Today…

The Emergence of Vancouver

The Chinese in BC

Terms to Know

• metropolis: a chief city

• tidal flats: a low-lying marsh

• to undercut: to sell work at a lower price than average

The Emergence of Vancouver

pre- 1870

Slow development…

• Vancouver is the youngest major community within BC

• Vancouver could not develop during the fur trade or the Gold Rush– Burrard Inlet is not fed by a major river– thick forest – there was no travel to the area

Burrard Inlet

Colonel Richard Moody and New Westminster

• Colonel member of the Royal Engineers• Selected for Lieutenant- Governor of BC (while

it was still a colony – pre- 1870)• Moody was one of the first to realize that the

Fraser would FREEZE over during the winter• Ordered for 3 paths to be cut through the ice

(protection strategy)• set aside land for a military reserve

Vancouver – early 1860’s to 1865

• home to Musqueam and Squamish peoples

• 1865: two sawmills opened • Hastings Sawmill, on the south side of Burrard

Inlet• Sewell Sawmill, on the north side of Burrard

Inlet

Hastings Sawmill

Result of Saw Mills

• gained timber rights• took over 19,000 acres • saloons and shops began to pop up• Settlement “Granville” and “Gastown”

1881 - CPR

• Port Moody was named one of the stops for the CPR

• focus shifted to the eastern end of Burrard Inlet

• Speculators bought up land around the CPR route

Changes…

• 3 years later (1884) William Van Horne (remember him?) arrived to Port Moody

• His discovery… the area was made up of tidal flats and therefore not suitable for large vessels to load and un-load cargo.

• Van Horne travelled towards Gastown – the location was right – he named it Vancouver

Challenges…

• Vancouver was slowly building• 1886 brought hot/dry weather • This caused uncontrollable fires that burned

the upcoming city• By 1890 they were re-built with a population

more than 5,000 people

The Chinese in BC – immigration

arrival…

• thousands arrived along with the Americans during the Cariboo Gold Rush

• immediately faced discrimination against their language, religion, dress, and customs

• limited options – re-work land that had previously been mined– less expensive and often produced small amounts

of gold

Helping the economy…

• remained in BC while other miners left• opened restaurants and general stores along

mining routes• became vegetable farmers • some worked for wealthy families

1881 - CPR

• BC section of the railway (west of the Rocky Mtns) was in need of workers

• 17,000 Chinese immigrated to BC to work on the CPR

• they were paid $1/day (half the salary of White workers)

• usually they were required to provide their own food and lodging

Chinese immigration helps build the CPR

Life in the Cities

• post- 1885 • the Chinese immigrants could not afford to

travel back to China• moved to Vancouver and Victoria• racism and discrimination was a large part of

life• “The Knights of Labour” wanted the Chinese

removed from Vancouver

Work...

• Chinese immigrants often did work that others did not want to do

• sometimes they would displace White workers because the Chinese workers could be paid less

Head Tax

• 1885, Chinese immigration now had a limit• Each immigrant had to pay $50 upon entry to

Canada• Ships were limited to carrying only 40 Chinese

people at once• What did this do…– limited immigration – families could rarely arrive together

Head Tax Apology

• June 22, 2006• Stephan Harper offered apology to Chinese

Canadians– Who did Harper offer an apology to in 2008?

• In 2006, approximately 30 original Head Tax payers were still alive

• apology consisted of a $20,000 payment