The history of the land now called British Columbia began with the migration of people from Asia across the Bering land bridge (now the Bering Strait) to modern-day Alaska, British Columbia, and destinations farther afield. This scientific assumption is based on the genetic link to people in parts of Asia and the theory that nomadic hunters followed moose, deer, elk and buffalo as food sources, moving farther south as the ice sheets melted.
The earliest evidence of human habitation in Canada is an old fishing weir found in the ocean in the Haida Gwaii islands off the west coast of British Columbia. Based on radiocarbon dating from another archeological site on the island, the weir could date back 13,800 years. These First Nations people lived and flourished on the natural resources of the land, sustained by the bountiful salmon runs and abundant berry crops and indigenous wildlife.
The birthplace of modern British Columbia is the small community of Yuquot, also known as Friendly Cove, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, the site of the first contact between Europeans and the First Nations people in British Columbia. First Nations in British Columbia today constitute a considerable number of First Nations governments and peoples.
History and Heritage: Vancouver Island, British Columbia
- History and Heritage Tours: Vancouver Island and BC Islands
- History and Heritage of Vancouver Island
- Events in the History of Vancouver Island
- History and Heritage in British Columbia
- Events in the History of British Columbia
- British Columbia Archives
History and Heritage Tour Operators in British Columbia
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Explore BC and Southeast Alaska with Bluewater Adventures aboard our 70′ yachts sailing the BC Inside Passage, the Queen Charlotte Islands, Gwaii Haanas National Park, the Great Bear Rainforest, and Vancouver Island. You’ll see whales, Grizzly, Black and Kermode bears, and experience ancient native villages and Haida culture, primeval forests, wilderness, and amazing coastal wildlife.
