Welcome to the Governor's Letters
When the Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia were created, the governors were ordered to report “everything of interest” to the Colonial Office in London, England. With several gold rushes, conflicts with aboriginal people, a near war with the United States, ships wrecked, treaties signed, murders committed and murderers hanged, towns created and other towns destroyed... the governors were busy getting it all down in the letters, which they called "the Colonial Despatches."
Here you can use the governors' letters as a starting point to explore the origins of modern British Columbia and Canada through four curriculum challenges – each with lesson plans for adventurous teachers and students. To begin your journey through these “interesting” times, choose one of the curriculum challenges and after, if you wish to dig deeper into the history of British Columbia, explore the Despatches themselves.
