This tree and anchor dedicated to the City of Victoria celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Canadian Navy by HMCS Malahat 21 April 1985.
Rededicated on 3 May 1998 in celebration of the Naval Reserves’s 75th Anniversary
This historic . . . — — Map (db m49078) HM
During the 1950s this type of anti-aircraft gun was part of the Victoria-Esquimalt defences, although it was not used here at Fort Rodd Hill.
This American-made weapon had begun to replace the British-designed 3.7-inch gun as the Canadian . . . — — Map (db m75031) HM
Prior to 1910. the Royal Navy provided maritime defence of British North America and for the Dominion of Canada from 1867. With World War I brewing in Europe early in the 20th century, Great Britain redistributed the British fleet and reduced its . . . — — Map (db m49075) HM
This building is a good example of Edwardian commercial architecture. It was built for William James Marble as a carriage factory, replacing the original wooden structure from 1885. Early painted signage is still visible on the east façade. In 1938, . . . — — Map (db m48748) HM
Through arctic cold, desert heat, or jungle humidity, the rugged reliability of this no-frills "Vehicle, General Purpose" (G.P.) made it the most successful and recognizable Allied vehicle of the Second World War. Between 1939 and 1945 more . . . — — Map (db m99346) HM
Peggy Pemberton-Carter met Prince Nicholas Abkhazi, in Paris in 1922. Prince Nicholas, the last surviving son of an ancient line of kings of Abkhazia on the Black Sea, had been living there in exile since escaping the Bolshevik . . . — — Map (db m75253) HM
During the First World War, Victoria was unprepared to fend off air attacks. In 1921, the 2nd AA (Anti-Aircraft) battery was formed in Victoria. No AA guns existed in Canada, so the unit made do with 13-pounder guns on a locally improvised . . . — — Map (db m98996) HM
[English] Amor De Cosmos (Lover of the Universe) was the name adopted by William Smith of Windor, Nova Scotia, while in the California goldfields. In 1858 he arrived in Victoria and founded the opposition journal, the Colonist. For over two decades . . . — — Map (db m49079) HM
The only native broadleaf evergreen tree in Canada, the Arbutus is found from the southern coastline of BC to California. In BC the Arbutus grows in a narrow band along the south coast line, generally within 5 kilometers (3 miles), of the ocean. . . . — — Map (db m74403) HM
When the building opened, it was the second largest in Victoria with a total area 5,230 square feet. The original drawings came from London, England.
Using brick on a stone foundation, Mr. Williams combined cast iron columns, lintels, and sills . . . — — Map (db m48522) HM
This tablet marks the site of the bastion which stood at the north east corner of Fort Victoria. The fort was erected by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1843.
Erected by Miller, Court & Co. Ltd. For the British Columbia Historical Assn. A.D. 1928 — — Map (db m48511) HM
You are standing at the entrance to Bastion Square
Bastion Square is a legacy of Fort Victoria whose two log towers or “Bastions” were located near here.
The Hudson’s Bay Company, which remains as a store across the street, built the . . . — — Map (db m48519) HM
Death, life and happiness are in the story of Beacon Hill.
On these headlands, where an ancient race once buried their dead, early settlers erected beacons to guide mariners past dangerous Brotchie Ledge.
Here, too, ever since Victoria was . . . — — Map (db m49255) HM
When Victoria was settled in 1843, this area was a natural park. It was reserved in 1858 for a park by Sir James Douglas, Governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island and given in trust to Victoria by the Province of British Columbia. In 1882 it was . . . — — Map (db m244082) HM
You are standing in Bastion Square. The Hudson’s Bay Company, whose legacy continues at the store on Government Street, established Fort Victoria here in 1843.
Acting on behalf of the British Columbia Government, the company sold the surrounding . . . — — Map (db m49227) HM
The Legislative Buildings for the Colony of Vancouver Island were built on these grounds in 1859. Nicknamed “The Birdcages” because of their quaint style, they were replaced in 1894-97 by the present buildings. The original Legislative . . . — — Map (db m9196) HM
We would like to take a moment to share with you the history that you are standing over, around and next to.
This harbour was originally the sole domain of the Lekwungen First Nation who plied its protected waters and fished in their dugout . . . — — Map (db m48749) HM
You are standing in Bastion Square, a public space dating back to the Victorian Era.
There are many alleys and walkways to explore, connecting Bastion Square to nearby streets to see the heart of Victoria’s Old Town Historical Site.
Chancery Lane . . . — — Map (db m49226) HM
This building was constructed in 1924 as the
Canadian Pacific Marine Terminal building.
Designed by the architectural partnership
of F.M. Rattenbury and P.L. James it became
headquarters for the Canadian Pacific
British Columbia Coast . . . — — Map (db m118545) HM
This building was constructed in about 1900 to served as a canteen where the off-duty soldier could make purchases from a limited stock, drink beer and relax.
The building was used as a canteen during summer training periods at Fort Rodd . . . — — Map (db m98860) HM
After two historic voyages of the South Pacific[,] Cook was cruising the waters of the Pacific Northwest on his third and final voyage, with his two ships, Resolution and Discovery[.] He was searching for the western exit to the legendary Northwest . . . — — Map (db m48546) HM
The cast iron panels on this fence are from the Driard Hotel, built in 1892 and designed by architect John Teaque. It was Victoria’s most prestigious hotel prior to the construction of the Empress Hotel. A reconstructed portion of the original hotel . . . — — Map (db m48477) HM
Born on October 24, 1834, Cecilia was the eldest daughter of James and Amelia Douglas.
“The room of Mr. Douglas, partly an office and partly domestic, stood open and there I saw Cecilia his eldest daughter flitting about, active as a little . . . — — Map (db m48928) HM
Soon after the Helmckens moved into their new log house in 1853, Cecilia gave birth to a baby boy ‘before the doors had been hung”, as Dr Hemcken later recalled.
Later Dr Helmcken wrote: “ When he was about a month or two old we found . . . — — Map (db m48930) HM
Before 1903 the remains of early Chinese immigrants were buried in the low-lying, southwestern corner of Ross Bay cemetery. This area was often flooded after a heavy rainstorm. In the early 1900s, high winds and waves eroded a few waterfront . . . — — Map (db m75449) HM
For many years the building on the near left side of this photograph (where you are standing) was a Chinese general store. It was taken down in the early 1960s to enlarge the intersection. You can see a streetcar on Johnson Street crossing . . . — — Map (db m49154) HM
This picturesque building is one of the finest expressions in wood of the Gothic Revival style in Canada. It was constructed in 1875 for the Reformed Episcopal church in Victoria by the Reverend Edward Cridge. Architect John Teague enhanced the . . . — — Map (db m72884) HM
The harbours at Victoria and Esquimalt, and the adjacent coastline were defended by temporary gun emplacements from 1878. International crises during the latter part of the century led to an agreement between the Canadian and British governments . . . — — Map (db m75210) HM
The Congregation Emanu-El Synagogue was built in 1863, just five years after the arrival if the first members of Victoria's Jewish community during the Fraser River gold rush period. Its opening was widely celebrated in Victoria for, despite their . . . — — Map (db m72875) HM
Built for coal magnate Robert Dunsmuir, Craigdarroch symbolized the desire of late 19th-century industrialists to assert their social position through conspicuous displays of wealth. Completed in 1890, the eclectic mansion features . . . — — Map (db m72876) HM
[English]
The province of British Columbia was created on July 20, 1871. Formerly a crown colony established by the union in 1866 of Vancouver Island with the mainland colony of British Columbia, the addition of the Pacific coast province made . . . — — Map (db m49038) HM
[English]
The 1957 portion of the building was renovated to provide retail space and a heritage facade compatible with the original 1914 section.
This project was completed by Public Works Canada as a contribution to the historical preservation . . . — — Map (db m48544) HM
Defence Electric Lights on both sides of Esquimalt Harbour entrance were used to illuminate targets for the guns at night. Engine rooms generated power for the lights. Lights and engines were controlled from this Defence Electric Light . . . — — Map (db m99440) HM
This wall protected the battery from attack from the rear. It was both a protected position for riflemen and an obstacle. Barbed wire entanglements and natural cliff faces provided additional defence along the remainder of the battery . . . — — Map (db m99395) HM
John Sebastian Helmcken was born in London in 1924. He trained to be a doctor at Guys Hospital, London.
He arrived in Victoria as a surgeon and clerk for the Hudson Bay Company on March 24, 1850.
Dr. Helmcken entered politics in 1856, becoming the . . . — — Map (db m48865) HM
Dr Helmcken earned acclaim for his work as a physician, colonial legislator and negotiator of British Columbia’s entry into Canada.
This statue, created by Armando Barbon and Gabriele Vicari, was donated to the Royal BC Museum by the family of Yole . . . — — Map (db m48992) HM
During this district’s boom of 1881 – 1884, sixteen thousand Chinese established themselves within this area of Victoria. Thus emerged six blocks of businesses, theatres, a hospital, schools, churches, temples, opium factories, gambling dens . . . — — Map (db m49155) HM
This area, designed and laid out by the landscape branch of the Provincial Department of Public Works in 1975, has been named Elliot Street Square, in memory of Andrew Charles Elliot, barrister, judge, gold commissioner, police magistrate, and . . . — — Map (db m48765) HM
[English] Artist and author Emily Carr was born here and lived most of her life in this neighbourhood of Victoria where she died. Her compelling canvases of British Columbia landscape offer a unique vision of the forest an shore, while her . . . — — Map (db m49241) HM
Victoria-born Emily Carr is British Columbia's most famous artist. Her art and writings are recognized across Canada. Emily grew up with a passion for art and a love of nature, especially animals. After high school she studied art in San . . . — — Map (db m74400) HM
[English] This hotel was built between 1904 and 1908, and has since been enlarged twice. The architect, Francis M. Rattenbury, followed the practice of the Canadian Pacific Railway in employing the Chateau style, identifiable by the steep slate . . . — — Map (db m49238) HM
This imposing brick roundhouse is a particularly fine example of an industrial structure associated with the steam railway era in Canada. Built in 1913, the ten-stall roundhouse with attached machine, boiler and blacksmith's shops is part of a . . . — — Map (db m72877) HM
This magnificent estate, residence of the Crown's representatives in British Columbia, is a cultural landscape that boasts a long and remarkable association with this high office. In 1865 the government of the colony purchased Cary Castle, a house . . . — — Map (db m72878) HM
Competition for sovereignty and trade drew Europeans to the Pacific Northwest coast in the 1780s. Although long known to First Nations people, the strait received its present name in 1787 when Charles Barkley identified it as the legendary . . . — — Map (db m80552) HM
The Fifth Regiment of Garrison Artillery marches down Government Street in December 1915 on their way to the Inner Harbour, where they boarded a steamer to Vancouver. They would join other Canadian troops fighting in Europe in World War I. The tall . . . — — Map (db m49153) HM
[Medallions, top row]
Milton – Sophocles – Shakespeare – Socrates – Dante – Homer
[Statues, anti-clockwise from the top left]
Colonel R.C. Moody
1813-1887
Commander of Royal Engineers in 1858, erected New . . . — — Map (db m49045) HM
Named after Roderick Finlayson Chief – Factor Hudson’s Bay Company at Victoria 1844 – 1872.
Before the arrival of white men this was the site of an ancient fortified Indian Village.
A battery of two 64 pound wrought iron rifled guns stood here . . . — — Map (db m49244) HM
On this site Rev. R.J. Staines and wife opened the first British Columbia School in 1849. In the same building of Fort Victoria the first Legislative Assembly met August 12th 1856.
[Plaque below]
This plaque unveiled by Honorable Nancy Hodges, . . . — — Map (db m48521) HM
From this field on Sept. 8, 1910, a pioneering aircraft made its first flight. The Gibson Twin plane, entirely designed, built and flown by William W. Gibson, a Victoria resident, became the first all-Canadian aircraft. This site, then known as . . . — — Map (db m187893) HM
For many years, keepers tended this light. Now we tend the stories of the light.
Pendant bien des années, des gardiens ont veillé à entretenir cette lumière. À présent, nous veillons à immortaliser les récits sur ce phare.
[Background photos of . . . — — Map (db m99182) HM
Fisgard Lighthouse was built in 1860 as the first permanent light on the west coast of Canada. Although administered together with Fort Rodd Hill, it is a separate national historic site. There is no historic connection between the two . . . — — Map (db m75218) HM
[English] Opened in 1889, the Victoria Law Courts was the first major public building constructed by the provincial government after union with Canada. Previously, court sessions had been held in one of the colonial administration buildings located . . . — — Map (db m49098) HM
The mooring rings on the rocks below are the only surviving fragment of Fort Victoria built by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1843. From 1846, when the Oregon boundary was drawn at the 49th parallel, this post served as grand depot and headquarters . . . — — Map (db m9195) HM
The pavement design near this plaque marks the location of the east gate of Fort Victoria, built in 1843. From here the wooden stockade stretched northward to the bastion and southward toward what is now Broughton Street. The plaques in the pavement . . . — — Map (db m48520) HM
Founded by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1843, Fort Victoria became, after 1846, the head-quarters of the Company’s trade in British territory west of the Rocky Mountains. When the Colony of Vancouver Island was formed in 1849 Victoria was the . . . — — Map (db m48542) HM
was erected by Hudson’s Bay Company
1843
Here Colony of Vancouver’s Island was inaugurated by Richard Blanshard 1850
Vancouver’s Island and British Columbia united 1866
Two years later Victoria became the capital of British Columbia — — Map (db m48547) HM
The pavement design near this marks the location of the bastion that stood at the northeast corner of Fort Victoria. From here the stockade ran southward past the gateway at Fort Street, and westward toward the harbour. Each brick within the bastion . . . — — Map (db m48509) HM
A sports field served James Bay for many years until the Community envisioned a new park space. On August 27th, 2009 City Council adopted the Fisherman's Wharf Management Plan. The plan was completed in two phases and the Mayor celebrated the . . . — — Map (db m74385) HM
Came with their five children from Papa Westray, Orkney Isl[ands]. aboard the sailing ship Knight Bruce via Cape Horn. Arrived at Victoria on 24 Dec 1864 after 180 days at sea. — — Map (db m74706) HM
Imagine the expanse of water between Fisgard Lighthouse and Albert Head (to your right) filled with ships at anchor. Named “Royal Roads” in colonial times, this was a safe anchorage, a place to wait for daylight, calm seas . . . — — Map (db m99180) HM
Gaze up into a Giant sequoia. Let your imagination soar. Fully grown, they are the largest living things on the planet. Their ancestors stood among dinosaurs. Today, the Giant sequoia is found naturally in fewer than 100 groves in the Sierra Nevada . . . — — Map (db m74141) HM
This plaque was unveiled by
The Honourable Frank Mackenzie Ross,
C.M.G., M.C., LL.D.
Lieutenant Governor of the
Province of British Columbia
on May 19th, 1959, to mark the official opening of the 10th Government House built to replace . . . — — Map (db m74991) HM
This structure was designed to accommodate the guard when the battery was fully manned.
Consisting of three or four soldiers commanded by a non-commissioned officer, the guard provided sentries to control the gate and patrol the battery . . . — — Map (db m75775) HM
One 6-inch gun on a disappearing carriage was mounted in this emplacement. The wall and sunken emplacement helped to conceal and protect the gun and crew from enemy bombardment. The concrete apron and earth glacis extending away from the top of . . . — — Map (db m76336) HM
During the Second World War, steel mesh anti-torpedo and anti-submarine nets and a log-boom, were erected between this shore and the island occupied by Fisgard Lighthouse, and across to Duntze Head on the opposite side of the harbour. The . . . — — Map (db m98995) HM
Q: How do you move a 28-ton gun barrel up a hill?
A: With great difficulty, and a "gun drug."
The heavyweight of Canadian artillery was the 9.2-inch gun. The barrel was 27 feet (11.2 metres) long and weighed 28 tons (this mock-up barrel is a . . . — — Map (db m99419) HM
John Sebastian Helmcken arrived in Fort Victoria in 1850 to work as a physician for the Hudson’s Bay Company.
He remained here for the rest of his life, marrying Cecilia Douglas, the eldest daughter of Governor James Douglas. The young couple has . . . — — Map (db m96724) HM
a replica of the original pole carved in 1960
by Chief Mungo Martin
Carved by Chief Tony Hunt
and
Raised on 8 September 2012
in the presence of
The Honourable Steven L. Point, OBC
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
in honour . . . — — Map (db m75002) HM WM
[English]
In Commemoration of the Treaty Between Great Britain and the Russian Empire, 28 February 1825, Demarcating Canada’s Western Boundary
[Ukranian]
у Відзначення . . . — — Map (db m48937) HM
She came here in 1843 with her husband, Chief Trader Charles Ross, who was in charge of building Fort Victoria. After his death she bought the land upon which you are standing for a farm. By so doing she became the first woman to own land in . . . — — Map (db m74825) HM
On April 22, 1942, 273 men, women and children of Japanese ancestry were exiled from their homes in the Greater Victoria area. None of the survivors of this event ever returned to Victoria to re-establish a home.
On August 4, 1992, 67 . . . — — Map (db m49127) HM
In commemoration of Stephen Fonyo’s run across Canada to raise money on behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society, for cancer education, patient care and research.
His “Journey For Lives” covered nearly 8,000 kilometers, starting in St. John’s, . . . — — Map (db m49230) HM
Captain in the Spanish Royal Navy. Explorer of the West Coast of North America and Governor of the Spanish settlement at Nootka, Vancouver Island.
In honor of their meeting and the ensuing friendly association, Captain George Vancouver named this . . . — — Map (db m49036) HM
This memorial commemorates the 150 Victorians of Japanese descent who are buried in this historic cemetery, beginning in 1887.
During the 1940's, when no person of Japanese descent was allowed to remain within 100 miles of the West Coast, . . . — — Map (db m74695) HM
Carved by Master Carver Cicero August and his sons Darrell and Doug August for the Cowichan Tribes, on the occasion of the closing of the XIV Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand and the beginning of Victoria’s role as host of the XV . . . — — Map (db m49043) HM
Project of Native Indians' Participation Centennial Sub-Committee
to commemorate
the Union in 1866 of the colonies
on Vancouver Island and the mainland as
British Columbia
Kwakiutl Bear Pole
carved by
Mr. Henry Hunt of . . . — — Map (db m74399) HM
Les ancêtres de la famille Côté son arrives au Québec en 1634. En 1945, Joseph Napoléon Côté et son épouse Ida Camille Demers, accompagnés de leur fils Joseph Henri Côté et son épouse Anne-Marie Forcade s’establissent à Victoria.
Le . . . — — Map (db m49228) HM
[Chinese, not transcribed]
[English]
Lee Mong Kow (1863-1924) was born in Panyu County, Guangdong Province, China. As an interpreter in the Canadian Customs House and Immigration Office he helped facilitate communication between Chinese . . . — — Map (db m49157) HM
Simon Leiser & Co., Wholesale Grocers, was the largest business of it kind in British Columbia when this warehouse was built. The building featured a central electric elevator with tracks radiating from the elevator on each floor for ease of . . . — — Map (db m49101) HM
A rowboat was the only link between lighthouse and land, and sometimes the only thing standing between life and death.
Seule une chaloupe reliait le phare à la terre ferme, et c'était parfois l'unique moyen de rester en vie. . . . — — Map (db m99060) HM
As the Helmcken family grew, so did this house. You can see three stages in the structure.
[Right section]
The original 1852 log cabin was built in a fur trade post-in-sill style with hand hewn squared logs and cedar shingles. Hearths in three . . . — — Map (db m48866) HM
Born in New Bedford
Massachussets in 1814
Died in Victoria in 1912
while a resident of
the Old Men's Home
He came to Victoria from California in 1858 and was appointed by Governor James Douglas as a police constable but . . . — — Map (db m74829) HM
Operating Lower Battery during an alert required discipline, precise timing and constant attention to safety.
Take Post Command
Procedure
#1. Enemy Vessel Sighted
#2. Battery Take Post Command Issued
#3. Gun Fire Opened
#4. . . . — — Map (db m99233) HM
This monument commemorates the gallant men and women of British Columbia and Canada who offered their lives to defend the principles of democracy and served as the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion of the International Brigades in defence of the Republic . . . — — Map (db m49040) HM
This building first housed Moore’s Music Hall (Victoria’s earliest existing theatre) upstairs, above Nathanial Moore’s dry goods store.
In 1885, a new facade was constructed to match the new building next door, with identical cast iron . . . — — Map (db m49125) HM
This historic fountain was originally erected near the turn of the century at the “edge of town” known as the Five Corners: Government, Douglas, Gorge and Hillside Streets.
The three-level fountain provided water for parched travellers . . . — — Map (db m48478) HM
Named in Honour of
Thomas Shanks McPherson
Born Airdrie, Scotland, prominent business man, philanthropist and citizen of Victoria for fifty-three years, who died at the age of 89 years on 3rd, December 1962, and under whose will a bequest . . . — — Map (db m49129) HM
This cairn commemorates the feat of Miss Marilyn Bell who landed in this bay 23rd August 1956 to become the first woman and first Canadian to swim Juan de Fuca Strait from Port Angeles, U.S.A. to Victoria, Canada — — Map (db m49247) HM
Presented to the City of Victoria
by the
Maritime Museum of British Columbia
28th July, 1966
H.M.S. Algerine was the last ship of the Royal Navy to be based in Esquimalt, 1908-1914. Transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy, she served as Depot . . . — — Map (db m49081) HM
Born near Levis, Demers was trained at the Seminary of Quebec, ordained in 1836 and sent in 1838 as a missionary to the Columbia. His ministry extended from the interior of British Columbia to Oregon. First pastor of St. John's Church of Oregon . . . — — Map (db m72879) HM
ca. 1860
[Photo caption reads] A detail of the View of Victoria, 1860.
Major Bay is largely undeveloped.
BC Archives POP01538
1878
[Photo caption reads] Bird's-Eye View of Victoria, Vancouver Island, B.C. 1878, detail.
Drawn . . . — — Map (db m74383) HM
The first Royal Navy warship dropped anchor in Esquimalt Harbour in 1848. Since then, the harbour has witnessed a fascinating evolution of naval power. Though global politics and weapons systems may change, Esquimalt remains a major strategic . . . — — Map (db m99461) HM
The Netherlands Carillon
The carillon was a gift from British Columbia’s Dutch community to honour Canada’s 100th birthday in 1967. Her Majesty Queen Juliana of the Netherlands unveiled the cornerstone of this tower on May 23, 1967; it now . . . — — Map (db m155664) HM
When the Second World War began in 1939, tents were used to accommodate the sudden influx of troops. They were quickly replaced by temporary wooden huts of this type. This building is the only example that has survived in place. It was an . . . — — Map (db m99359) HM
Dr. Helmcken loved tending the family garden throughout his long live. In his memoirs, he described his passion for gardening in the 1850s:
“At this time I was a great gardener – worked hard – up at 5 or 6 o’clock digging & c. . . . — — Map (db m48929) HM
(English) Completed in 1875 in the Second Empire style, Victoria’s original Custom House is a distinguished example of the buildings erected by the new Federal Government after Confederation. It regulated the trade of the West Coast’s busiest port . . . — — Map (db m49077) HM
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