Fort Victoria (British Columbia)

Fort Victoria
in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Inside of Fort Victoria looking towards the east gate, c. 1850s
TypeFur trading post
Site information
Controlled byHudson's Bay Company
Websitebcheritage.ca/fortvictoria
Site history
Built1843
In use1843–1864
DemolishedNovember 1864[1]
Garrison information
Past
commanders
James Douglas
Roderick Finlayson
Official nameFort Victoria National Historic Site of Canada
Designated4 June 1924

Fort Victoria began as a fur trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company and was the headquarters of HBC operations in the Columbia District, a large fur trading area now part of the province of British Columbia, Canada and the U.S. state of Washington. Construction of Fort Victoria in 1843 highlighted the beginning of a permanent British settlement now known as Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia. The fort itself was demolished in November 1864 as the town continued to grow as a commercial centre serving the local area as well as trading with California, Washington Territory, the United Kingdom, and others.

The location of Fort Victoria was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924.[2]

  1. ^ "Chronological City History". Victoria Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  2. ^ Fort Victoria. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 20 January 2012.