Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
boundary at the 49th parallel, with the proviso that the section of Vancouver Island lying
south of that line would be retained by Canada. To forestall any claims that the United
States may have had on the area, the British government gazetted the island as a Crown
colonyandleaseditbacktotheHudson'sBayCompany.GraduallylandaroundFortVict-
oria was opened up by groups of British settlers brought to the island by the company's
subsidiary, Puget Sound Agricultural Company. Several large company farms were deve-
loped, and Esquimalt Harbour became a major port for British ships.
Many former railway stations have been converted to museums on Vancouver Island.
AlthoughmostlycontenttoleavetheislandinthehandsoftheHudson'sBayCompany,
the Brits nevertheless sent
Richard Blanshard
out from England to become the island
colony's first governor. Blanshard soon resigned and was replaced in 1851 by
James
Douglas,
chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company. Douglas had long been in control
