Historical landmarks in British Columbia

British Columbia’s landmarks mark the fur trade, the gold rush, the railway, and the growth of the cities. Many stand near the coast or along the old routes inland. Families still visit them on weekends.

Fort Langley

• It is a restored fort from the 1820s. The Hudson’s Bay Company built it for the fur trade.
• In 1858 the colony of British Columbia was proclaimed here.
• Wooden buildings, a palisade, and a blacksmith shop remain.
• Guides in period clothes explain the work that went on.
• The point is the start of the province. It is still open to the public.

Barkerville

• It is a gold-rush town from the 1860s. It was once the largest settlement west of Chicago.
• Wooden shops, hotels, and a theatre line the main street.
• Actors in old clothes walk the road and answer questions.
• The town was almost empty after the gold ran out. It was saved and restored.
• The point is the rush itself. People still pan for gold in the creek nearby.

Craigdarroch Castle

• It is a stone mansion in Victoria built in the 1890s for a coal baron.
• High rooms, stained glass, and a tower look over the city.
• The family lived there only a short time. It later became a school and a hospital.
• Now it is a museum. Visitors walk the floors the family used.
• The point is the wealth that coal and the railway brought to the island.

The Empress Hotel

• It is a grand hotel that opened in Victoria in 1908. The railway company built it.
• The building faces the harbour. Afternoon tea has been served there for more than a century.
• Presidents and royalty have stayed. Ordinary visitors still walk the lobby.
• The point is the link between the coast and the rest of Canada by train and ship.
• It remains a working hotel. The public rooms are open.

Stanley Park

• It is a large forested park at the edge of Vancouver. It was set aside in the 1880s.
• A seawall path runs around the edge. Totem poles stand near the entrance.
• The park kept the old trees when the city grew around it.
• Families walk, cycle, and picnic there year-round.
• The point is the decision to keep wild land inside the city. It is still used every day.

Fort Rodd Hill

• It is a coastal gun battery near Victoria. It was built in the 1890s to guard the naval base.
• Concrete gun positions and underground rooms remain.
• Soldiers lived and trained here through two world wars.
• The site looks over the water. Visitors can walk the paths the troops used.
• The point is the defence of the coast. The guns never fired in anger.

Parliament Buildings

• They stand in Victoria and opened in 1898. The stone building houses the provincial government.
• A copper dome and statues face the harbour. Lights outline the building at night.
• The assembly still meets inside. Visitors can watch from the gallery.
• The point is the seat of government. The building has stood for more than a century.

Gastown

• It is the oldest part of Vancouver. It grew around a saloon in the 1860s.
• Brick warehouses and cobbled streets remain. A steam clock stands in the square.
• The area was once rough. It is now shops and restaurants.
• The point is the start of the city. The old buildings were kept when the rest of Vancouver grew.