Hello again!
Ashley and I have been busy working away on our project for the last three weeks, planning and preparing every step we're going to take from now until November. Can you imagine, working around our school work and not one but two part time job schedules? It's not an easy feat. But, finally we're ready to share with you the first step of our journey - learning from our past.
How else can we learn what true innovation really is? Without knowing the ways of those who came before us, what drove them to do what they did, and how those actions created the world as we know it, how can we tell if something is actually making a change?
We started with Canadian History as a whole and thanks to The Canadian Encyclopedia's list of the "100 Greatest Events in Canadian History" we were able to narrow our list from 100 to 12 events that not only effected Canada as a nation, but tourism as an industry.
1. John Cabot Claims Atlantic Coast
Date: June 24, 1497 John Cabot landed on the Atlantic coast of North America, claiming it for England. Cabot's discovery led to England's interest in what is now Atlantic Canada, especially the fishery.
2. Hudson's Bay Company Founded
Date: May 2, 1670 King Charles II of England granted a charter to Prince Rupert and his "Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay." The charter granted the company a monopoly of trade in the Bay and ownership of all lands drained by rivers flowing into the Bay. The HBC established an English presence in the Northwest and a competitive route to the fur trade centred on Montréal.
3. Mackenzie Reaches the Pacific
Date: July 20, 1793
Alexander Mackenzie's party reached the Pacific via the Bella Coola River, the first explorer to complete the journey overland. Though a physical triumph, Mackenzie's achievement failed to provide the fur traders with a viable route. In 1789 the explorer travelled down the Mackenzie River and reached the Arctic Delta.
4. First Railway Opens in Canada
Date: July 21, 1836
Canada's first railway, the Champlain and St Lawrence Railroad, officially opened. It began operations on July 25. The railway heralded the most important change in transportation in Canadian history, making the creation of a transcontinental nation possible.
5. Oregon Boundary Treaty
Date: June 15, 1846
The Oregon Boundary Treaty was signed, establishing the boundary between British North America and the US at 49° north latitude, leaving Vancouver Island in British hands, and creating a settlement with which Canada and the US could live in harmony.
6. Fraser River Gold Rush
Date: April 25, 1858
The first wave of miners from California arrived at Victoria, en route to the Fraser River Gold Rush. Some 30 000 gold seekers flooded the banks of the Fraser River. The Gold Rush led to the creation of the new colony of British Columbia and caused a precipitous decline in the Native population.
7. British North America Act Passed
Date: March 8, 1867
The British North America Act was passed by the British Parliament and given royal assent by Queen Victoria on March 29. It came into effect on July 1. The Act joined the colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in one federal union.
8. Last Spike Driven for CPR
Date: November 7, 1885
The last spike was driven by Donald Smith at Craigellachie, BC, at the western entrance to Eagle Pass, in a ceremony marking the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The CPR provided a transportation link from Atlantic to Pacific.
9. Klondike Gold Rush Begins
Date: August 17, 1896
George Washington Carmack, Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie discovered gold on Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike River. From 1897 to 1899, during the Klondike Gold Rush at least 100 000 fortune seekers stampeded to the gold fields.
10. Statute of Westminster Passes
Date: December 11, 1931
The Statute of Westminster received royal assent after being passed by the British Parliament. By establishing complete legislative equality between the parliaments of Britain and Canada, it is the closest Canada has come to a declaration of independence.
11. Canada Act Passed
Date: March 8, 1982
The British House of Commons passed the Canada Act of 1982. It was adopted by the House of Lords on March 25. The Act ended the last vestiges of British legislative jurisdiction over Canada and brought home the constitution. Queen Elizabeth II signed the proclamation in Ottawa on April 17.
12. The 2010 Winter Olympics
Date: February 12, 2010
Approximately 2,600 athletes from 82 nations participated in over 80 events over two weeks.The games marked the third time the Olympics were hosted by Canada and the first by the province of British Columbia. Previously, Canada hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta. That year, Canada broke the record for the most gold medals won at a single Winter Olympics, they also became the first host country since Norway, who held the games in 1962, to lead the gold medal count.
Now we're moving on to Canadian Geography, and after that we'll revisit history to learn more about our home province of British Columbia and the beautiful Fraser Valley.
We're also pretty excited about visiting out first businesses next week! We've created our own little "hand picked" itenerary of the city of Abbotsford and will spending a day playing tourist! We promise to take plenty of pictures (maybe even some video) and write post about how our day went once we've recovered from the excitement of it all.
Until then, Au Revoir!
-Megan
