BC150 is the name given by the government of the

Province of British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, to a programme of events and celebrations that were held in 2008. The motive for the commemoration, as cited by the provincial government, is the founding of the British Crown Colony of British Columbia 150 years earlier, in 1858. A government hosted website — www.BC150.ca — was launched on January 31, 2008, but discontinued about April 2009.

Events

Event commemorated

The colony founded in 1858 consisted of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

's territory of

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, which covered most of the mainland of today's province of British Columbia. That mainland colony was one of three precursors to the present-day province of British Columbia, and the province's roots as a British colony date back to the founding of the Crown Colony of Vancouver Island in 1849. The mainland colony as established in 1858 existed only until 1866, when it was amalgamated with the older

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

colony, with

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

designated to be the capital of the merged colony, much to the chagrin of

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capita ...

, which had been the mainland's capital. The "new"

Colony of British Columbia The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada: *Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) *Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) See also *History of Br ...

thereby created entered the

Canadian confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...

in 1871 as the Province of British Columbia. Thus, today's province of British Columbia was assembled, with its present boundaries and with its capital at Victoria, out of three separate British colonies: the Crown Colony of Vancouver Island, established in 1849 and having its capital at

; the

Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands The Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands was a British colony constituting the archipelago of the same name from 1853 to 1858, when it was amalgamated into the Colony of British Columbia. In 2010 the archipelago was renamed Haida Gwaii. The Q ...

, established in 1853 and administered by the Governor of the Crown Colony of Vancouver Island; and the Crown Colony of British Columbia, established in 1858 and having its capital at

. The three colonies were intertwined from their beginnings, as it was the Governor of the Crown Colony of Vancouver Island,

Sir James Douglas James Douglas may refer to: Scottish noblemen Lords of Angus * James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Angus (1426–1446), Scottish nobleman * James Douglas, Earl of Angus (1671–1692), son of the 2nd Marquess of Douglas Lords of Douglas * James Douglas, L ...

, who urged Britain to create the mainland colony in 1858 and was then named its first governor who unilaterally declared the mainland colony to prevent American takeover, forcing London's hand in formalizing British possession of the mainland. From the creation of the mainland colony in 1858 until his retirement in 1864, he administered both from Victoria. He also served as sole administrator of the Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands during its entire existence, from 1853 to 1863, when it was annexed to the Crown Colony of British Columbia.

Footnotes

{{Reflist Culture of British Columbia