After the departure of the REs, the Port Moody area received no attention from either settlers of politicians, until it was named the official terminal of the transcontinental reailway in 1879. Of course, North Road was still used as a means of transportation and link from the Fraser River to Burrard Inlet. Apart from that, Port Moody shared the fate of the rest of British Columbia and became a pawn in the hands of politicians in Victoria, Ottawa, and London, England.
In 1864, Sir James Douglas retired from the governorship of the two Pacific crown colonies.The British government appointed Sir Aurthur Edward Kennedy to be governor of British Columbia.
A time of recession ensued due to a decline in gold mining, and an decrease in population. To solve their financial difficulties, B.C. politicians considered three possible solutions: 1. The amalgamation of the two colonies to reduce admistration expenses, 2. A union with the eastern British colonies in North America or, 3. Annexation to the United States.
A conference held in Charlottetown, P.E.I., in September, followed by one in Quebec in October, ha dculminated in the union of four British colonies in eastern Canada in 1867. The main obstacle which prevented British Columbia from joining confederation was Rupert's Land. It was still controlled by the Hudon's Bay Company, and stretched between eastern Canada and the Rocky Mountains. Some politicians, however, thought annexation to the United States a practical solution. The first evidence of a movement to seek U.S. membership for Vancouver Island showed up in dispatches in 1866, just about 6 years after Captain G. H. Richards had named Port Moody. . . |
