Winds of change: a reexamination of some factors influencing the development of Nelson and its commercial relationships, 1891-1901
Date
1994
Authors
Godfrey, Christine Elizabeth
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Abstract
Historical studies of the dramatic growth of the West Kootenay region in the late nineteenth century have focussed on individual industries, communities or personalities. Although scholars have studied Kootenay mining and railway development, no one has researched comprehensively the region's early economic growth. While not providing a complete overview of its economic development, this study examines some aspects of the West Kootenay economy which developed along with the mining industry. Specifically, it focuses on the Nelson business community as a lens to examine the evolution of West Kootenay commercial relationships.
Traditional interpretations of West Kootenay development in the 1880s and 1890s have argued that the region was economically dominated by Americans. Using the 1891 manuscript census, the Dun Reference Books and contemporary newspaper reports, this study suggests that development of the West Kootenay economy was more complex than traditional interpretations indicate. While American influences were important, Canadian influences were present from the beginning and their significance was greater than has previously been accepted.
The 1891 manuscript census reveals a West Kootenay population, who had originated from Canada, the United States and several other countries, engaged in a variety of industries as well as mining. Any initial American majority had disappeared so that in 1891 the majority of both the West Kootenay population in general and the miners were not American. A decade later, the Americans still were not in the majority.
While the region experienced a dramatic growth in the size of its population, the variety of its economic activity and its volume of trade, the Dun Reference Books reveal that this growth was not steady. Moreover, the variables affecting trade were complex and constantly changing, reflecting the volatility of the community as a whole. This volatility, which influenced all aspects of the economy, was the important variable in influencing West Kootenay trade. Moreover, the high business turnover and short residency of the merchants, combined with the early multicultural nature of its population, suggests that American domination was, at best, relatively short-lived.