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Captain James Strange lands at Nootka Sound, changes diet by seizing land and planting crops with his men; first signs of agriculture in B.C.
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At Stuart Lake, near Prince George, a fur trader with the North West Company named David Harmon planted a small garden, took several years to harvest crops.
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Fur traders began growing crops (vegetables, fruits, grain) and built one of these posts on Fort Langley, providing people living at fort with food and farms began selling agricultural products to others.
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Arrival of gold seekers brought a demand for more food, production lagged behind; many miners have left after gold rush and agriculture declined in importance.
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The CPR was completed, enabling B.C. to gain access to distant markets, B.C. agricultural products could be shipped easily and the wheat industry could not compete with prairies; fell on hard times.
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B.C. Fruit-Growers’ Association was created, to promote and market B.C. fruit across Canada and sales of BC fruit (much of it from Okanagan) increased dramatically.
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Governor General of Canada purchased several parcels of land in the Okanagan Valley and began a commercial fruit orchard.
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The Fraser Valley was developing into an important agricultural region but was experienced with extensive flooding, engineers responded by draining Sumas Lake and flooding was reduced and farmlands were created on former lake bottom.
