like Douglas, they are both considered founding fathers of British Columbia. Helmcken married Douglas's daughter, Cecilia. When Douglas ended his service to

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5408-431: The companies increased to the point where several minor armed skirmishes broke out, and the two companies were forced by the British government to merge. After the French landed in Quebec in 1608, independent French-Canadian traders commonly known as coureurs des bois spread out and built a fur trade empire in the St. Lawrence basin. The French competed with the Dutch (from 1614) and English (1664) in New York and

5512-429: The companies to cease hostilities. In July 1821, under more pressure from the British government, which passed new regulations governing the fur trade in British North America, a merger agreement was signed with the Hudson's Bay Company. By this, the North West Company name disappeared after more than 40 years of operations. At the time of the merger, the amalgamated company consisted of 97 trading posts that had belonged to

5616-500: The company's service. He created the Victoria Pioneer Rifle Corp, otherwise known as the African Rifles, an all-Black militia of immigrants from San Francisco's First African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church who settled on Vancouver Island in the 1860s at his invitation. He also used the sparse presence of the Royal Navy for protection. During the Crimean War , the British and French carried out an attack on Petropavlovsk in 1854, and casualties were sent to Victoria. After facilities of

5720-412: The company's twenty outstanding shares. At the time the company consisted of 23 partners, but "its staff of Agents, factors, clerks, guides, interpreters, more commonly known today as voyageurs amounted to 2000 people." In addition to Alexander Mackenzie, this group included Americans Peter Pond and Alexander Henry the elder . Further reorganizations of the partnership occurred in 1795 and 1802,

5824-399: The company, 77 were of Scots descent. Due to the prevalent kinship structures, it was all but impossible for unrelated men to advance from engagé to bourgeois . Beyond the non-operating investors, these were some of the post proprietors, clerks, interpreters, explorers and others of the nearly 2,500 persons employed by the North West Company in 1799: The history of the partnership

5928-682: The company, owning one or two shares each. They were not salaried, but received their income from the company's profits through their shares. Trading goods were advanced to them on credit by the agents of Montreal. They wintered in the interior, managing a district with several trading posts, and were in charge of the actual trade with the Indians. During the summer, the agents and the associates met at Fort William. The wintering partners normally began their career path as clerks. The clerks or commiss were salaried employees. They began their career as apprentices serving five to seven years, before advancing to clerks and bookkeepers. Each hoped to become

6032-463: The company. Montreal merchants , or agents de Montréal were owners of trading companies and shareholders in the North West Company. They were responsible for hiring staff, exporting furs, acquiring supplies, merchandise and provisions, and organizing their shipment to the inland trading posts. For this, they received commissions, in addition to the profits they made as shareholders. Wintering partners or associés were also shareholders in

6136-440: The conduct of Douglas College", it noted specific areas of concerns including in lack of oversight in the use of challenge exams. The report stated that "Douglas College would have benefitted from speedier and more thoroughly considered responses" to issues previously identified. James Douglas (governor) Sir James Douglas , KCB (August 15, 1803 – August 2, 1877) was a Canadian fur trader and politician who became

6240-516: The country — command its trade, and soon compel it to submit to Her Majesty's Rule." Continuing his service as governor, Douglas authorised construction of the government buildings known as the "Birdcages" in 1859. In 1862, with the discovery of rich gold deposits in the Cariboo region , sparking the Cariboo Gold Rush , Douglas ordered the construction of the Cariboo Road . This engineering feat ran 400 miles from Fort Yale to Barkerville through extremely hazardous canyon territory. The Cariboo road

6344-401: The countryside around Montréal . Many Métis sons followed in their fathers' footstep, whether as bourgeois or engagés . Through descent and education, the bourgeois laid claim to the status of gentlemen , while the engagés did the physical labour. The bourgeois or masters of the North West Company belonged to three different levels, depending on the role performed in

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6448-531: The couple had three children together (Alexander, born 1801 or 1802; James, born 1803, and Cecilia, born 1812), but never formally married. In 1812, John Douglas returned to Scotland with his children and put James into school at Lanark to be educated. John married Jessie Hamilton in 1819, and had more children with her, making a second family. James went to school or was taught by a French Huguenot in Manchester , England, where he learned to speak and write in fluent French, which helped him in North America. At

6552-404: The death of their first child in 1830. While they lived in Fort Vancouver, she gave birth to ten more children (five died in infancy). Their son James W. Douglas grew up to become a politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), 1875–1878. Douglas spent 19 years working in Fort Vancouver . He served as a Clerk until 1835, when he was promoted to Chief Trader, the second highest rank in

6656-439: The dispute was eventually settled by arbitration in favour of the United States. Douglas's largest problem in the mid- and late 1850s concerned relations with the majority First Nations peoples. These numbered around 30,000 local Songhee, Cowichan , Nanaimo , Nuu-chah-nulth , including raiding Haida from Haida Gwaii and the Euclataws Kwakiutl of northern Georgia Strait and the Sechelt, Squamish , and Sto:lo peoples of

6760-453: The enslavement of Chinookan peoples. Douglas supported Simpson's plans of making a settlement with the Russian-American Company (RAC). In Hamburg in early 1839, Simpson and Governor of Russian Colonies in America Ferdinand von Wrangel negotiated a commercial treaty that established future relations between the two state companies. The RAC-HBC Agreement let the HBC rent a portion of Russian American claimed territory referred to as

6864-401: The entirety of Vancouver Island to the HBC under the condition that a colony be created. Douglas moved the headquarters of the western portion of the company from Fort Vancouver to Fort Victoria. Douglas had a Kanaka man accompany him in 1849 on his journey from Fort Vancouver to Victoria by canoe, and at Victoria, he had a Hawaiian cook and household servant (Barman and Watson 2006: 62). He

6968-401: The eyes of the Engineers and the British Government. Moody had been selected by Lord Lytton due to his possession of the quality of the archetypal 'English gentleman and British Officer', his family was 'eminently respectable': he was the son of Colonel Thomas Moody , one of the wealthiest mercantilists in the West Indies, who owned much of the land in the islands where Douglas's father owned

7072-416: The fall of 1858, escalating tensions between the miners and the Nlaka’pamux people of the central area of the canyon broke into the Fraser Canyon War . Douglas's actions in asserting British sovereignty over the mainland is generally conceded today to have helped exert to control over American miners and to undermine American territorial ambitions toward this part of British North America. Shortly thereafter,

7176-421: The first Governor of the Colony of British Columbia . He is often credited as "The Father of British Columbia ". He was instrumental to the resettlement of 35 African Americans fleeing a life of racial persecution in San Francisco who arrived in the province aboard the steamship Commodore in what later became known as the Pioneer Committee. In 1863, Douglas was knighted by Queen Victoria for his services to

7280-449: The first Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia and appointed Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works for British Columbia. Throughout his tenure in British Columbia, Moody was engaged in a bitter feud with Douglas, whose jurisdiction overlapped with his own. Moody's position as Chief Commissioner and Lieutenant-Governor was one of ‘higher prestige [and] lesser authority' than that of Douglas, despite Moody's vastly superior social position in

7384-420: The great white pine used for ships' masts. Almost overnight, timber and wood products replaced fur as Canada's number one export. Fur remained profitable, however, as it had a high value-to-bulk ratio. In an economy short of ready money, fur was routinely used by Canadian merchants to remit value to their London creditors. By 1810, another crisis hit the fur industry, brought on by the over-harvesting of animals,

7488-475: The help of a Dakelh . Douglas was said to have marched into the Stuart Lake village and seized the accused murderer, but the exact events of the day are disputed. By some accounts, Douglas shot the native in the head on the spot, with everyone watching. In others, Douglas took him away from the village, to be executed later. Another story is that Douglas tried to shoot the man but missed and got his partners to beat

7592-478: The key port proved inadequate, the British government charged Douglas to build a hospital at Esquimalt harbour , as well as improve Royal Navy supply capacity. This base proved to be important and successful when in 1865 the headquarters of the North Pacific Squadron were moved to Vancouver Island. In 1859, Douglas also found his colony embroiled in a dispute with Washington Territory over sovereignty in

7696-602: The latter accusing Ormsby of being ‘adamant in her dislike of Colonel Moody’ despite the evidence, and almost all biographies of Moody, including those of the Institute of Civil Engineers, the Royal Engineers, and the British Columbia Historical Association, are flattering. In August 1858, news reached Douglas that two Vancouver Island miners had been killed by natives. He believed that the whole region

7800-583: The mainland or Douglas' position as Chief Factor. Richard Clement Moody was handpicked by the Colonial Office , under Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton , to establish British order and to transform the newly established Colony of British Columbia into the British Empire's "bulwark in the farthest west" and "found a second England on the shores of the Pacific". Lytton desired to send to the colony "representatives of

7904-533: The mainland, Douglas worked to exert British jurisdiction over the territory. He stationed a warship at the mouth of the Fraser in order to issue licenses to prospectors and merchants. A major task during the huge inflow of settlers was to prevent violence between the recent arrivals and the local First Nations peoples. The Indian Wars in the United States West made American animosity against natives often high. In

8008-524: The management of the fur trading posts was taken over by English speakers. These so-called " pedlars " began to merge because competition cost them money and because of the high costs of outfitting canoes to the far west. There are historical references to a North West Company as early as 1770, including the Montreal-based traders Benjamin Frobisher , Isaac Todd , Alexander Henry the elder and others, but

8112-512: The middle of the emblem is a feature of coats of arms of the Douglas family, including the College's namesake Sir James Douglas, and a reference to the college's motto, "Do what you love". The crown on top of it is made of cedar, a wood material that is local to the area. There is a raven on top of the crest, meant to signify cleverness as the bird represents. There are also two Douglas fir trees surrounding

8216-529: The natives for their land. Costs for each parcel of land were usually in the form of blankets, often three for each man. The policy also stemmed from a desire to have good interactions with natives while avoiding violence. After Blanshard resigned in 1851, the British government appointed Douglas as the Governor of Vancouver Island. As he was still Chief Factor of the HBC, he tried for several years to balance his important and time-consuming duties of both positions. He

8320-568: The northern division of the greatly enlarged business, made his headquarters in the Montreal suburb of Lachine . The trading posts were soon reduced in number to avoid redundancy. The masters or the bourgeois of the North West Company were most often of Scottish descent, whether born in Canada or Scotland , and brought capital to the enterprise. Over time, many were related, since sons and nephews were recruited. The servants or engagés were most often Canadiens , mostly peasants' sons from

8424-591: The old North West Company partners held 75 per cent of the shares, and the former XY Company partners the remaining 25 per cent. Alexander Mackenzie was excluded from the new joint partnership. Under William McGillivray, the Company continued to expand, and apparently to profit, during the first decade of the 19th century. Competition with the Hudson's Bay Company was intense, however, and profit margins were squeezed. The North West Company branch in New York City had allowed

8528-501: The operations both in the building, management, and shareholding of the various trading posts scattered throughout the country, as well numbering among the voyageurs involved in the actual trading with natives. In the northwest, the Company expanded its operations as far north as Great Bear Lake, and westwards beyond the Rocky Mountains. For several years, they tried to sell furs directly to China , using American ships to avoid

8632-713: The raven which are meant to signify a relation to the college's name. In the Coast Salish language, below the shield, are the words "Excellence, Knowledge, Passion". The reference to the Indigenous language is a recognition that the college operates on a First Nations territory. The college has two major campuses in Metro Vancouver – one in New Westminster (Royal Avenue and Anvil Tower) and one in Coquitlam . The college also has

8736-497: The seizure of their outpost property in Fort William and charged them with the deaths of 21 people at Seven Oaks. Although this matter was resolved by the authorities in Montreal, over the next few years some of the wealthiest and most capable partners began to leave the North West Company, fearful of its future viability. The form of nepotism within the company too had changed, from the strict values of Simon McTavish to something that

8840-469: The shareholders, several of whom eventually left the North West Company during the 1790s.Some of these dissidents formed their own company, known unofficially as the XY Company , allegedly because of the mark they used on their bales of furs. Their cause was greatly strengthened in 1799, when the North West Company's hero explorer, Alexander Mackenzie, quit his old partnership and soon after joined them. There

8944-491: The shares being subdivided each time to provide for more and more wintering partners. Vertical integration of the business was completed in 1792, when Simon McTavish and John Fraser formed a London house to supply trade goods and market the furs, McTavish, Fraser and Company. While the organization and capitalization of the North West Company came from Anglo-Quebecers , both Simon McTavish and Joseph Frobisher married French Canadians . Numerous French Canadians played key roles in

9048-543: The southern Great Lakes. Gregory & McLeod joined in 1787. They employed Alexander Mackenzie , Peter Pangman and John Ross. In 1987, the northern trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company were sold to an employee consortium that revived the name The North West Company in 1990. The new company is a grocery and merchandise store chain based in Winnipeg , with stores in Northern Canada, Alaska, US Pacific territories and

9152-404: The standard histories trace the company to a 16-share organization formed in 1779, which included Todd, Simon McTavish and James McGill . Seeking to break the Hudson's Bay Company monopoly over the North American fur trade , in 1780, the organization was joined by Peter Pond and Alexander Ellice, with his brothers, Robert and James, (and, later, his sons, including Edward Ellice ). In

9256-485: The strict HBC hierarchy. In 1825, he was put in charge of the founding of the Fort Vermilion trading post in what is now northern Alberta . He was next assigned at Fort St. James on Stuart Lake , headquarters of the company's New Caledonia District , roughly located within modern British Columbia. In 1827, he established Fort Connolly on Bear Lake . The station was named after his manager, William Connolly , who

9360-559: The territory since most other units stationed there were off to war in the East, the region's population was scattered, and there was little to no U.S. naval ships in the area. He also said the Royal Navy and Marines were powerful and could easily do the job, ending with a statement that "with Puget Sound, and the line of the Columbia River in our hands, we should hold the only navigable outlets of

9464-518: The wilderness territories of the Rocky Mountains and Interior Plateau and all the way to the Strait of Georgia on the Pacific Coast . The death of Benjamin Frobisher opened the door to a takeover of the North West Company by Simon McTavish, who made a deal with Frobisher's surviving brother Joseph. The firm of McTavish, Frobisher and Company, founded in November 1787, effectively controlled eleven of

9568-472: The winter of 1783–1784, the North West Company was officially created on a long-term basis, with its corporate offices on Vaudreuil Street in Montreal. It was led by businessmen Benjamin Frobisher, his brother, Joseph , and McTavish, along with investor-partners who included the Ellices, Robert Grant, Nicholas Montour , Patrick Small, William Holmes, and George McBeath . In 1787 the North West Company merged with

9672-476: Was Cecilia Douglas , a notable art collector. Through his paternal grandmother, James Douglas was related to Sir Andrew Buchanan, 1st Baronet , diplomat. His mother was Martha Ann (née Ritchie, later Telfer). Ritchie was classified as free coloured , which in that time and place meant someone of mixed African and European family history, who was not a slave. According to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography ,

9776-450: Was a member of Canadian University Press . The college also publishes Event , a literary magazine published three times per year. Varsity sports teams at Douglas College are known as the Royals and the mascot is a lion named Roary. The Royals compete in men's and women's basketball, curling, golf, soccer and volleyball as well as men's baseball and women's softball. The Royals are members of

9880-406: Was also active in this area, and Douglas was caught up in at least one argument with the fighting fur traders. Douglas continued his policy of self-education by reading books brought from Britain and meeting with many First Nations people. In 1821, the NWC was merged into its powerful competitor, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Douglas's contract was placed onto the HBC's payroll. He quickly moved up

9984-417: Was also called the "Queen's Highway" and the "Great North Road". Near the end of his term as governor, Douglas was criticized for not developing the colony as a self-governing body. His only political reform had been to initiate an elected Legislative Council. His argument against the creation of a self-governing colony was the state of the population: few were British subjects, most held permanent residence in

10088-513: Was harming the business in both its costs and morale of others. By 1820, the company was issuing coinage, each copper token representing the value of one beaver pelt. But the continued operations of the North West Company were in great doubt, and shareholders had no choice but to agree to a merger with their hated rival after Henry Bathurst , the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies , ordered

10192-485: Was impressed by Douglas' skills and viewed him favourably. Because of their close relations, Connolly agreed to Douglas marrying his Métis daughter Amelia Connolly . Her mother was Cree and likely also Métis. Douglas and Amelia were married on 27 April 1828 'à la façon du pays' , a ceremony repeated almost a decade later at Fort Vancouver . Throughout part of 1828, Connolly was absent from Fort St. James, leaving Douglas in charge. Two company traders were murdered with

10296-483: Was intense competition between the rivals. When Simon McTavish died on 6 July 1804, the new head William McGillivray set out to put an end to the four years' rivalry. It had escalated to a point where the master of the North West Company post at Great Bear Lake had been shot by an XY Company employee during a quarrel. McGillivray was successful in putting together an agreement with the XY Company in 1804. It stipulated that

10400-464: Was not initially appointed as Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island , which instead went to Richard Blanshard , an English barrister . However, most practical authorities rested with Douglas as the chief employer and person in charge of its finances and land, and he effectively drove Blanshard from the position. Douglas acknowledged the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and had the policy to trade

10504-479: Was on the verge of war and went out to investigate. Numerous minor clashes between natives and whites had concluded without fatalities. After investigating the situation he found that alcohol had been a major cause, and prohibited the sale of liquor to natives. While on the trip to the murder scene, Douglas brought the Crown Solicitor of Vancouver Island to uphold the law and make a show that demonstrated British law

10608-501: Was promoted to Chief Factor, the highest possible rank for field service with the HBC. As a Chief Factor, he traveled to Alta California , where he met with a Mexican administrator and received permission to create a trading post in Yerba Buena, California (modern San Francisco , California ). In 1841, Douglas was charged with the duty of setting up a trading post on the southern tip of Vancouver Island . George Simpson had recommended

10712-517: Was still in effect. During the trip, he encountered a great number of squatting foreigners, reducing the total possible revenues for land sales to the government. In attempt to suppress unlawful acts, Douglas appointed regional constables , a Chief Inspector of Police ( Chartres Brew ), and a network of intelligence officials. He also created Assistant Gold Commissioners (he appointed Chartres Brew as Chief Gold Commissioner) to look after mining and civil cases. Such preventive measures helped ensure that

10816-483: Was the subject of controversy in local political debates and editorial tirades. As governor, Douglas faced a number of significant challenges, not least of which was the expansionist pressure of the neighboring United States of America. Using his meagre resources, Douglas created the Victoria Voltigeurs, Vancouver Island's first militia, using money from the company and composed of Métis and French Canadians in

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