New book by Dr. Grant Keddie of the Royal BC Museum.

Find it at your favourite book store or borrow it from the library.

Since 1790, when Spanish explorers first arrived, visitors to the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the colonists who settled here have illustrated, written about and photographed the indigenous Songhees people. In the mid 1800s, the establishment of the old Songhees Reserve on Victoria Harbour created a gathering place for First Nations throughout the region seeking trade with Europeans. This new commerce brought prosperity, conflict, disease and cultural upheaval to the Songhees and other First Nations.

Grant Keddie presents these rapidly changing times through the eyes of outsiders, as depicted in photographs and artist’s renderings, as expressed in newspaper reports and private journals. Professional and amateur photographers created a rich visual history of the old Songhees Reserve and the rapidly growing city of Victoria, from simple post cards to stunning panoramas.

This delightful compendium will appeal to anyone interested in the history of Victoria and British Columbia, First Nations, or photography.

Website: http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Shop/history.aspx?id=862