History of VICTORIA

First Nations people have lived in what is now called Victoria, British Columbia for many thousands of years before Europeans arrived a mere 500 hundred years ago.

In 1778, First Nations people found two ships lost along the west coast of Vancouver Island. A greeting party was sent out to the ships (Captain Cook's Discovery and the Resolution).

People with descent from First Nations, Spain, Great Britain, France, Russia, and China all have heritage associated with Victoria. Street names like Quadra, Estevan and Gonzales have been named for Spanish explorers. Streets such as Cook and Vancouver have been named for English explorers, and place names such as Songhees, Sooke and Cowichan are from the First Nations People.

The immigrants who made British Columbia their new home in the 1800s and early 1900s played an important role in the defining Victoria. They influenced the development of the economy, such as the currency we use, which evolved from beaver pelts into coins and paper money.

The larger cultural groups in Victoria include people of African, Caribbean, English, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Indo-Canadian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Jewish, Latin American, Polish, Portuguese, Scandinavian, Scottish, and Ukrainian descent.

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, and the Parliament Buildings bear a 24kt statue of Captain Vancouver at the top.

Captain George Vancouver reached British Columbia in 1792 on his commission to chart the continental shores of North America and Vancouver Island was named to commemorate his visit.

Victoria was established as a Hudson's Bay Company fort in 1843, which eventually evolved into the colonies of Vancouver Island (established 1849) and British Columbia (established 1858).