Online Exhibit: Victoria’s Pioneers – African Descent Society BC

VICTORIA'S PIONEERS
SINCE 1858

The First Wave in Victoria

Canada is usually remembered as the country where African-American slaves escaped to in order to find freedom. Although that is true, Canada is not without its faults. This is a brief history of BC’s first African Descent settlers.

Heading North

Although a free state, California was not a haven for blacks. It was feared that mounting racism would bring it back to being a slave state. With the option of Sonora, Mexico or Victoria, Vancouver Island (it was not part of BC yet, but it’s own colony) to establish as a permanent settlement, the blacks of San Francisco decided to go to Victoria upon an invitation by the governor of the time, James Douglas. He himself was born of a free-coloured mother from the West Indies and married to an Irish-Cree woman. On April 20, 1858, an initial group of 35 black men, along with miners bound for the gold rush began their journey to scout out Victoria. When these men reported back to their community in California, the feeling was generally positive and so 300-400 black families proceeded their relocation to Vancouver Island.

Victoria

Victoria was vastly different from California in that the settlement was diverse, consisting of many different shades, as well as different places of birth, education and social classes – from British subjects to recently freed slaves. The blacks were free to engage in politics and own businesses – and many did. Those who decided to stay in town and not head into the gold mines helped to supply the economic needs of their community. Barbering was almost monopolized by blacks; there were numerous farmers, draymen*, carpenters, bakers, cooks and ordinary labourers. Some, like Mifflin Gibbs, rose to prominence, establishing themselves as large merchant houses. Blacks were even at one point, albeit short-lived, appointed as police officers.

It must be said, however, that much of the discrimination that occurred on the island, such as in churches or as with the Victoria Pioneer Rifle Corps, came from Americans, who, upon the start of the Civil War returned to the United States. Some discrimination remained, but as the US Civil War finished and blacks felt that they could safely return to their homeland, those who decided to stay in Victoria were few.

The Victoria Pioneer Rifle Corps (VPRC)

The black people of Victoria wanted to participate in all aspects of their community, so when they were refused entry to the volunteer fire brigade, they decided to form a rifle corps. They became popularly known as the African Rifles. Although the colony desperately needed some kind of body to protect them from international disputes, the white settlers weren’t too keen on having blacks take on this role.

Sworn-in a year after they were formed, the first unit consisted of about 60 men. Since they didn’t have any formal military experience, Governor Douglas eventually brought in a drill sergeant to help train the men. They raised funds amongst themselves and received donations. With that, they ordered uniforms from England, which were green with orange facings and included white belts just like the British style. They were supplied with old rifles, which really didn’t work, and with a promise to get new ones, the troop built their own drill hall on Yates Street, which became a social gathering place for the black community.

Eventually white units were formed, receiving much more attention and government funding than the VPRC. Although the white units ended up disbanding, and the VPRC were the only military unit on the island according to records, it seemed that there was no intention of having an all-black unit.

After much discouragement and a lack of funding, the VPRC returned their rifles in 1866 upon the government’s request, adding a note that said:

The VPRC had not disbanded, but had not met for drill because of government discouragement and the depletion of its ranks by Blacks returning to the United States.

A Diverse Settlement on Salt Spring

After the gold rush, those returning to Victoria saw land prices become quite expensive. For those that chose not to return to the United States after the Civil War, blacks as well as whites applied for land on Salt Spring Island because they could claim a huge piece of land and pay for it later. Many of Victoria’s black settlers that chose to scout out Salt Spring and settle there were able to send for their wives and children with relative ease, thereby increasing their population in relation to whites. About half of the first settlers to Salt Spring were blacks. The other settlers were a diverse group made up of other Americans, Australians and Europeans who came to Canada in search of gold. Early settlers also included a number of former Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) employees, which included several Hawaiians who had been brought to the Pacific Northwest by the company. There were also Japanese who came as fishermen and labourers, as well as more affluent immigrants from the British Isles.

Aside from the cheap land, many, like Sylvia Estes-Stark, found their paradise on Salt Spring. It was beautiful, untouched and free of discrimination.

The People

1/5

Mifflin Wistar Gibbs
(1823-1915)

Born to a free family in Philadelphia, Mifflin Gibbs didn’t know slavery existed until he saw it for himself on a visit to the South. He trained as a carpenter, and although technically uneducated, Gibbs was able to teach himself and learn outside of the classroom. He commenced his advocacy work in the eastern United States with the famous abolitionist, Frederick Douglass. He then headed toward San Francisco, where he worked as a carpenter, started a black newspaper, The Mirror of the Times, and a boot store together with his business partner, Peter Lester. However, as troubles mounted for blacks in California, Gibbs looked north. Of his time in California, Gibbs recorded that “they were ostracized, assaulted without redress, disenfranchised and denied their oath in a court of justice.”

Once in Victoria, Gibbs continued his business, having closed up shop and bringing all of his wares to Victoria. Still partnering with Peter Lester, they were able to establish themselves as the first large merchant house in the colony outside of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Aside from the merchant business, Gibbs was able to invest in real estate, develop a coal mine and build British Columbia’s first railroad.

Always an advocate for his people, he helped fund and begin the Victoria Pioneer Rifle Corps, Victoria’s all-black militia and, at one time, Victoria’s only official militia. In 1866, he was elected to the Victoria City Council, the city’s first black councillor. Representing James Bay, he even served as acting mayor at one point. His time in Victoria culminated with being sent as a delegate to the Yale Convention, with the purpose to discuss BC’s entry into Canadian Confederation.

Upon the ending of the Civil War, Gibbs was one of the Americans set to return to the United States and continue his path. He started some legal training while in Victoria, but completed his formal education at Oberlin College in Ohio, an institution that regularly admitted black students since 1835. He settled in Little Rock, Arkansas where he practiced law before becoming the first African-American elected municipal judge in the United States. His final public service position was one of prestige: in 1897, at the age of 74, he was appointed United States Consul to Madagascar by President William McKinley.

After a stint there, he returned to Little Rock and founded the Capital City Savings Bank, became a partner in the Little Rock Electric Light Company, continuing his real estate investments, as well as supporting various philanthropic causes. He passed away at the age of 92.

An extraordinary man, Mifflin W. Gibbs made an impact on the settlement in B.C, and really, anywhere he called home, no matter how short the stay.

2/5

Sylvia Stark
(1839-1944)

Née Estes, Sylvia was born in Missouri to a slave family (they took their last name from their owner). Even though it was illegal to teach slaves, Sylvia managed to learn how to read by learning the alphabet from the children she took care of and eavesdropping on their lessons.

Her Father, Howard, was allowed to buy his freedom on a form of credit. He headed to California for the gold rush with his two sons in order to earn money. Although his owner went back on his promise and tried to keep some of the money to pay for his family’s freedom, Howard persevered through court and was able buy his whole family their freedom. However, once he was able to return and get ready to collect his family, one daughter, Agnes, died of scarlet fever and Sylvia barely made it through.
The family bought a farm in Missouri, thinking they would settle there, but the ongoing harassment of blacks by the Ku-Klux-Klan, brought uneasiness to the family. They decided to make the treacherous journey to California via the Oregon Trail with his young family. While living in California, Sylvia met her husband, Louis, at the age of 16. Nevertheless, as racism mounted in California and free blacks were slowly stripped of their humanity, the Estes and Stark families heeded Governor James Douglas’s invitation for blacks to come to Victoria, and so they did. They were amongst the six hundred families that would eventually immigrate to the colony of Victoria.

The families settled in Saanich, but Sylvia reportedly fell in love with Salt Spring Island and she and Louis moved there after the government allowed people to claim land and pay for it later. They lived in an unfinished log cabin, established an orchard and cleared land for field crops. This was not an easy life, and none of the tasks were simple, since the island was essentially untouched. In this era, there were no roads or readily-available resources. Furthermore, they had to face several attacks by the local First Nations tribes who understood it as their land. The attacks were dangerous and sometimes fatal; this isolation from other settlers was a challenge.

Wanting to raise cattle, the Starks moved to Nanaimo, where Sylvia practiced midwifery for some time. However, Sylvia missed Salt Spring so much that she left Louis and went back to her farm on the island, which she ran with one of her sons, Willis. At the age of 92, she taught herself to type and wrote “The History of the Stark Family,” published as a 10 part series starting in 1979 in the Gulf Island Driftwood. She passed away at the age of 106 and is buried beside her father in the Pioneer Cemetery, Ganges, Salt Spring Island.

3/5

Charles & Nancy Alexander

Born free blacks in St. Louis, Missouri in 1824 and 1835, respectively, their paths crossed and were married in Springfield, Illinois on Christmas Day, 1849. Charles was a carpenter who built and ran a grain mill in St. Louis; a great speaker, he also became a minister. Wanting to prospect for gold in California, the family made their four-month long journey there via the Oregon Trail, but Charles was not very successful in his search for gold. In 1858, they boarded The Oregon and headed to Victoria.

Once on the island, Charles looked for gold up on the Fraser River and was successful. Once he returned to Victoria, he resumed his carpentry business, building homes for families, including his family’s where they settled in South Saanich for 33 years. During that time, the family grew to 12. Not only did they contribute to their community by farming, Charles built the first school in South Saanich and became a trustee. He also assisted in forming the Temperance Society, and in 1862, Charles initiated and assisted in the building of the first Shady Creek Church and was one of its first preachers.

In 1894, the Alexanders moved to the Swan Lake district, later changed to the Lake Hill district. Their home was called “Rockabella Gardens,” where they celebrated their Golden (1899) and Diamond (1909) Jubilees. Nancy was one of the first ladies to join Lake Hill Women’s Institute and was considered to be a valued member.

Nancy passed away in 1912 at the age 78 and Charles followed in 1913 at the age of 89. The family counted 400 descendants as of 1992, with many still residing on Vancouver Island. Nancy and Charles were true pioneers and helped build and establish a legacy in B.C.

4/5

Fielding Spotts (1827-1902)
& Family

Fielding was a cooper who made his way to Victoria from California. He owned a farm in Saanich, where he obtained cordwood from tree-clearing and raised farm animals such as cattle and chickens, orchard crops, and field crops most likely including oats, wheat, barley, and peas. Such produce would have been important for the early development of Victoria and the Saanich Peninsula.

Aside from farming, which he did for over 40 years on his property, Spotts contributed to his community by participating in his faith and in schooling.

Perhaps the first person of the Baptist denomination to come to Western Canada, he was instrumental in the formation of the Shady Creek Church in Saanich. He went on to form the First Baptist on Pandora Street, where he was a Trustee and Deacon, and then helped form its successor, Calvary Baptist on Herald Street. Finally, he laid the foundation for the formation of Saanich Baptist. In forming First Baptist, a group of blacks and whites alike met in their homes for prayer meetings. They put out an appeal for a pastor and met to organize the Church. They opened their chapel and the first baptismal service occurred in 1877.

Spotts and his wife Julia had 8 children altogether. He was a trustee at two of the schools where his children attended. His children were reportedly well-liked and some of them were great athletes.
His son, Fielding William Spotts moved to Vancouver and was one of the first pioneers there.

5/5

Wellington Moses
(1816-1890)

He was actually one of the Pioneer Committee members sent to Victoria to scout the land and determine whether or not it was favourable to move there. With a positive report, Moses arrived in Victoria in 1858 from California, just like the other black settlers looking for true freedom at that time. Soon after arriving, Wellington opened his barber shop, the Pioneer Shaving Shop and Bath Room, with a private entrance for ladies. In the mid-1860s, he headed for the gold mines up the Fraser River, supporting himself as a traveling barber, until he settled in Barkerville, running a barber shop and dry goods store.

What makes Moses a notable pioneer? Three things. For one, he kept many notes in his diary, from what the weather was that day to finances, which helped to provide a snapshot of life up in the Cariboo. Next, Moses sold a hair tonic, called the “Hair Invigorator,” which many swore by. Lastly, is that he helped solve a murder mystery.

He had been traveling to Barkerville when he met a man named Charles Morgan Blessing, who sported an unusual tiepin made out of a gold nugget. They met a man named James Barry along the way. Moses parted ways with Blessing for a few days, who stayed on with Barry. The two were supposed to meet again, except for they didn’t and, what’s more, Blessing had gone missing. When asked about Blessing, Barry said that he had gone on without Blessing due to a sore foot. Moses became concerned when someone showed up to his barber shop wearing Blessing’s gold nugget tiepin. Tracking down where the pin separated from Blessing, Moses asked a girl who said she got it from Barry. Something was definitely wrong, especially since Blessing had been concerned that someone might steal from him….Moses visited Judge Cox and told him what was going on just as Blessing’s body was being discovered. As news spread of the murder, Barry fled, but was caught and arrested. Upon Moses’ testimony, Barry was found guilty and executed. Moses collected money to give Blessing a proper funeral and gravestone, which is British Columbia’s smallest provincial historic site. A memorial plaque to Blessing stands at Kilometre 43 on Highway 26 between Quesnel and Barkerville.

In 1868, there was a big fire in Barkerville. Many shops and homes burnt down, including Moses’ barbershop. He managed to rebuild it and lived out his days in Barkerville.

The Places

1/5

Victoria

In order to prevent American expansion northward, Vancouver Island was declared a British colony and was leased to the Hudson’s Bay Company for 10 years. Governed by James Douglas, blacks were invited to immigrate to the British Colony in order to counteract the influx of white Americans coming for the Gold Rush. The rationale was that if Blacks, who were not considered full citizens in the United States, were given full rights in Victoria, the British could win their loyalty and so Douglas promised them British citizenship after five years of land ownership and full protection of the law in the meantime.

2/5

Salt Spring Island

When land in Victoria became expensive, those looking to settle looked to Salt Spring Island, where they could claim land for very little and pay for it later. The challenge was that once one took land, they would have to clear it, farm it and basically set it all up themselves. There were no roads either, and many of the settlers either didn’t know how to farm or had no equipment. Nevertheless, many families flocked to Salt Spring, as they could own land, farm it and prosper.

Although having a diverse population, there were hardly any racial tensions to be found on the island - perhaps because of the pioneering spirit, perhaps because they were all so isolated. The only threat to be found that the settlers needed to protect themselves from were Indigenous tribes, who were suspected of three gruesome murders on the island.

3/5

Barkerville

Up in the Cariboo, in 1862, William “Billy” Barker finally struck gold and the town became know as Barkerville in BIlly’s honour. When news of gold hit, those who had not struck it rich yet, or wanted to try some new surroundings, the Cariboo was a great place to go. This is where Wellington Moses, the barber, and several other blacks decided to settle. Declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924 and a Provincial Heritage Property in 1958, Barkerville is now the largest living-history museum in western North America.

4/5

Leech River

In 1864, on a mission to explore the Island for its resources, a party, led by Dr. Robert Brown and Peter John Leech discovered gold in a little part of the Sooke River. Four black men, eager to strike it big, formed a company and went off to prospect there. One of the men, Samuel Booth, struck his pick and found a nugget the size of a hen’s egg, thus initiating the gold rush there. Many blacks went there to prospect, and R.H. Johnson, once the captain of the Pioneer Rifles Corps, built the Mount Ararat Hotel. Alas, by 1871 Leech River became a ghost town as the prospecting had gone dry and the interest was gone.

5/5

Shady Creek Church

This is the smallest operating cemetery in the greater Victoria area. Robert John, who owned a 250 acre farm, is reputed to have donated the land. The burial ground eventually became known as “Shady Creek” due to the fact that the second Shady Creek Methodist Church was built on the adjoining land. One of the largest burial plots located there are of Charles and Nancy Alexander and their family.

Further Exploration

We have carefully curated the above content to provide a concise, yet informative story. If you would like to learn more, please visit our additional stories and galleries below, as well as our comprehensive resource & bibliography page.

Stories:

Vancouver Pioneers since 1859

Galleries:

Vancouver Pioneers since 1859