AN AMERICAN LEGACY Victoria's Sequoias

Rick James

There they are—sequoias standing majestically over Victoria’s lovely Rockland Avenue on the way to Government House. Looking into how these trees, which are not native to Vancouver Island, ended up there, I immersed myself in some serious research. The answer soon became quite clear: seedlings were brought north from California. It was most rewarding identifying the original owners of the acreages where these trees were planted in the late 1800s. What I discovered was to inspire me to work up my next book: Twin Cities: Victoria and San Francisco. One day after becoming immersed in the mystery of these magnificent trees, I happened to be strolling along Bowker Creek just below Oak Bay High School where I graduated back in 1965, and there it was! One very large sequoia stands…

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British Columbia History (Digital) - 1 Issue, 58.1 Spring 2025

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