Sidney Museum & Archives :: Sidney BC :: Sidney-by-the-Sea
A Walk Through Time
A Brief History of Sidney and Area
By Brad R. Morrison
Prior to European contact, the Coast Salish were the principle inhabitants of Saanich Peninsula for thousands of years. Among them were the precursors of the Saanich People who would in time develop winter and summer villages throughout the region and islands. One of their principle winter villages at Tsehum Harbour, located just north of present day Sidney was in use until the early 19th century. Then it was moved to the west side of the peninsula because of the increasing threat of raids from the northern warlike Kwakiutl bands.
As tension between the British and the United States increased concerning the Oregon Territory Boundary and the American ideology of Manifest Destiny, the British Government in 1846 reluctantly agreed to the border being staked at the 49th parallel. This allowed the whole of Vancouver Island and some of the nearby smaller islands to remain in British Territory. Up to this time, the only European presence near Saanich Peninsula was the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Victoria, which was established in 1843.
1841 Map of the Oregon Territory by the U. S. Ex. Ex. Charles Wilkes showing the disputed area
As the Oregon dispute peaked, the Hudson's Bay Company officers in the Columbia Department expressed concerns for the safety and rights of British subjects in the district. They repeatedly requested the British Government to send a military or naval contingent to the area, to deter possible encroachment and lawlessness by American settlers.
In response, the British Admiralty deployed six ships to the area, two of which were the survey vessels HMS Herald and its tender HMS Pandora. "There is nothing like a little surveying to create the illusion of ownership," wrote surveyor W. A. Taylor in his examination of early surveying in British Columbia and Vancouver Island. To remove this "illusion", the Colony of Vancouver Island was created in 1849 and the Hudson's Bay Company was appointed as the agent for its colonization. Shortly thereafter, land surveys were begun at the southern tip of the Island, and on the peninsula, thus establishing the land districts of North and South Saanich.
Meanwhile, two land treaties with the Saanich People were ratified. The South Saanich Treaty dated 6 February 1852, and one week later the North Saanich Treaty on 11 February 1852.
The first white settlers to reside at North Saanich were John and Mark Coles who arrived in early 1857. Unlike the majority of those who came before the Fraser River gold rush, the Coles were not formerly indentured employees of the Hudson's Bay Company. Writing in January 1858, Governor James Douglas referred to them as living "a distance of 20 miles" from Victoria. This would place them near Deep Cove, where land records show they held property. Apparently, they had a cabin/store where they were trading actively with the local Saanich People.
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William Reay on the left Photo of Lt. John Coles on the right
A few months after the advent of the Fraser River gold rush excitement in April 1858, most of the North Saanich District was spoken for by white gold miners, settlers and speculators. Among them were William & Charles Reay, Donald Fraser (later known for his glamorized accounts of the Cariboo gold rush in the London Times), William Booth, and Octavuis Ommaney (who purchased the land which is now part of the town of Sidney).
During the next 15 years, the ownership of the land now comprising the Sidney area changed hands several times; by 1874 the pioneers who were to become the major settlers had established substantial farms, notably Richard and Ann John, Samuel and Agnes Roberts, Wilson and Letitia Armstrong, Samuel and Margaret Brethour.
When East Saanich Road just north of Sidney in the mid 1870s, the areas first industry was developed: the Brackman & Milne Grist Mill, later known as Saanich Steam Mills, and then Brackman & Ker. "The mill will be of large capacity and its existence will stimulate the growth of wheat on the Saanich Peninsula," the Colonist reported on 14 July 1877. On 23 December, "the North Saanich grist mill has now commenced grinding every variety of grain, more particularly oats. This will prove an undoubted boon to the country as hitherto all the oatmeal has been imported.…" The mill's first shipment was sent to Victoria in March 1878 aboard the sloop 'Helen'.
With the development of local industry, the north end of the Peninsula became the focus of other prominent businessmen of Victoria. One was the brewer Arthur Bunster, the Member of the Dominion Parliament for Vancouver Island (1874 – 1882), who grew barley in both North and South Saanich for his brewery. In October 1879, Bunster proposed that the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway should be in Victoria. A ferry system from the mainland would deliver freight and passengers to the northern end of the peninsula and a Saanich Shunt line would transport them to the city. However, Bunster's scheme failed to gain general acceptance.
A second railway proposal was suggested in 1886 by Amor De Comos, founder of the British Colonist, Premier of British Columbia, Member of Parliament for Victoria and land owner in North Saanich. After three years of promoting the idea, the Federal Government granted a charter under the name of the Victoria, Saanich and New Westminster Railway Company on 20 March 1889. Although they obtained the Federal charter, the promoters then needed to raise sufficient funds for land, tracks, and trains. By mid 1891, the company seemed close to obtaining the financial footing that was required with the City of Victoria.
It is significant, that during this process, Julius Brethour, Thomas Norquay, Robert Irving, John White, William C. Haywood and Arthur L. Belyea formed a joint-stock company called the Sidney Land and Improvement Company, located at Victoria in late June with the intention of developing a scheme to create a small township. By August, fifty acres of land owned by Julius and Henry Brethour had been surveyed, subdivided and registered as the Townsite of Sidney. They had expectations of selling lots to interested speculators in association with the railway development.
"Sidney promises to become of considerable importance," reported the Colonist at time, but this was not agreed by all. Its a "fine place for an outing in good weather … but no one will ever live there. Nonsense, all this talk of a town at Sidney" was reported by some that could not envision the village ever developing. The second opinion seemed to have prevailed because the De Cosmos railway scheme collapsed after a financial disagreement with the City of Victoria occurred regarding a mortgage guarantee for its construction in October 1891.
Consequently, Julius and Henry Brethour with Robert Irving developed plans to promote the Victoria and Sidney Railway Company, which was incorporated on 23 April 1892. Up to this point, Sidney Townsite saw very little development or land sales. The most notable structure was Hotel Sidney which was constructed in the fall of 1891 for William A. Bissett. The first purchaser of townsite lots was Angus M. Ego, a carpenter.
In December 1892 the Colonist reported: "improvements carried out [in Sidney] had been on a wholesale scale. There is a good general store doing a fine business, a post office and an excellent hotel, besides a boat-building establishment and several other infant, but flourishing industries. The principal street, a mile long, is as straight as an arrow, and would be a credit to any city. Of course Sydney [sic] has not yet got either electric lights or tramcars, but they, like the railway, are bound to come." Six months later, the newspaper reported that "there is in Sidney a comfortable hotel, a commodious 300 by 150 ft wharf with a large warehouse, butcher's, blacksmith's and carpenter's shops, general store, and last, but not least, a new sawmill."
The first train to run (unofficially) on the V & S Railway occurred on 12 May 1894. The official opening occurred on 2 June from Sidney to its terminus at Hillside Avenue. However, it would be nearly a year before the construction was completed and full operation established with advertising of the line's timetable on 1 June 1895.
James J. White was the first agent for the Sidney Station of the V. &. S. Railway and Samuel Brethour Jr., the first agent at Victoria.
With the full operation of the Victoria & Sidney Railway, the small township slowly began to develop as the following chronology of events shows:
Back to Top1891:
• April 23 - Victoria and Sidney Railway Company incorporated.
• August to December – Construction of the Sidney Sawmill under superintendence of James J. White.
• • Smallpox scare in Victoria resulted in all available rooms in the Sidney Hotel being taken for several weeks.
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