Parliament Building, Victoria, BC
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 48° 25.224 W 123° 22.199
10U E 472626 N 5363093
An 1860 postage stamp, Pacific dogwood blossoms and the main British Columbia parliament building adorn this 1962 stamp celebrating Victoria’s 100th anniversary.
Waymark Code: WM13GG2
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 12/09/2020
Views: 10
What is now the city of Victoria on the island of Vancouver, began as Fort Victoria, established by London’s Hudson Bay Company in 1843 to be used as a home base for their fur trade operations. This was done in anticipation of losing Fort Vancouver (located in what is now the state of Washington) to the United States with the impending resolution of the Oregon border dispute. Vancouver Island eventually became an official colony of Great Britain in 1849 with Fort Victoria as its seat of government.
In 1858, when gold was discovered in the Fraser Canyon area of mainland British Columbia (then known as New Caledonia) Fort Victoria quickly became the main supply base for outfitters and miners headed for the gold fields. Its population grew from around 300 to over 5000 practically overnight. This “gold rush” led to two events: the establishment of British Columbia as a separate Crown Colony in 1858 and the incorporation of Victoria as a city in 1862. It is the 100th anniversary of this latter event that is commemorated on the Canadian postage stamp issued in 1962.
The postage stamp shown on the stamp was issued in 1860 for use in both the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia as neither colony was large enough to warrant their own stamps. In 1862 however, Vancouver Island switched to decimal currency and eventually issued its own postage stamps. British Columbia issued its own stamp too but Great Britain’s insistence on combining the two colonies was made official in 1866 when Vancouver Island was incorporated into British Columbia (leading to the issue of even more stamps). By 1871, British Columbia had joined the Canadian Confederation and began using Canadian postage stamps.
Besides being the seat of government for the combined colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia, the city of Victoria continued as the seat of provincial government for British Columbia after becoming part of Canada. Seen on the top of the stamp is the central block and dome of the magnificent parliament building which opened in 1898. It was designed by Francis Rattenbury who won a design contest in 1893. The parliament buildings are located right on Victoria’s inner harbor and are easily seen when arriving by ferry.
Stamp Issuing Country: Canada
Date of Issue: 22-Aug-1962
Denomination: 5c
Color: black & rose
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
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