The University of British Columbia

The Victoria Gazette: June 25, 1858 to July 30, 1860

The Victoria Gazette was the first newspaper published in British Columbia [14]. A more impressive claim is that it was the first newspaper to be published "west of the Great Lakes" [15]. On hand to witness the momentous occasion of the printing of the very first issue was Governor Douglas and several HBC officers, the political elite in early BC [16]. Even from its beginnings, the Victoria Gazette never strayed too far from the government line.

With two editors, and two printers, the Victoria Gazette enjoyed "…the distinction of being the largest-staffed pioneer newspaper ever launched in Canada" [17]. The editors of the paper were H. C. Williston and Columbus Bartlett, and the printers were James W. Towne and Abel Whitton; all four staff members of the Victoria Gazette were from San Francisco. Initially, the newspaper was going to be called The Anglo-American, or North American, but both names were quickly dropped in favour of the Victoria Gazette after the four partners measured the tension that was building between Britain and the United States [18]. Fortunately, the choice of the Victoria Gazette gave it a "quasi-official flavour," and indeed, Abel Whitton rarely criticized Governor Douglas [19]. The political bias demonstrated by the Victoria Gazette in favour of Governor Douglas would eventually prove to be fatal.

Before one concludes that Bishop Demers' press was cursed (i.e. three newspapers had been printed on it by Marriott, but all of them could not compete with the Victoria Gazette), there was a fourth newspaper to be printed on the press: the British Colonist, initially printed by Paul de Garro [20]. The British Colonist, published and edited by Amor De Cosmos, was successful at reading public opinion in Victoria. The public was increasingly dissatisfied with the political status quo, and the British Colonist exploited and condemned the close ties between the Victoria Gazette and Governor Douglas [21].