Origins of Cascadia
The historical and ecological origins of the Cascadia regional identity — the Douglas Fir, Protection Island, Sir James Douglas, and what the Pacific Northwest corridor means for British Columbia.
Timeline
- Pre-contact — Indigenous nations of the Pacific Northwest — Lkwungen, Squamish, Nlaka’pamux, Haida, and many others — navigate, trade, and govern the corridor for millennia without a single imposed border.
- 1843–1858 — Sir James Douglas serves as Chief Factor of Fort Victoria and later as the first governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island and the Colony of British Columbia.
- The Douglas Fir — Named Pseudotsuga menziesii after David Douglas. The Pacific Northwest’s defining tree species and the ecological emblem of the Cascadia region.
- Protection Island — Recorded as Douglas Island in honour of Sir James Douglas near Nanaimo, BC.
- The Cascadia bioregion — Stretching from northern California through Oregon and Washington to British Columbia, defined by the Pacific Coast Mountain ranges, the Columbia River watershed, and Douglas Fir forest ecosystems.
About Cascadia · Constitutional sources
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