Victoria is the second oldest city in Western Canada, incorporated as a city on August 2, 1862. It is built on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen People who were hunters and farmers long before European exploration. In 1778 the first European arrived ; Captain James Cook; to British Columbia, then a settlement began, which later became a gradual movement of fur trading companies to the Pacific coast.
It was founded by the Hudson's Bay Company on March 14, 1843, installing a fort. To bolster the British claim, the Hudson's Bay Company received title to all of Vancouver Island, but only on the condition that the colonization task assigned to James Douglas and merchants be carried out. Its constitutional history begins in 1849 when the Crown Colony of Vancouver Island was created, a year later Richard Blanshard became governor, in those years the population of the community was less than 300 people, however in 1858 gold was found causing the arrival of miners and interested parties from all over the world to excavate the Fraser and Thompson rivers in their search. The first mayor of Victoria was Thomas Harris elected in 1862. By 1866 the gold rush had declined, and the union of the crown colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia was proclaimed. In 1871, British Columbia became the sixth province of Canada and Victoria was proclaimed Capital City. However, with the construction of the transcontinental railroad, Vancouver, as a terminal, becomes the main port on the west coast and the largest city in British Columbia. In the 20th century, Victoria evolved primarily as a city of government, retirement, and tourism. However, the region remains Canada's western naval base and home to a sizeable fishing fleet.