The Fort Victoria Journal 1846-1850

The Fort Victoria Post Journal is a daily account of occurrences at the fort in the critical time between May 1846 and May 1850. Among the significant events of this period were: the Oregon Boundary Settlement in 1846, the establishment of Vancouver Island as a British Crown Colony in 1849 and the signing of treaties with the neighbouring First Nations in 1850.

Entries in the journal are brief and, for the most part, offer little comment on the most significant political events of the time. On the other hand, they offer considerable insight into the daily operations of the trading post and the early development of relations with First Nations. As it was the desire of the HBC that the Fort become self- sufficient, agricultural activities played an important role in the daily routine of the forty to fifty men living inside the walls of the fort and are the subject of many entries. Other subject matter touched on in the journal includes labour relations, religious observances, health of the HBC employees and neighbouring First Nations, the development of a rudimentary system of justice, the discovery of coal, the arrival of the first settler, the comings of goings of ships, as well as important visitors such as painter Paul Kane.