British Columbia

==History==
{{Main|History of British Columbia}}

===Indigenous societies{{anchor|First_Nations_(Aboriginal)_history}}===
{{main|Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast|Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau|The Canadian Crown and Aboriginal peoples}}
[[File:Namgis (Native American). Thunderbird Transformation Mask, 19th century.jpg|thumb|[['Namgis]] ''Thunderbird Transformation Mask'', 19th century]]
The area now known as British Columbia is home to First Nations groups that have a deep history with a significant number of indigenous languages. There are more than 200 First Nations in BC. Prior to contact (with non-Aboriginal people), human history is known from oral histories of First Nations groups, archaeological investigations, and from early records from explorers encountering societies early in the period.

The arrival of [[Paleoindians]] from [[Beringia]] took place between 20,000 and 12,000 years ago.<ref name="Muckle2007">{{Cite book |last=Muckle |first=Robert James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=11ii63EytIYC&pg=PA18 |title=The First Nations of British Columbia: An Anthropological Survey |publisher=[[UBC Press]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7748-4010-1 |pages=18–19 |access-date=November 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518204848/https://books.google.com/books?id=11ii63EytIYC&pg=PA18 |archive-date=May 18, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Hunter-gatherer]] families were the main social structure from 10,000 to 5,000 years ago.<ref name="BastianMitchell2004">{{Cite book |last1=Bastian |first1=Dawn Elaine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IsyQu1kDK-kC&pg=PA6 |title=Handbook of Native American Mythology |last2=Mitchell |first2=Judy K. |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-85109-533-9 |page=6 |access-date=November 22, 2015 |archive-date=June 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627185953/http://books.google.com/books?id=IsyQu1kDK-kC&pg=PA6 |url-status=live }}</ref> The nomadic population lived in non-permanent structures foraging for nuts, berries and edible roots while hunting and trapping larger and small game for food and furs.<ref name="BastianMitchell2004" /> Around 5,000 years ago individual groups started to focus on resources available to them locally. Coast Salish peoples had complex land management practices linked to ecosystem health and resilience. Forest gardens on Canada's northwest coast included crabapple, hazelnut, cranberry, wild plum, and wild cherry species.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 22, 2021 |title=Ancient Indigenous forest gardens promote a healthy ecosystem: SFU study |website=SFU News |publisher=[[Simon Fraser University]] |url=https://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2021/04/ancient-indigenous-forest-gardens-promote-a-healthy-ecosystem--s.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612135304/https://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2021/04/ancient-indigenous-forest-gardens-promote-a-healthy-ecosystem--s.html |archive-date=June 12, 2021}}</ref> Thus with the passage of time there is a pattern of increasing regional generalization with a more [[sedentary lifestyle]].<ref name="BastianMitchell2004" /> These indigenous populations evolved over the next 5,000 years across a large area into many groups with shared traditions and customs.

To the northwest of the province are the peoples of the [[Na-Dene languages]], which include the [[Athapaskan languages|Athapaskan-speaking peoples]] and the [[Tlingit people|Tlingit]], who lived on the islands of southern Alaska and northern British Columbia. The Na-Dene language group is believed to be linked to the [[Yeniseian languages]] of Siberia.<ref name="BENGTSON" /> The [[Dene]] of the western Arctic may represent a distinct wave of migration from Asia to North America.<ref name="BENGTSON">{{cite web |last=Bengtson |first=John D. |year=2008 |title=Materials for a Comparative Grammar of the Dene-Caucasian (Sino-Caucasian) Languages – In Aspects of Comparative Linguistics |url=http://starling.rinet.ru/Texts/dene_gr.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921181955/https://starling.rinet.ru/Texts/dene_gr.pdf |archive-date=September 21, 2021 |access-date=April 11, 2010 |publisher=Moscow- RSUH |pages=45–118 |volume=3}}</ref> The [[British Columbia Interior|Interior of British Columbia]] was home to the [[Salishan languages|Salishan language]] groups such as the [[Secwepemc|Shuswap (Secwepemc)]], [[Okanagan people|Okanagan]] and Athabaskan language groups, primarily the [[Dakelh]] (Carrier) and the [[Chilcotin people|Tsilhqot'in]].<ref name="Archives" /> The inlets and valleys of the British Columbia coast sheltered large, distinctive populations, such as the [[Haida people|Haida]], [[Kwakwaka'wakw]] and [[Nuu-chah-nulth people|Nuu-chah-nulth]], sustained by the region's abundant salmon and shellfish.<ref name="Archives" /> These peoples developed [[Complex society|complex cultures]] dependent on the [[western red cedar]] that included wooden houses, seagoing whaling and war canoes and elaborately carved [[potlatch]] items and [[totem poles]].<ref name="Archives">{{cite web |url=http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/galler07/frames/wc_peop.htm |title=First Nations – People of the Northwest Coast |year=1999 |publisher=BC Archives |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314102800/http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/galler07/frames/wc_peop.htm |archive-date=March 14, 2010 |access-date=April 11, 2010}}</ref>

Contact with Europeans brought a series of devastating epidemics of diseases from Europe the people had no immunity to.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Boyd |first=Robert T. |title=Handbook of North American Indians: 7 the Northwest Coast |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |year=1990 |chapter=Demographic History, 1774–1874}}</ref> The result was a dramatic population collapse, culminating in the 1862 Smallpox outbreak in Victoria that spread throughout the coast. European settlement did not bode well for the remaining native population of British Columbia. Colonial officials deemed colonists could make better use of the land than the First Nations people, and thus the land territory be owned by the colonists.<ref name="gilmartin2009">{{Cite book |last=Gilmartin |first=Mary |title=Key Concepts in Political Geography |publisher=[[SAGE Publications]] |year=2009 |chapter=Colonialism/ Imperialism}}</ref>{{Citation page|page=120}} To ensure colonists would be able to settle properly and make use of the land, First Nations were forcibly relocated onto [[Indian reserve|reserves]], which were often too small to support their way of life.<ref name="gilmartin2009" />{{Citation page|page=|pages=120-121}} By the 1930s, British Columbia had over 1500 reserves.<ref name="gilmartin2009" />{{Citation page|page=121}}

===Fur trade and colonial era===
{{main|Columbia District}}
{{See also|Oregon Country|Oregon boundary dispute}}
Lands now known as British Columbia were added to the [[British Empire]] during the 19th century. Colonies originally begun with the support of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] (Vancouver Island, the mainland) were amalgamated, then entered Confederation as British Columbia in 1871 as part of the Dominion of Canada.

During the 1770s, [[smallpox]] killed at least 30 percent of the Pacific Northwest [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Lange |first=Greg |date=January 23, 2003 |title=Smallpox epidemic ravages Native Americans on the northwest coast of North America in the 1770s |url=http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5100 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526181907/http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5100 |archive-date=May 26, 2008 |access-date=February 22, 2011 |publisher=[[HistoryLink]]}}</ref> This devastating epidemic was the first in a series; the [[1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic]] killed about half to two-thirds of the native population of what became British Columbia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/showrev.php?id=4547 |title=Plagues and Peoples on the Northwest Coast |publisher=.h-net.msu.edu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227194037/http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/showrev.php?id=4547 |archive-date=December 27, 2010 |access-date=February 22, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Boyd">{{cite book |last1=Boyd |first1=Robert Thomas |title=The Coming of the Spirit of Pestilence: Introduced Infectious Diseases and Population Decline Among Northwest Coast Indians, 1774–1874 |publisher=[[University of British Columbia Press]] |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-295-97837-6 |pages=172–201 |chapter=A final disaster: the 1862 smallpox epidemic in coastal British Columbia |access-date=February 10, 2021 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_FdUPbmwCgC&pg=PA172 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511153639/https://books.google.com/books?id=P_FdUPbmwCgC&pg=PA172 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="lange">{{cite web |last=Lange |first=Greg |title=Smallpox Epidemic of 1862 among Northwest Coast and Puget Sound Indians |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/5171 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125204435/https://www.historylink.org/File/5171 |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |access-date=February 8, 2021 |publisher=[[HistoryLink]]}}</ref>

[[File:Spanish fort San Miguel at Nootka in 1793.jpg|thumb|left|[[Fort San Miguel]] at Nootka in 1793]]
[[File:Kwakiutl house pole InvMH975-123-1.jpg|thumb|upright=.6|[[Kwakwaka'wakw]] [[Totem pole|house pole]], second half of the 19th century]]
The arrival of Europeans began around the mid-18th century, as [[fur trade]]rs entered the area to harvest [[sea otter]]s. While it is thought [[Francis Drake|Sir Francis Drake]] may have explored the British Columbian coast in 1579, it was [[Juan José Pérez Hernández|Juan Pérez]] who completed the first documented voyage, which took place in 1774. [[Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra]] explored the coast in 1775. In doing so, Pérez and Quadra reasserted the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] claim for the [[Pacific coast]], first made by [[Vasco Núñez de Balboa]] in 1513.

The explorations of [[James Cook]] in 1778 and [[George Vancouver]] in 1792 and 1793 established British jurisdiction over the coastal area north and west of the Columbia River. In 1793, [[Sir Alexander Mackenzie]] was the first European to journey across North America overland to the Pacific Ocean, inscribing a stone marking his accomplishment on the shoreline of [[Dean Channel]] near [[Bella Coola, British Columbia|Bella Coola]]. His expedition theoretically established British sovereignty inland, and a succession of other fur company explorers charted the maze of rivers and mountain ranges between the Canadian Prairies and the Pacific. Mackenzie and other explorers—notably [[John Finlay (fur trader)|John Finlay]], [[Simon Fraser (explorer)|Simon Fraser]], [[Samuel Black]], and [[David Thompson (explorer)|David Thompson]]—were primarily concerned with extending the [[fur trade]], rather than political considerations.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} In 1794, by the third of a series of agreements known as the [[Nootka Convention]]s, [[Spanish Empire|Spain]] conceded its claims of exclusivity in the Pacific. This opened the way for formal claims and colonization by other powers, including Britain, but because of the [[Napoleonic Wars]], there was little British action on its claims in the region until later.

The establishment of [[trading post]]s by the [[North West Company]] and the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), effectively established a permanent British presence in the region. The Columbia District was broadly defined as being south of 54°40 north latitude, (the southern limit of [[Russian colonization of the Americas|Russian America]]), north of Mexican-controlled California, and west of the [[Rocky Mountains]]. It was, by the [[Treaty of 1818|Anglo-American Convention of 1818]], under the "joint occupancy and use" of citizens of the United States and subjects of Britain (which is to say, the fur companies).{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} This co-occupancy was ended with the [[Oregon Treaty]] of 1846.

The major supply route was the [[York Factory Express]] between [[Hudson Bay]] and [[Fort Vancouver]]. Some of the early outposts grew into settlements, communities, and cities. Among the places in British Columbia that began as fur trading posts are [[Fort St. John, British Columbia|Fort St. John]] (established 1794); [[Hudson's Hope]] (1805); [[Fort Nelson, British Columbia|Fort Nelson]] (1805); [[Fort St. James]] (1806); [[Prince George, British Columbia|Prince George]] (1807); Kamloops (1812); [[Fort Langley]] (1827); [[Fort Victoria (British Columbia)|Fort Victoria]] (1843); [[Yale, British Columbia|Yale]] (1848); and Nanaimo (1853). Fur company posts that became cities in what is now the United States include [[Vancouver, Washington]] ([[Fort Vancouver]]), formerly the "capital" of Hudson's Bay operations in the Columbia District, [[Colville, Washington]] and [[Walla Walla, Washington]] (old [[Fort Nez Percés]]).

[[File:Edward Gennys Fanshawe, Fort Rupert, Beaver Harbour, Vancouver's Island, July 23rd 1851 (Canada).jpg|thumb|left|[[Fort Rupert]], Vancouver Island, 1851]]
With the amalgamation of the two fur trading companies in 1821, modern-day British Columbia existed in three fur trading departments. The bulk of the central and northern interior was organized into the [[New Caledonia (Canada)|New Caledonia]] district, administered from Fort St. James. The interior south of the [[Thompson River]] [[drainage basin|watershed]] and north of the Columbia was organized into the Columbia District, administered from Fort Vancouver on the lower Columbia River. The northeast corner of the province east of the Rockies, known as the Peace River Block, was attached to the much larger [[District of Athabasca|Athabasca District]], headquartered in [[Fort Chipewyan]], in present-day Alberta.

Until 1849, these districts were a wholly unorganized area of [[British North America]] under the [[de facto]] jurisdiction of HBC administrators; however, unlike [[Rupert's Land]] to the north and east, the territory was not a concession to the company. Rather, it was simply granted a monopoly to trade with the First Nations inhabitants. All that was changed with the westward extension of American exploration and the concomitant overlapping claims of territorial sovereignty, especially in the southern [[Columbia River drainage basin|Columbia Basin]] (within present day Washington and [[Oregon]]). In 1846, the [[Oregon Treaty]] divided the territory along the [[49th parallel north|49th parallel]] to the [[Strait of Georgia]], with the area south of this boundary (excluding Vancouver Island and the [[Gulf Islands]]) transferred to sole American sovereignty. The [[Colony of Vancouver Island]] was created in 1849, with Victoria designated as the capital. New Caledonia, as the whole of the mainland rather than just its north-central Interior came to be called, continued to be an unorganized territory of British North America, "administered" by individual HBC trading post managers.

===Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866)===
{{Main|Colony of British Columbia (1858–66)|Richard Clement Moody|James Douglas (governor)}}
With the [[Fraser Canyon Gold Rush]] in 1858, an influx of Americans into New Caledonia prompted the [[Secretary of State for the Colonies|colonial office]] to designate the mainland as the Colony of British Columbia. When news of the [[Fraser Canyon Gold Rush]] reached London, Richard Clement Moody was hand-picked 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"<ref name="Donald J. Hauka 2003, p.146">{{Cite book |last=Hauka |first=Donald J. |title=McGowan's War |publisher=[[New Star Books]] |year=2003 |location=Vancouver |page=146}}</ref> and "found a second England on the shores of the Pacific".{{Sfn|Barman|2007|p=71}} Lytton desired to send to the colony "representatives of the best of British culture, not just a police force": he sought men who possessed "courtesy, high breeding and urbane knowledge of the world"<ref name="scott1983">{{Cite thesis |last=Scott |first=Laura Elaine |title=The Imposition of British Culture as Portrayed in the New Westminster Capital Plan of 1859 to 1862 |publisher=Simon Fraser University |date=1983 |url=https://summit.sfu.ca/item/5945 |degree=M.A.}}</ref>{{Citation page|page=13}} and he decided to send Moody, whom the government considered to be the "English gentleman and British Officer"<ref name="scott1983" />{{Citation page|page=19}} to lead the [[Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment]].

Moody and his family arrived in British Columbia in December 1858, commanding the [[Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment]].<ref name="Richard Clement Moody Obituary, ICE"/> He was sworn in as the first [[lieutenant governor of British Columbia]] and appointed Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works for British Columbia. On the advice of Lytton, Moody hired [[Robert Burnaby]] as his personal secretary.

[[File:Cuyp, Aelbert - Cattle near the Maas, with Dordrecht in the distance - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|''Cattle near the Maas'' by Dutch painter [[Aelbert Cuyp]]. Moody likened his vision of the nascent Colony of British Columbia to the pastoral scenes painted by Cuyp.]]
In British Columbia, Moody "wanted to build a city of beauty in the wilderness" and planned his city as an iconic visual metaphor for British dominance, "styled and located with the objective of reinforcing the authority of the crown and of the robe".<ref name="scott1983" />{{Citation page|page=26}} Subsequent to the enactment of the ''Pre-emption Act'' of 1860, Moody settled the [[Lower Mainland]]. He selected the site and founded the new capital, [[New Westminster]]. He selected the site due to the strategic excellence of its position and the quality of its port.<ref name="scott1983" />{{Citation page|page=26}} He was also struck by the majestic beauty of the site, writing in his letter to Blackwood,

{{blockquote|The entrance to the Frazer is very striking—Extending miles to the right & left are low marsh lands (apparently of very rich qualities) & yet [[Sic|fr]] the Background of Superb Mountains-- Swiss in outline, dark in woods, grandly towering into the clouds there is a sublimity that deeply impresses you. Everything is large and magnificent, worthy of the entrance to the Queen of England's dominions on the Pacific mainland.{{nbsp}}... My imagination converted the silent marshes into [[Cuyp]]-like pictures of horses and cattle lazily fattening in rich meadows in a glowing sunset.{{nbsp}}... The water of the deep clear Frazer was of a glassy stillness, not a ripple before us, except when a fish rose to the surface or broods of wild ducks fluttered away.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moody |first=Richard Clement |title=Letter of Colonel Richard Clement Moody, R.E., to Arthur Blackwood, February 1, 1859, preserved in the British Columbia Historical Quarterly (January – April 1951), ed. Willard E. Ireland, Archives of British Columbia |publisher=British Columbia Historical Association |pages=85–107}}</ref>{{Sfn|Barman|2007|p=7}}}}

[[File:Victoria, British Columbia, 1864.jpg|thumb|Victoria, 1864]]
Lord Lytton "forgot the practicalities of paying for clearing and developing the site and the town" and the efforts of Moody's engineers were continuously hampered by insufficient funds, which, together with the continuous opposition of [[James Douglas (governor)|Governor James Douglas]], whom Sir [[Thomas Frederick Elliot]] (1808 - 1880) described as 'like any other fraud',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/elliot_tf.html|title='Elliot, Thomas Frederick', University of Victoria British Columbia, Colonial Despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia|access-date=30 April 2023}}</ref> 'made it impossible for [Moody's] design to be fulfilled'.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite dictionary |title=Richard Clement Moody |encyclopedia=[[Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online]] |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/moody_richard_clement_11E.html |last=Ormsby |first=Margaret A. |author-link=Margaret Ormsby}}</ref><ref name="heraldicscienceheraldique.com">{{cite web|title=Heraldic Science Héraldique, Arms and Devices of Provinces and Territories, British Columbia|url=http://heraldicscienceheraldique.com/arms-and-devices-of-provinces-and-territories.html|access-date=November 3, 2016|archive-date=January 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118031645/https://www.heraldicscienceheraldique.com/arms-and-devices-of-provinces-and-territories.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="scott1983" />{{Citation page|page=27}}

Moody and the Royal Engineers also built an extensive road network, including what would become [[Kingsway (Vancouver)|Kingsway]], connecting New Westminster to [[False Creek]], the North Road between [[Port Moody]] and New Westminster, and the [[Cariboo Road]] and [[Stanley Park]].<ref name="royalengineers.ca">{{cite web |url=http://www.royalengineers.ca/MoodyPostScript.html |title=Col. Richard Clement Moody – Postscript |access-date=July 4, 2016 |archive-date=September 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908121738/http://www.royalengineers.ca/MoodyPostScript.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He named [[Burnaby Lake]] after his private secretary [[Robert Burnaby]] and named Port Coquitlam's 400-foot "Mary Hill" after his wife. As part of the surveying effort, several tracts were designated "government reserves", which included [[Stanley Park]] as a military reserve (a strategic location in case of an American invasion). The ''Pre-emption Act'' did not specify conditions for distributing the land, so large parcels were snapped up by speculators, including {{Convert|3750|acre|ha|sigfig=4|order=flip}} by Moody himself. For this he was criticized by local newspapermen for [[land grabbing]]. Moody designed the first [[coat of arms of British Columbia]]. [[Port Moody]] is named after him. It was established at the end of a trail that connected New Westminster with Burrard Inlet to defend New Westminster from potential attack from the US.

By 1862, the [[Cariboo Gold Rush]], attracting an additional 5000 miners, was underway, and Douglas hastened construction of the Great North Road (commonly known now as the [[Cariboo Wagon Road]]) up the [[Fraser Canyon]] to the prospecting region around [[Barkerville]]. By the time of this gold rush, the character of the colony was changing, as a more stable population of British colonists settled in the region, establishing businesses, opening [[sawmill]]s, and engaging in [[fishery|fishing]] and agriculture. With this increased stability, objections to the colony's absentee governor and the lack of [[responsible government]] began to be vocalized, led by the influential editor of the [[New Westminster]] ''British Columbian'' and future [[Premier of British Columbia|premier]], [[John Robson (politician)|John Robson]]. A series of petitions requesting an assembly were ignored by Douglas and the colonial office until Douglas was eased out of office in 1864. Finally, the colony would have both an assembly and a resident governor.

===Later gold rushes===
A series of gold rushes in various parts of the province followed, the largest being the [[Cariboo Gold Rush]] in 1862, forcing the colonial administration into deeper debt as it struggled to meet the extensive infrastructure needs of far-flung boom communities like [[Barkerville, British Columbia|Barkerville]] and [[Lillooet]], which sprang up overnight. The Vancouver Island colony was facing financial crises of its own, and pressure to merge the two eventually [[Colony of British Columbia (1866–71)|succeeded in 1866]], when the colony of British Columbia was amalgamated with the [[Colony of Vancouver Island]] to form the [[Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871)]], which was, in turn, succeeded by the present day province of British Columbia following the [[Canadian Confederation]] of 1871.

===Rapid growth and development (1860s to 1910s)===
{{Main|Amor De Cosmos|Canadian Confederation|Canada in World War I}}
[[File:LastSpike Craigellachie BC Canada.jpg|thumb|[[Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal|Lord Strathcona]] drives the [[Last Spike (Canadian Pacific Railway)|Last Spike]] of the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]], at [[Craigellachie, British Columbia|Craigellachie]], November 7, 1885. Completion of the [[transcontinental railroad]] was a condition of British Columbia's entry into [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]].]]
[[File:Craigellachie (Gedenkstein).jpg|thumb|Memorial to the "last spike" in Craigellachie]]
The Confederation League led the chorus pressing for the colony to join Canada, which had been created out of three British North American colonies in 1867 (the [[Province of Canada]], [[Nova Scotia]] and [[New Brunswick]]). Several factors motivated this agitation, including the fear of annexation to the US, the overwhelming debt created by rapid population growth, the need for government-funded services to support this population, and the economic depression caused by the end of the gold rush.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} With the agreement by the Canadian government to extend the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] to British Columbia and assume the colony's debt, British Columbia became the sixth province to join [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]] on July 20, 1871. The Treaty of Washington sent the [[Pig War (1859)|Pig War]] San Juan Islands Border dispute to arbitration in 1871 and in 1903, the province's territory shrank again after the [[Alaska boundary dispute]] settled the vague boundary of the [[Alaska Panhandle]].

Population in British Columbia continued to expand as the [[mining]], [[forestry]], [[agriculture]], and [[fishery|fishing]] sectors were developed. Mining activity was notable throughout the Mainland, that a common epithet it, even after provincehood, was "the Gold Colony".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Belshaw|first=John Douglas|date=2015|chapter=13.9 The Gold Colony|chapter-url=https://opentextbc.ca/preconfederation/chapter/13-9-the-gold-colony/|title=Canadian History: Pre-Confederation|access-date=January 1, 2022|archive-date=January 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101191944/https://opentextbc.ca/preconfederation/chapter/13-9-the-gold-colony/|url-status=live}}</ref> Agriculture attracted settlers to the fertile Fraser Valley. Cattle ranchers and later fruit growers came to the drier grasslands of the Thompson Rivers, the Cariboo, the [[Chilcotin Country|Chilcotin]], and the Okanagan. Forestry drew workers to the temperate rainforests of the coast, which was also the locus of a growing fishery.

The completion of the railway in 1885 contributed to the economy, facilitating the transportation of the region's considerable resources to the east. The milltown of Granville, also known as [[Gastown]] was selected as the terminus. This prompted the incorporation of the city of Vancouver in 1886. The completion of the [[Port of Vancouver]] spurred rapid growth, and in less than fifty years the city surpassed [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], as the largest in [[Western Canada]]. The early decades of the province were ones in which issues of land use—specifically, its settlement and development—were paramount. This included expropriation from First Nations people of their land, control over its resources, as well as the ability to trade in some resources, such as fishing.

Establishing a [[labor force|labour force]] to develop the province was problematic, and British Columbia was a destination of immigration from Europe, China, Japan and India. The influx of a non-[[Ethnic groups in Europe|European]] population stimulated resentment from the dominant ethnic groups, resulting in agitation and an attempt to restrict the ability of [[Asian people]] to immigrate to British Columbia through the imposition of a [[head tax]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} This resentment culminated in mob attacks against Chinese and Japanese immigrants in Vancouver in 1887 and 1907.

===20th century===
{{See|Canada in World War II}}
In World War I, the province responded strongly to the call to assist the British Empire against its German foes in French and Belgian battlefields. About 55,570 of the province's 400,000 residents, the highest per-capita rate in Canada, responded to the military's need. About 6,225 men from the province died in combat.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Dickson |first1=Greg |last2=Forsythe |first2=Mark |date=Summer 2015 |title=From the West Coast to the Western Front: British Columbians and the Great War |magazine=British Columbia History magazine |volume=48 |issue=2}}</ref>

In 1914, a second transcontinental rail line, the [[Grand Trunk Pacific Railway|Grand Trunk Pacific]], was completed. This opened up the North Coast and [[Bulkley Valley]] region to new economic opportunities. What had previously been an almost exclusively fur-trading and subsistence economy soon became an area for forestry, farming, and mining. This sector attracted workers from Asia and Europe, leading to a diverse but conflict-ridden society. The early 20th century saw significant interaction between immigrants, [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]], and economic forces. There was a rise in the labour movement, marked by strikes and conflicts such as the [[Battle of Ballantyne Pier|1935 docker's strike at Ballantyne Pier]] and the [[On-to-Ottawa Trek]]. These events underscored tensions between workers and big business, often mediated by the Communist Party. Racial and ethnic relations were strained, with legislation reflecting the era's racial prejudices, notably against Asian immigrants and First Nations. The early and mid-20th century was marred by incidents like the [[Komagata Maru incident]], highlighting anti-Asian sentiment.

The interwar period and World War II introduced significant changes, including [[prohibition]] and its eventual repeal, and the [[internment of Japanese Canadians]]. The post-war era saw coalition governments and a booming economy, spearheaded by infrastructure projects and industrial expansion. The [[British Columbia Social Credit Party|Social Credit Party]], under [[W.A.C. Bennett]], dominated BC politics, initiating major projects and laying the groundwork for future economic growth. The 1970s and 1980s brought economic challenges and political shifts, culminating in the [[Expo 86]] world's fair and the end of Social Credit dominance. This period also saw significant social movements, such as [[Operation Solidarity]]. There was a transition to New Democratic Party governance in the 1990s, focusing on environmental conservation and economic struggles. In its second term especially, the NDP government faced political scandals, such as the [[fast ferry scandal]], that ultimately contributed to its downfall.

===21st century===
[[File:Vancouver 2010 Public Caldron.jpg|thumb|The cauldron of the [[2010 Winter Olympics]] in Vancouver]]
In the [[2001 British Columbia general election|2001 provincial election]], [[Gordon Campbell (Canadian politician)|Gordon Campbell]]'s Liberals defeated the NDP, gaining 77 out of 79 total seats in the provincial legislature. Campbell instituted reforms and removed some of the NDP's policies, along with selling off the previous government's "fast ferries", lowering income taxes, and instituting the controversial long-term lease of [[BC Rail]] to [[Canadian National Railway]]. Campbell led his party to victory in the [[2005 British Columbia general election|2005 provincial election]] against a substantially strengthened NDP opposition and won a third term in the [[2009 British Columbia general election|2009 provincial election]].

The province won a bid to host the [[2010 Winter Olympics]] in Vancouver and Whistler. In 2003, Vancouver's residents had voted in a referendum accepting the responsibilities of the host city should it win its bid. 64 percent of residents voted in favour of hosting.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Wallechinsky |first1=D. |title=The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics: 2010 Edition |last2=Loucky |first2=J. |year=2010 |page=12}}</ref> After the Olympic joy faded, Campbell's popularity fell. His management style, implementation of the [[Harmonized Sales Tax]] (HST) despite election promises not to introduce it, and cancellation of the [[British Columbia Legislature raids|BC Rail corruption trial]]{{Disputed inline|Cancellation of the BC Rail corruption trial|date=April 2024}} led to low approval ratings and loss of caucus support: he resigned in November 2010.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-premier-campbell-stepping-down-1.911669 |title=BC Premier Campbell stepping down |date=November 3, 2010 |access-date=May 22, 2014 |publisher=[[CBC News]] |archive-date=March 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329100656/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-premier-campbell-stepping-down-1.911669 |url-status=live }}</ref> In early 2011, former deputy premier [[Christy Clark]] became leader of the Liberals. Early Clark government actions included raising the minimum wage, creating a new statutory holiday in February called "Family Day", and pushing the development of BC's [[liquefied natural gas]] industry. In the lead-up to the [[2013 British Columbia general election|2013 election]], the Liberals lagged behind the NDP by a double-digit gap in the polls but were able to achieve a surprise victory, winning a majority and making Clark the first woman to lead a party to victory in BC.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 15, 2013 |title=Christy Clark leads BC Liberals to surprise majority |work=[[CBC News]] |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/christy-clark-leads-b-c-liberals-to-surprise-majority-1.1315526 |url-status=live |access-date=April 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407132113/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/christy-clark-leads-b-c-liberals-to-surprise-majority-1.1315526 |archive-date=April 7, 2014}}</ref> Her government went on to balance the budget, implement changes to liquor laws and continue with the question of the proposed [[Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines]]. In [[2017 British Columbia general election|the 2017 election]], the NDP formed a minority government with the support of the Green Party through a [[confidence and supply]] agreement. In July 2017, NDP leader John Horgan was sworn in as a premier. Clark resigned and [[Andrew Wilkinson]] became leader of the BC Liberals. In the [[2020 British Columbia general election]], the NDP won 57 seats and formed a majority government. Wilkinson resigned as the leader of the BC Liberals.

British Columbia has been significantly affected by demographic changes within Canada and around the world. Vancouver was a major destination for many immigrants from [[Hong Kong]] who left the former UK colony prior to [[Handover of Hong Kong|its handover]] to China. British Columbia has been a significant destination for internal Canadian migrants, because of its natural environment, mild climate, relaxed lifestyle, and strong economy.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}} It moved from 10 percent of Canada's population in 1971 to 13 percent in 2006. Trends of urbanization mean the [[Greater Vancouver]] area now includes 51 percent of the province's population, followed by [[Greater Victoria, British Columbia|Greater Victoria]] with 8 percent. These two metropolitan regions have dominated the demographics of BC.

By 2018, housing prices in Vancouver were the second-least affordable in the world.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kwan |first=Shawna |date=January 21, 2019 |title=Hong Kong Housing Is World's Least Affordable for 9th Year |website=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-21/hong-kong-housing-ranked-world-s-least-affordable-for-9th-year |url-status=live |access-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012033331/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-21/hong-kong-housing-ranked-world-s-least-affordable-for-9th-year |archive-date=October 12, 2020}}</ref> Many experts point to evidence of money-laundering from China as a contributing factor. The high price of residential real estate has led to the implementation of an empty homes tax, a housing speculation and vacancy tax, and a foreign buyers' tax on housing.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Gaming_Final_Report.pdf |title=Dirty Money: An Independent Review of Money Laundering in Lower Mainland Casinos conducted for the Attorney General of British Columbia |last=German |first=Peter M. |publisher=Government of British Columbia |date=March 31, 2018 |access-date=June 27, 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116102035/https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Gaming_Final_Report.pdf |archive-date=November 16, 2018 }}</ref> The net number of people coming to BC from other provinces in 2016 was almost four times larger than in 2012 and BC was the largest net recipient of [[Interprovincial migration in Canada|interprovincial migrants in Canada]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Carman |first=Tara |date=August 5, 2016 |title=Canadians flock to B.C. in search of jobs |website=[[Vancouver Sun]] |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/canadians-flock-to-b-c-in-search-of-jobs |url-status=live |access-date=April 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511211232/http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/canadians-flock-to-b-c-in-search-of-jobs |archive-date=May 11, 2017}}</ref>

By 2021, the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] had had [[COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia|a major effect on the province]],<ref>{{cite web |publisher= Brititish Columbia Ministry of Health |title=British Columbia's Response to COVID-19|url=https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/response|access-date=January 1, 2022|website=www2.gov.bc.ca|archive-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231233932/https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/response|url-status=live}}</ref> with over 2,000 deaths and 250,000 confirmed cases. However, the [[COVID-19 vaccine]] reduced the spread, with 78 percent of people in BC over the age of five having been fully vaccinated. The [[Canadian Indian residential school gravesites|unmarked gravesites of hundreds of Indigenous children]] were discovered at three former [[Canadian Indian residential school system|Indian residential schools]] ([[Kamloops Indian Residential School|Kamloops]], [[Kootenay Indian Residential School|St. Eugene's Mission]], [[Kuper Island Indian Residential School|Kuper Island]]).<ref>{{Cite news |title=Remains of 215 children found at former Kamloops, B.C. residential school |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |agency=[[The Canadian Press]] |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-remains-of-215-children-found-at-former-residential-school-in-british/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618213750/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-remains-of-215-children-found-at-former-residential-school-in-british/ |archive-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite news |date=July 13, 2021 |title=Former Native Residential School: Over 160 Graves Found on Kuper Island |website=The Canadian |url=https://thecanadian.news/2021/07/13/former-native-residential-school-over-160-graves-found-on-kuper-island/ |url-status=dead |access-date=July 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713014746/https://thecanadian.news/2021/07/13/former-native-residential-school-over-160-graves-found-on-kuper-island/ |archive-date=July 13, 2021}}</ref>