A HISTORY OF SPORT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA TO 1885: CHRONICLE OF SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS AND EVENTS by DEREK ANTHONY SWAIN B.A., University of British Columbia, 1970 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES School of Physical Education and Recreation We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA April, 1977 (c) Derek Anthony Swain, 1977 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Depa rtment The University of British Columbia 2075 Wesbrook Place Vancouver, Canada V6T 1W5 ii ABSTRACT This paper traces the development of early sporting activities in the province of British Columbia. Contemporary newspapers were scanned to obtain a chronicle of the signi• ficant sporting developments and events during the period between the first Fraser River gold rush of 18 58 and the completion of the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway in 188 5. During this period, it is apparent that certain sports facilitated a rapid expansion of activities when the railway brought thousands of new settlers to the province in the closing years of the century. During the early years of settlement, the physical recreation activities of dances and balls, picnics and sports days, and other festivities provided the community with an opportunity to acquaint itself with new members and customs, while they relaxed in a common leisure persuit. The addition of an element of competition into such day to day activities as hunting, fire-fighting, and occupational trade appear to have lent excitement and enthusiasm to frontier existence. The almost universal enthusiasm for betting or wagering provided an element of anticipation to add further zeal to life. The following activities attained some degree of organ• ization in the region during the 1860s: Billiards, Bowling, Boxing, Canoeing, Gymnastics, Handball, Sailing, Skating iii and Quoits. By the 188 0s, Curling, Cycling, Lacrosse, Sailing, and Tennis had also become established. The major sports during the period were Baseball, Cricket, Football, Horse Racing, Rifle Shooting, Rowing, and Track and Field. Competition in all of these sports was initiated in the early 1860s. With the exception of Baseball, an American derivative of the English 'rounders' these sports were all actively promoted by the Royal Navy, stationed at Esquimalt. Significantly, the officers of the fleet served as models of upper class behaviour and had a marked influence on the emerging colonial society. As represent• atives of the gentry of England, these officers provided leadership in the sports and activities which were a part of their British heritage. Throughout the period, regular participation in sporting activities was restricted to the wealthy, leisured class. The participation of the majority of the population was limited by long hours of work, which were not significantly reduced until after the period. The completion of the transcontinental railway in 188 5, marked a new era for British Columbia and for the history of sport in the province. The huge influx of settlers brought new technology and ideas and radically altered the population distribution within the province. Thus, as the turn of the century approached, many new sports groups were formed to meet the needs of the increased pop• ulation. X V TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables i Acknowledgements ii Preface iii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1 Purpose of the Study 3 Need for the Study 3 Methods and Procedures 4 Limitations 6 Delimitations 7 Definitions 8 II BACKGROUND HISTORY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA 10 III INTRODUCTORY FEATURES OF SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 24 Dancing 24 Hunting 27 Sports Days and Picnics 33 Gambling and Betting 37 General Interest 38 Summary 4 0 IV MINOR SPORTS 41 Archery 41 Billiards 41 Bowling 4 3 Croquet 4 4 Handball 44 Tennis 45 Lacrosse 46 Quoits 49 V AQUATIC SPORTS 51 Canoeing 51 Rowing 5 3 Sailing and Yachting 66 Steamboat Racing 69 Swimming 70 Summary 71 V CHAPTER VI BASEBALL 7 6 Summary 72 VII CRICKET 8 6 Summary 9 6 VIII CYCLING 101 IX FIGHTS 106 Boxing 106 Wrestling 114 Summary 115 X FOOTBALL 119 Summary 127 XI GYMNASTICS 12 9 Summary 134 XII HORSE RACING 136 Summary 159 XIII RIFLE SHOOTING 165 Summary 17 3 XIV TRACK AND FIELD 177 Summary 190 XV WINTER SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES 194 Curling 194 Sleighing 194 Snowballing 196 Skating 197 Summary 203 XVI SOCIAL FEATURES 205 Social Mix 205 Indians in Sport 212 Celebrations 216 The Sabbath 217 The Early Closing Movement ....219 The Influence of Business 223 Influence of The Government ...226 Influence of The Military 227 vi CHAPTER XVI (Cont'd.) Community Groups 228 Inter-Community Rivalry 231 School Competitions 236 Amateur and Professional Status 237 Women in Sport 238 XVII CONCLUSION 240 Discussion,. 245 Need For Further Study 250 FOOTNOTES . 251 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 291 vii v /. LIST OF TABLES I Distribution of Population in British Columbia, 1870-1901 23 II Aquatic Sports 73 III Baseball 84 IV Cricket 99 V Fights 118 VI Football 128 VII Gymnastics 135 VIII Horse Racing 163 IX Rifle Shooting 175 X Track and Field 193 XI Winter Sports and Activities 204 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks to the members of my committee, Professor Robert Osborne, Dr. Peter Mullins, and Dr. Lome Sawula, for their advice and assistance in refining this paper. Special thanks to my chairman, Dr. Robert Hindmarch, and my external advisory, Dr. Charles Humphries, who directed and corrected my work. Thanks also to my close friend, Dr. Emily Goetz, whose love and encouragement helped me to complete this study on time. ix PREFACE In the haste and turmoil of modern society, the rel• evance of history may well be obscure, but the past is so often the key to understanding the present. In describing the benefits of historical study, Wilcox stated that The discipline is much more than a frustrating effort to satisfy curiosity about the past. Its value for contemporary society is real if indirect; it provides no reliable basis for extrapolating the process of future change, but it can reveal, however imprecisely, the forces of change that are molding the present ... Historical inquiry, like any emphatic engagement with human beings in their full complexity, has for its main result not theory, but a deepened awareness.^ The development of this awareness, a heightened conscious• ness and understanding, can be of great value to society, permitting a more sensitive and knowledgeable appraisal of present conditions. The very nature of sport, with its rhythmic, seasonal variations, accelerates change with a tempo that thrusts us from one championship series into the middle of another, deny• ing a 'time-out' for reflection. In the excitement and anti• cipation by which we devour the prospectus for the forth• coming series, the results of the previous season lose their significance and the attention we devoted to our heroes of yesterday is transferred to new and seemingly brighter stars. Through this constant process of turnover and change, "the 2 past and xts heroes are soon lost to the collective memory". To preserve these memories, it seems essential that they be properly recorded in the present, while efforts should be made to rediscover the experiences of years gone by. 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The importance of sport within the historical context is evidenced by the fact that psychiatrists, sociologists, and particularly, educators have recognized sport as a part of G7 every culture that has ever existed.^" Thus, sports and games have been seen to "provide a touchstone for understanding how people live, work, and think and may also serve as a barometer of a nations's progress in civilization".^ Yet, there is a great dearth of historical analysis of sport. The explanation for this lack of acknowledgement of sport as a significant factor in cultural history is simply due to the nature of historical inquiry. History is written and, in many ways, created through the interpretation of past events according to those factors which the scholar considers significant - and certainly, the drama and intrigue of the political arena are the factors to which the historian has conventionally been drawn. Cozens and Stumpf have commented on this phenomenon by stating that ...an examination of the works of early historians would lead the reader to believe that individuals were born and they died, they earned a living, fought in wars, and elected other individuals to political office, but they never played.^ This general lack of historical consideration of the leisure activities of our ancestors raises intriguing questions. For example, just what did the miners of the great Fraser and Cariboo gold rushes do to occupy their non-working time? Are we to be satisfied with an assumption, based on the legends of 2 frontier existence, that recreational time was spent only in the saloons and at the gambling tables. Such an assumption would logically suggest a stereotype of the early miners as being a rough and ready lot with little interest other than a lust for gold and wealth. However, if we question the stereo• type, we are forced to re-appraise the nature of the frontiers• men and to ask again, what did they do in their leisure time? And what of the people in the cities? Were their activities similar or did their urban residence cause them to engage in significantly different activities? How were those activities influenced by the changing times, new technology, new settlers? By asking such questions we may find answers which lead to a completely new perspective in the analysis of our culture.