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Underground miners in the Cariboo, 1938 E-04516 |
Throughout its history, British Columbia's most important
industries have depended on the natural resources of the province -
its land, minerals, forests, sea, and the wildlife and plants that
live on the land and in the oceans and waterways.
The major industries, and historically the largest employers in British Columbia, are forestry (logging, lumber manufacturing, pulp and paper), mining and smelting, and fishing (and fish canning). All of them depend on the plentiful resources of the land and sea. Other important industries such as agriculture (and food processing) and oil and gas also depend on the natural resources of the land.
The First Nations people depended on the resources of the land and sea for their food, clothing, housing materials and tools - all the things they needed to survive.
The same was true of people from Europe and elsewhere who came to British Columbia to settle and live here. From the beginning of European contact and exploration it was understood that this region, with its mountainous terrain, had little land that was suitable for agriculture. At the same time it was recognised that the sea and land provided valuable resources for exploitation and profit.
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Miners at mine entrance, near Ainsworth in the Kootenays, 1897 Detail of D-01758 |
The fur trade began in the late eighteenth century on the coast and in the early nineteenth century in the interior. Spanish, British, Russian and American ships arrived on the coast to trade for furs, particularly sea otter pelts, that were sold in Asia for high profits.
In the interior fur trading posts were established by a number of trading companies that arrived overland from the east or by sea. These companies were interested in the furs from many animals, particularly beaver. By 1821 what is now British Columbia was the exclusive trading region for the British company, the Hudson's Bay Company. During the fur trade era, which lasted until the late 1850s, the non-aboriginal population of British Columbia remained very small.
The First Nations people brought their furs to the trading post where they exchanged them for goods such as guns, cloth, tools and other manufactured goods from Europe. The furs were transported by horseback, or by boat on the rivers, to the sea where they were loaded on ships and taken overseas for sale by the Hudson's Bay Company.
Beginning in the late 1850s gold was discovered along the Fraser River and in the Cariboo region. This brought thousands of gold seekers from many parts of the world and began the exploitation of the mineral and agricultural resources of British Columbia.
Gold was only the first of many metals that were discovered in the mainland mountain ranges of British Columbia, while on Vancouver Island the discovery of coal deposits preceeded the first gold strike in the interior of the province. The mining activity resulted in the growth of settlement and the establishment of farms and cattle ranches to feed the growing population.
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Harvesting strawberries near Mission, in the Fraser Valley, about 1910 B-07897 |
Salmon fishing was a key economic activity for the First Nations people. It provided a good food supply for the local inhabitants, and also served as a valuable trade item for the fur traders looking to supplement their basic provisions.
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Unloading salmon catch at B.C. Canneries at Richmond, 1913 E-05081 |
Transportation links were required to move people and goods in and out of British Columbia and between the towns, mines and farms.
The first forms of transportation were canoes and boats on the rivers, or horseback and wagons on trails and rough roads. As time went on paddle wheel steam boats replaced canoes and rowboats on the rivers.
They in turn were replaced by railways, the first of which was the Canadian Pacific Railway completed from eastern Canada in 1885. People and goods arrived from overseas, or departed from the province, first by sailing ships then by steam ships and the modern ships of today.
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The Hudson's Bay Company ship the SS Beaver anchored in Victoria harbour, 1874 Detail of A-00011 |
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Cutting a sitka spruce, Queen Charlotte Islands, 1900s Detail of NA-05998 |
Even today, when people are concerned about how to preserve the
renewable natural resources of the province and the impacts on
provincial employment levels, these resources remain a major source
of wealth and work opportunities for British Columbians.
