Ross Bay Cemetery - Sir James Douglas

I mentioned on Saturday that the Ross Bay Cemetery holds many Victoria citizens who were prominent in the early days of the city. Probably none is more significant than Sir James Douglas, who founded the city and governed the colony during its early days. He was a Hudson's Bay Company factor as was Alexander Ross, who gave his name to the bay and the cemetery that faces it. A number of the older graves such as Sir James' are surrounded by wrought iron fences. This ironwork is often quite ornate.

Sir James Douglas, KCB

Since my last visit to Government House there's another new addition to the garden opposite the entrance. The Hosaqami Totem Pole I posted a photo of yesterday stands in the garden to the west of the entrance. Equidistant to the east is this new statue of the first governor of British Columbia, Sir James Douglas, KCB. Sir James was also the founder of the city of Victoria. The bronze statue is the work of sculptor Armando Barbon and was unveiled here on the 21st of May, 2012.

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.

Church Of Our Lord - Living History

No church here embodies the history of Victoria like the Church Of Our Lord. Yesterday's post of the Eliza Harris window only weakly suggests the associations of this church with so many of Victoria's early citizens. Two of the windows at the far end in this photo were donated in memory of Sir James Douglas, Victoria's founder, and his son. There are two prayer desks in front of the altar, one dedicated to a sister of artist Emily Carr who mentions the church in her memoir, "The Book of Small."Opposite is another prayer desk donated in memory of a daughter of Dr. John Helmcken, another prominent early Victorian. It is not difficult when sitting beneath the wonderful ceiling of this church to imagine a Sunday in the 19th century when the Douglas family (who occupied the first pew) would be sitting here along with the Helmckens and the Carrs and many other citizens whose names are enshrined in the streets and buildings of this city.