New Westminster in the 1800s

Описание: New Westminster is the former capital of British Columbia and is older than nearby Vancouver, which only became the dominant city in the region after the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed with its terminus in Vancouver in the 1880s. Because New Westminster is older than Vancouver it is not correct to call it a suburb of Vancouver, even though that is how it seems today. My ancestors were among the first white settlers in New Westminster in the 1860s and they went there as part of the West Coast gold rush which started in California in the 1840s and extended up to Alaska by the 1890s. New Westminster would have been one of the last outposts where gold prospectors could purchase supplies before traveling north or inland to search for gold.

I made this video by transcribing a pamphlet that promoted New Westminster in 1889 that I found at the City of Vancouver Archives. An image of the pamphlet is included near the beginning of the video and the other images in the video were also found from the City of Vancouver Archives and have been selected to support and compliment the narrative of the pamphlet. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of the region and the West Coast generally which is often ignored as most historical narratives focus on the events of Vancouver and other larger more well-known cities.

Check out my other videos on urban geography and history of the Vancouver region from the following playlist:    • Vancouver  

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