Below is a list of events that took place in British Columbia and have had a substantial impact on Canada’s Industrial History. All information for these events can be found by clicking on the event; you will be redirected to Parks Canada’s website.
Canadian Pacific Railway’s Trans Canada Limited (1919-1931), National Historic Event. 1 Van Horne Street South, Cranbrook, British Columbia. The Trans-Canada Limited was a luxury steam train that pulled spacious and elegant cars while offering first-class amenities.
Cariboo Wagon Road National Historic Event. Yale and Barkerville, British Columbia. The Cariboo Wagon Road was constructed between 1862 and 1865; the road became one of the best and most used of several routes into the Cariboo Gold Fields.
Eagle Pass National Historic Event. Craigellachie, British Columbia. Walter Moberly noticed the flight of eagles through a break in the Gold Range, thus discovering Eagle Pass. This location would later become the Canadian Pacific Railways route between the drainage basins of the Columbia and Fraser Rivers.
Fishing Industry on the West Coast National Historic Event. 12138 Fourth Avenue, Steveston, Richmond, British Columbia. The fishery has been of great importance to people on Canada’s west coast. Commercial fishing began in the 1830s with the HBC’s salted salmon for export.
Forest Industry in British Columbia National Historic Event. Argyle Street, Near Ferry Ramp, Port Alberni, British Columbia. Indigenous peoples were the first to use the forests resources in the construction of dwellings, canoes, and tools. In the 19th century, tools and timber were exported. In 1860, the first sawmill was created near this location.
Fraser Canyon Transportation Corridor. Alexandra Bridge Provincial Park, Spuzzum, British Columbia. A now major transportation route, was once nearly impossible to travel. Canada’s Indigenous peoples were the first to care paths along the canyon walls. The Corridor was later utilized by fur traders and gold miners.
Industry at Trail. Trail, British Columbia. In 1897, the Canadian Pacific Railway purchased an American Copper Smelter at this location. This site had access to supplies of lead, zinc ore, waterpower, and coal.
Kootenay Mining Region. Junction of Highways 22 and 3B, Rossland, British Columbia. This site is one of Canada’s foremost mining and refining centres.
Nanaimo National Historic Event. Nanaimo, British Columbia. Nanaimo was the first commercial coal mine in British Columbia (1852).
Shipbuilding at the Burrard Dry Dock Company. North Vancouver, British Columbia. Alfred Wallace founded a one-man boat-building company in 1894. By the 1950s his company had grown into one of the largest shipbuilding and repair companies in Canada. This company would later actively participate in the war efforts.
Sternwheel Steamer Snagboats on British Columbia’s Rivers. Quayside Drive, Westminster, British Columbia. These steam-powered sternwheelers were operated by Public Works to remove hazardous ‘snags’ in the water and to maintain aids to navigation, bridges, and wharves.
Tugboating along the West Coast. 1689 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia. Tugboats have been crucial to the development of the main industries of BC.