The lands in BC have been populated by the ancestors of First Nations since time immemorial. Oral Traditions across what has become British Columbia (BC) relate multiple Origin stories describing how the ancestors of BC First Nations peoples came into being. These stories often involve supernatural beings, animals and people in the founding of Tribes and lineages, as well as the creation of landforms and the foundation of customary law.
There are claims by the English to have explored the West Coast region of Northa America in the 16th century, but it was the Majorcan-born Spanish navigator Juan José Pérez Hernández who did the first documented travel 1774. In 1778 English explorer James Cook reached Nootka Sound and set foot on British Columbian soil. There were several gold finds in British Columbia in the 1850s. The British colonial office responded to this situation by establishing British Columbia’s mainland as a crown colony in 1858, naming it the Colony of British Columbia. In 1871 British Columbia became the sixth province of the Dominion of Canada.
The British Columbia Day Act was first introduced to the Legislative Assembly in 1974, and it gained royal assent in the same year. The aim of the Bill was to create a statutory holiday on the first Monday in August to recognize the pioneers in the province.
BC’s Provincial Natural Symbols
Pacifac Salmon 
Steller’s Jay
Spirit Bear (Kermode Bear)
Pacific Dogwood
Western Red Cedar
BC Green Jade
