A Closer Look 8 - Sir James Douglas, KCB

Canada's main transcontinental highway is Highway Number 1 and Mile Zero on that highway is here in Victoria. Those of us who live here, however, don't think of it as Highway Number 1 but as Douglas Street, Victoria's main thoroughfare. It's named after Sir James Douglas, KCB, whose photo is above. The original hangs in a hall in the BC Legislative Assembly Buildings along with photos of other important political figures. Sir James, often referred to as the "Father of British Columbia" because of his decisive actions during the 1857 gold rush, was also the founder of Fort Victoria (1843), which has grown into the modern city. A summary of Sir James' actions during the Cariboo Gold Rush can be read by clicking HERE. Sir James' background provides a lot of food for thought. While we often think of the colonial administration here as John Bull British, it is good to remember that Douglas was born in Guyana, of a Scottish father and a creole mother, a person of mixed European and African ancestry. Sir James' wife was part Cree so there were many cultural factors both in his early and later life. Earlier in this series I posted a photo of Sir James' statue in its niche on the exterior of the BC Legislative Assembly Buildings, along with a photo of Judge Begbie's statue. I suspect both statues were made in the likeness of photos that are hanging in the halls of the legislature. Tomorrow we'll have a closer look at Judge Begbie.

A Closer Look 3

After watching me lying on the stairs and leaning up against the corners of the building for a while one of the security guards laughed when I said I was trying to get a new angle on Victoria's Legislative Assembly Building. We agreed that if the building had lost one atom for each photograph taken, it would have disappeared long ago. I can't say I feel I succeeded with this shot of the main entrance but you can see two more of British Columbia's historically important figures in their niches and below.

On the right is Sir James Douglas, often called "The Father of British Columbia," since he was the founder of Victoria and the first Governor of the colony of British Columbia. You can read all about him in Wikipedia. Douglas founded Fort Victoria in his capacity as Factor of the Hudson Bay Company. He became Governor of the expanded colony of British Columbia when it was in danger of becoming part of the USA due to its popularity arising from the discovery of gold.

To the left is Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie, The first Judge of the Supreme Court of the Colony of British Columbia. Begbie traveled throughout the colony on horseback, dispensing justice where it was needed and upholding the laws during the tumultuous gold rush days.