In 1855, Isabella Ross, a Métis woman, became the first female and first aboriginal land owner in the history of British Columbia. Part of her land became Victoria's Ross Bay Cemetery in 1872, one of Canada's oldest and largest surviving Victorian cemeteries.
The City of Golden was originally called "the Big Cache" until it was renamed "Golden City" by trade store owner Baptiste Morigeau in the late 1880s.
Fort St. James is the longest established non-First Nation community in BC. Simon Fraser and his Métis voyagers established the fort in 1806.
Métis Joseph McKay came to the pacific coast from the Red River in 1844. Among this exceptional man's accomplishments are: the first salmon fishery station, negotiation of the Douglas Treaties, the building of Nanaimo, the exploration of the interior of Vancouver Island, the founding of the Vancouver Island Steam sawmill company, the management of HBC operations at Fort Kamloops and Fort Simpson, the personal innoculation of 1300 Shuswap First Nation people against smallpox, the conception of the first BC pulp mill, and many other significant accomplishments.
The Voltigeurs were primarily French Canadian half-breeds that Douglas referred to as half-white. They were the first official Police force in the history of BC.
Christina Lake in south central British Columbia is named after Christina McDonald, Métis daughter of Chief Factor Angus McDonald, (Hudson's Bay Company) and Catherine Baptiste (Métis).
