From June 7 to October 29, 1847, Helmcken sailed from Gravesend England to
York Factory on the Hudson's Bay during one of his summers off from medical school.It was on his voyage to Fort York that Dr. Helmcken learned the game of whist
March 24, 1850, Dr. Helmcken arrives at Fort Victoria after a five month voyage from Gravesend England aboard the Norman Morris. "Dr. J.S. Helmcken came to Fort Victoria just as the colony of Vancouver Island was coming into existience. Richard Blanshard, the first governor, had arrived only a "fortnight" before him.
FORT RUPERT:
May 1850, Helmcken received the first appointment of the Colony, when Governor Douglas sent him as company surgeon to Fort Rupert, at the northern end of Vancouver Island. Coal mining prospects appeared lucrative in the area, but there were difficulties with the miners and first nations, which led Blanshard to appoint him magistrate to resolve them. Governor Douglas, in a dispatch to the colonial office, describes his reasons for choosing Helmcken: "Mr. Helmcken has only recently arrived in the Colony from England, he is therefore a stranger to the petty brawls that have occurred, and the ill feelings they have occasioned between the Hudson's Bay Company and their servants; from this and from my knowledge of his character I have great confidence in his impartiality" (Blanshard to the Colonial Secretary, 10 July 1850 (Van. Isle, Gov. Blanshard, Despatches to London 1849 - 1851, BCARS)
At Fort Rupert, Helmcken had his first important dealings with the native population. Shortly after on July 22, 1850, Helmcken tries to resign from the HBC, but Chief Factor Douglas refuses his resignation.
FORT VICTORIA:
In December 1850, Helmcken returned to Fort Victoria. He had planned on continuing south to be a medical officer at Fort Vancouver, but instead discovered that Douglas wanted him to fufill that duty at Fort Victoria. In September 1851 Douglas replaced Blanshard as
Governor while keeping his position as chief factor with the Hudson's Bay Company. Douglas appoints Helmcken as surgeon to the jail in Fort Victoria's Bastions.Douglas accepted Helmcken's offer of marriage to his eldest daughter Cecilia, and the Helmcken's settled down in Victoria for the remainder of their days.
In April 1863, John was appointed
Chief Trader of the Hudson’s Bay Company, but due to company restructring, the Chief Tradership cancelled April 1870.|
CLASSROOM SUGGESTION: |
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SOCIAL STUDIES 9-10: |
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Have students research and write on the fur trade from an aboriginal perspective. research primary documents, where possible, have a first nations elder talk to the class about a First Nations perspective of the fur trade. What are some of the legacies of the fur trade on aboriginal communities today? Perhaps have the class create a story board using pictures and/or have the class contribute some illustrations with the text. |
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