colony · North America and Oceania

Colony of British Columbia (1866-1871)

1866 CE – 1871 CE · capital New Westminster; later Victoria

The united Pacific colony of Vancouver Island and the mainland, which joined Canada in 1871 in return for a transcontinental railway.

Origins

Debts left by the gold rushes and the cost of two administrations led Britain to merge the Colony of Vancouver Island with the mainland Colony of British Columbia (1858-1866) in November 1866, under Governor Frederick Seymour. New Westminster was the first capital, but after bitter rivalry Victoria was chosen in 1868.

Rule and society

The colony was governed by a governor and a partly elected legislative council. Its economy was depressed as Cariboo gold declined, and its population of settlers was small next to the First Nations majority. After the Alaska Purchase of 1867, some residents favoured annexation to the United States, while others, led by the journalist Amor De Cosmos, campaigned to join Canada.

Decline and legacy

Governor Anthony Musgrave, appointed in 1869, steered the colony towards Confederation. Canada agreed to take over its debt and to begin a railway to the Pacific within two years, completing it within ten, and British Columbia became a province of Canada on 20 July 1871.

Lineage

Colony of Vancouver Island 1849 CE – 1866 CEColony of British Columbia (1858-1866) 1858 CE – 1866 CEColony of British Columbia (1866-1871)Canada 1867 CE – present

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Colony of British Columbia (1866-1871). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-british-columbia-1866-1871
MLA
“Colony of British Columbia (1866-1871).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-british-columbia-1866-1871. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Colony of British Columbia (1866-1871).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-british-columbia-1866-1871.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Colony of British Columbia (1866-1871)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-british-columbia-1866-1871 (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻