"At this time there were no streets the traffic cut up the thoroughfares so that everyone had to wear sea boots to wade through the mud and mire. They looked around wonderingly at the bare walls of the buildings and expressed deep surprise stating that the Company in England had told them this and that and had promised such and such."
B.C. Archives
Roderick Finlayson
History of Vancouver Island and the Northwest Coast
A/B/30/F49.1
"I talked about the fort yard being so wet - round poles existed to walk on between the different stores - although there was a wagon road through the centre of the fort...
Ah said Mr. Finlayson when the Reverand Mr. Staines came, a few months ago, it was much worse, and when Mrs. Staines we put down what we could for her to walk on. She wanted to know where the streets where? Whether this was the place they were destined for?"
"The fort yard was muddy and the sidewalks to the stores consisted of two or three poles .... which my boots slipped off every few steps."
B.C. Archives
J.S.Helmcken's reminances of 1850 ( in the holiday number of the Colonist)
NW 971K D133C 1887
"The weather was still indifferent or at least uninviting, and the streets were of course a slough of black mud. The Bishop wore high boots as did other gentlemen who called. Every other man you see wears them up to, or even above the knees, and we hear that sensible women wear them too."
Mr. Dallas's house is not far from our lodging, & we followed an excellent plank "sidewalk" until we came opposite to it, when we picked our way delicately over a single plank not wider than this page thrown across the street - Capt Richards took my Aunt over first and then came back for me. A splash is all but inevitable at the place where the 2 planks meet, as the ends have a bad habit of jumping up and down. The streets are just now one black slough, so that crossing is impossible except at the angles of the intersection, the very well made sidewalks being carried across the streets."
"There are no carriages to convey diners out in Victoria, so we had to tuck up our petticoats, put on Indian rubbers & paddle through the mud as best we could."
B.C. Archives
Sophia Cracroft letters
AddMss 227
Walk Back To The Fort Gates
Return to The Main "Fort Life" Page
Walk To The Finlayson Residence
|
|
|
|
|
|
Visit
SchoolNet Digital Collections
