New Caledonia (Canada) facts for kids

New Caledonia was a large area in what is now north-central British Columbia, Canada. It was a special district used by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) for trading furs. Even though it wasn't officially a British colony, it was considered part of Britain's claims in North America. The main office for New Caledonia was at Fort St. James. Other parts of mainland British Columbia were known as the Columbia District to the British, or the Oregon Country to the Americans.

A Fur-Trading Region

Explorers like James Cook and George Vancouver helped Britain claim the coast north of California. Inland, explorers such as Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Simon Fraser, and David Thompson also helped Britain claim land. They set up fur trading posts.

Before 1849, the area that is now British Columbia was not officially organized by Britain. Unlike Rupert's Land, which was given to the Hudson's Bay Company, New Caledonia and the Columbia Department were not. Instead, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) was given the sole right to trade furs with the First Nations people after it joined with the North West Company in 1821.

New Caledonia really began when Simon Fraser and his team set up the first British fur trading posts west of the Rocky Mountains. This happened during their explorations from 1805 to 1808. These posts included Fort George (now Prince George), Fort Fraser, Hudson's Hope, and Fort McLeod. The main headquarters was Fort St. James on Stuart Lake.

The name "New Caledonia" is thought to have come from Simon Fraser and his friends. They thought the hills and forests looked like the Scottish Highlands.

Changing Borders

The exact borders of New Caledonia were not always clear and changed over time. Basically, the area included all the places where its trading posts had economic connections. The eastern border was usually the Rocky Mountains. The northern border was the Finlay River, and the southern border was the Cariboo or Thompson River area.

The region south of the Thompson River and north of the Mexican border (the 42nd parallel north) was called the Columbia District. This district was managed from Fort Astoria and later from Fort Vancouver (in present-day Vancouver, Washington).

Many American settlers started moving west on the Oregon Trail. This led to a disagreement over the border, known as the Oregon boundary dispute. In 1846, the Oregon Treaty was signed. This treaty ended the shared control of areas west of the Rocky Mountains. The southern border of the district moved north to the 49th parallel. After this, the main office moved to Fort Victoria. However, many people still called the entire British-held mainland north of the U.S. border and west of the Rockies "New Caledonia."

In 1849, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands became their own official British colony, called the Colony of Vancouver Island.

From New Caledonia to British Columbia

The Hudson's Bay Company continued to manage New Caledonia for a few more years. The company's main leader in the region, James Douglas, was also the governor of Vancouver Island. This arrangement worked well as long as there were only a few European people (about 100, mostly company workers and their families).

However, everything changed in 1858. Gold was discovered north of Yale, which started the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. This brought twenty to thirty thousand people, mostly Americans, into the area. James Douglas didn't have official power over this region. But he felt he had to show that Britain was in charge. He placed a gunboat at the mouth of the Fraser River to collect fees from prospectors who wanted to travel upstream.

This made the British government act quickly. On August 2, 1858, a law was passed that made New Caledonia an official British colony. The new colony was named the Colony of British Columbia. A new capital city, New Westminster, was built on the Fraser River.

The name New Caledonia is still used today in some official and business names in the region. For example, there's the College of New Caledonia and the Diocese of Caledonia in Prince George. Also, Caledonia Sr. Secondary School is in Terrace.

See also

In Spanish: Nueva Caledonia (Canadá) para niños