McGowan's War
McGowan's War | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Edward McGowan | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Colony of British Columbia | American gold miners | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
James Douglas | Edward McGowan | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
none | none |
McGowan's War was a bloodless war that took place in Yale, British Columbia in the fall of 1858. The conflict posed a threat to the newly established British authority on the British Columbia mainland (which had only just been declared a colony the previous summer), at the onset of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. It was called Ned McGowan's War after one of the conflict's main antagonists.
Ned McGowan was one of a group of associated miners at Hill's Bar, the richest and first gold-bearing bar of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, at which a ramshackle "town" had sprung up, 5 miles below Yale. Hill's Bar was under the control of McGowan's party of former San Franciscan firemen associated with the Law and Order Party, who had flourished from the claim they had named "The Boatmen of San Francisco". Yale, on the other hand, had fallen into the sway of members of the notorious San Francisco Vigilance Committee, which had ruled San Francisco through summary execution of suspected criminals.[1] They were also the arch-enemies of the Law and Order Party – and of Ned McGowan especially.
The tragedy of judicial errors took on great importance to colonial authorities as soon as it was known that Ned McGowan was a part of the conflict between the leaders of the two mining communities. McGowan's reputation in the San Francisco papers had preceded him to British Columbia – so much so that when he first arrived in Victoria he was summoned by Governor James Douglas, who instructed him to conduct himself accordingly in the Queen's domains. It seems that Mr. McGowan, a US miner, had fled California in somewhat of a hurry.
After a respectable career as Philadelphia lawyer and erstwhile state politician in Pennsylvania, which ended in a scandal from which he was later absolved, McGowan moved to California and became a judge of the Barbary Court, an Associate of the Court of Sessions, and other juridical positions. But California being the way it was in those days his associates there were gamblers, thugs and worse. McGowan and his friends became involved with the Law and Order Party and he ran afoul of the powerful and even more dangerous Vigilance Committee.
Precursors to conflict on the Lower Fraser River
In San Francisco, McGowan had a violent personal quarrel with a member of the Vigilance Committee which precipitated a meeting in the fire hall, the Law and Order group's headquarters, at which they chose to make their sudden departure to the newly found Fraser River gold fields in what was then called New Caledonia. They were among the first San Franciscan parties to reach the river, and their claim at Hill's Bar proved to be one of the richest. However, the great mass movement of men from California to the Fraser brought many members of the Vigilance Committee, including the individual McGowan had had the violent personal conflict with in San Francisco (a Danish doctor and dentist, Dr. Fifer). Just as the Law and Order Party had brought Magistrate Perrier under their sway, Perrier being Governor Douglas' appointee to the bench in Hill's Bar, in Yale the Vigilance Committee did what they could to subvert civil authority and dominate the corrupt local officials who administered the township.
Racism behind yuletide fracas
The incident that provoked the war took place when one of the men from Hill's Bar assaulted Isaac "Ikey" Dixon, Yale's Black American barber, at the Christmas Dance in 1858. Some of the American miners took exception to the fact that the Christmas Dance was open to persons of all races.[2] Dixon was a voluble wag and wit, and in time would become a familiar newspaper columnist in the British Columbia newspapers.[3] Dixon, from Yale, laid a complaint before Yale's Justice of the Peace, Peter Brunton Whannell; and was promptly placed in "protective custody" at Yale.[4] In the meantime, the matter was also being investigated by George Perrier, Justice of the Peace for Hill's Bar. Perrier, with the assistance of Ned McGowan, a friend of the two suspects,[5] was of the opinion that in the interests of a fair hearing he needed to hear evidence from the victim Dixon, before proceeding to deal with the persons who had committed the assault. Perrier accordingly sent his constable, Henry Hickson, with an order to pick up Dixon and bring him back to Hill's Bar.[6]
Duelling Magistrates
Meanwhile, Magistrate Whannell, induced by the men of the Vigilance Committee, issued a warrant for the arrest of the Hill's Bar man and ordered that it be served in Hill's Bar. Magistrate Perrier took exception to this and issued a warrant for the arrest of Isaac Dixon in Yale. Constable Hickson, in serving the warrant on Dixon, interrupted Whannell's court. Whannell promptly arrested and jailed Hickson for contempt of court when he refused to acknowledge Whannell as his superior.[7] The jail at Yale was already full as a result of Whannell's 'law and order' agenda, a condition which prompted British Columbia's first judge, Matthew Begbie to later comment, "the gaol at Yale, which, being circumscribed in its limits, must when thus containing prosecutor, witnesses, and constable—everybody but the accused persons—have been rather inconveniently crowded."[8]
The angry Hill's Bar miners, headed by McGowan, set out with a warrant issued by the Hill's Bar magistrate Perrier to arrest the Yale magistrate Whannell for contempt of court for imprisoning his constable Hickson. The American flag flew on the flotilla sent up from Hill's Bar, causing Whannell to remark that it seemed as if McGowan was going to make a national affair of the matter.[9] McGowan, given the status of special constable by Perrier, threw open the jail and set all the prisoners free[10] and brought magistrate Whannell back to Hill's Bar by boat. The unpopular Whannell was convicted of contempt of court by Perrier, and released after the $50 fine was paid.[11]
Whannell appeals to the Governor
Whannell hastily penned a note to Governor James Douglas, playing on Douglas' fears of the intentions of the Americans: "The town and district are in a state bordering on anarchy. My own and the lives of the citizens are in imminent peril ... An effective blow must at once be struck on the operations of these outlaws, else I tremble for the welfare of the colony."[12] The story, as relayed to Victoria by Vigilance Committee messengers, was that Ned McGowan had launched an attempt to overthrow the British authority in the new colony and declare the gold fields to be part of the United States. Given McGowan's unsavoury reputation, the combative nature of the incident which had the two communities up in arms caused significant alarm in the colonial capital of Victoria.
Moody's Royal Engineers to the rescue
Richard Clement Moody had arrived in British Columbia in December 1858, in command of the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment, to found the British Empire's "bulwark in the farthest west" [13] and "found a second England on the shores of the Pacific".[14] Moody had hoped to begin immediately the foundation of a capital city, but upon his arrival at Fort Langley he learned of the violence at the settlement of Hill's Bar.
Moody describes the incident thus:
The notorious Ned McGowan, of Californian celebrity at the head of a band of Yankee Rowdies defying the law! Every peaceable citizen frightened out of his wits!—Summons & warrants laughed to scorn! A Magistrate seized while on the Bench, & brought to the Rebel’s camp, tried, condemned, & heavily fined! A man shot dead shortly before! Such a tale to welcome me at the close of a day of great enjoyment.[15]
Moody and the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment, accompanied by Justice Matthew Baillie Begbie, made the arduous trip to Yale, where Moody and the Engineers prevented violence and Begbie convened court. Another group of Marines remained stationed at Fort Langley to resist any action by the nearby troops of the US Border Commission stationed in nearby Whatcom County. On hearing the tangled web of cases and charges resulting from the misconduct of both justices Perrier and Whannell, McGowan was fined for assault and both magistrates were dismissed from their posts, thus ending the bloodless war, which afterward became well known as Ned McGowan's War.
Moody enjoyed a warm reception for his success that he describes thus:
They gave me a Salute, firing off their loaded Revolvers over my head—Pleasant—Balls whistling over one’s head! as a compliment! Suppose a hand had dropped by accident! I stood up, & raised my cap & thanked them in the Queen’s name for their loyal reception of me.[16]
See also
References
- ^ Donald J. Hauka, McGowan's War, Vancouver: 2003, New Star Books, p. 56
- ^ Hauka, p. 138
- ^ Hauka, p. 219
- ^ Hauka, p. 137
- ^ Hauka, p. 138
- ^ Hauka, p. 138
- ^ Hauka, p. 139
- ^ cited in Hauka, p. 139
- ^ Hauka, p. 143
- ^ Hauka, p. 143
- ^ Hauka, p. 144
- ^ Whannell to Douglas, December 31, 1858, quoted in Hauka p. 145
- ^ Donald J. Hauka, McGowan's War, Vancouver: 2003, New Star Books, p.146
- ^ Jean Barman p.71
- ^ Moody, Richard Clement. Letter of Colonel Richard Clement Moody, R.E., to Arthur Blackwood, February 1, 1859, preserved in the British Columbia Historical Quarterly (January – April 1951), ed. Willard E. Ireland, Archives of British Columbia. British Columbia Historical Association. p. 95.
- ^ Moody, Richard Clement. Letter of Colonel Richard Clement Moody, R.E., to Arthur Blackwood, February 1, 1859, preserved in the British Columbia Historical Quarterly (January – April 1951), ed. Willard E. Ireland, Archives of British Columbia. British Columbia Historical Association. p. 97.
Bibliography
- McGowan's War, Donald J. Hauka, New Star Books, Vancouver (2000) ISBN
- British Columbia Chronicle,: Gold & colonists, Helen and G.P.V. Akrigg, Discovery Press, Vancouver (1977) ISBN
- Claiming the Land, Dan Marshall, UBC Ph.D Thesis, 2002 (unpubl.)
External links
- Passage of Biography of Judge Begbie concerning the events of McGowan's War
- Biography of McGowan from BC Bookworld
- An Early History of the Fraser River Mines, F.W. Howay, pub. Charles F. Banfield (Victoria), 1926
- While the U.S. is making history, here it's being brought back to life - The Globe and Mail
- v
- t
- e
- Embassy of Canada, Washington, D.C.
- Ambassadors of Canada to the United States
- Former Residence of the Canadian Ambassador
- Embassy of the United States, Ottawa
- Ambassadors of the United States to Canada
- Lornado
- Consulate General of Canada, Boston
- Consulate General of Canada, Chicago
- Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
- Treaty of New York (1796)
- Rush–Bagot Treaty
- Canadian–American Reciprocity Treaty
- Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909
- Migratory Bird Treaty
- Halibut Treaty
- First Quebec Conference
- Second Quebec Conference
- Columbia River Treaty
- The Merchant–Heeney Report
- Shakwak Agreement
- Great Lakes Charter
- Shamrock Summit
- U.S.–Canada Air Quality Agreement
- Agreement Concerning the Shipwrecked Vessel RMS Titanic
- Smart Border Declaration
- Canada–United States Safe Third Country Agreement
- Great Lakes–Saint Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement
- Boston–Halifax relations
- United States Senate Committee on Canadian Relations
- New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers' Annual Conference
- Canadian response to Hurricane Katrina
- Arctic Ocean Conference
- Arctic Council
- Arctic Economic Council
- International Space Station
- Quebec Act
- Caroline affair
- Cypress Hills Massacre
- Sitting Bull
- Louie Sam
- In re Ross
- Trail Smelter dispute
- Defence Scheme No. 1
- 1950 Douglas C-54D disappearance
- 1950 British Columbia B-36 crash
- 1950 Rivière-du-Loup B-50 nuclear weapon loss incident
- Symphony Six
- CIA activities in Canada
- Edmonton aircraft bombing
- Canuck letter
- Arctic Refuge drilling controversy
- Kidnapping of Sidney Jaffe
- Shootings of Alfred and Rosemary Podgis
- 1984 Montreal bombing
- Arrow Air Flight 1285R
- Reference Re Ng Extradition
- Pacific Salmon War
- United States v Burns
- Mitchell v MNR
- Korean Air Flight 085
- Tarnak Farm incident
- Canadian Guantanamo Bay detainees
- Northeast blackout of 2003
- Arar v. Ashcroft
- Keystone Pipeline
- Havana syndrome
- Extradition case of Meng Wanzhou
- Canada convoy protest
- 2023 Yukon high-altitude object
- 2023 Lake Huron high-altitude object
- 2nd Canadian Regiment
- Canadian Caper
- Canadian peacekeeping
- Canada and the Iraq War
- Canada and the Vietnam War
- CIA activities in Canada
- Defence Scheme No. 2
- First Special Service Force
- Five Eyes
- Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Canadian procurement
- Mid-Canada Line
- Montreal Laboratory
- North American Aerospace Defense Command
- Operation Inland Seas
- Permanent Joint Board on Defense
- Project HARP
- War Plan Red
- Comparison of Canadian and American economies
- Exclusive economic zone of Canada
- Exclusive economic zone of the United States
- Atlantica (trade zone)
- Branch plant economy
- Deep integration
- Foreign ownership of companies of Canada
- Reciprocity
- Canada–United States Automotive Products Agreement
- Third Option
- Macdonald Commission
- Canada–United States softwood lumber dispute
- Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement
- North American Free Trade Agreement
- Northwest Cattle Project
- Canada–United States Consultative Committee on Agriculture
- Mandatory country-of-origin labeling
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
- Regulatory Cooperation Council
- FATCA agreement between Canada and the United States
- CSeries dumping petition by Boeing
- United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement
- Alaska-Alberta Railway Development Corporation
- International Fuel Tax Agreement
- North American SuperCorridor Coalition
- Pacific Northwest Economic Region
- Border crossings
- Areas disputed by Canada and the United States
- 1985 Polar Sea controversy
- Alaska boundary dispute
- Beaufort Sea
- Bering Sea Arbitration
- Cape Muzon
- Battle of Caribou
- Dixon Entrance
- Republic of Indian Stream
- Machias Seal Island
- North Rock
- Northwest Passage
- Oregon boundary dispute
- Pearse Island
- Pig War (1859)
- Saint Croix Island, Maine
- Strait of Juan de Fuca
- Sugar Island (Michigan)
- Wales Island (British Columbia)
- Territorial claims in the Arctic
- Anti-Canadian sentiment
- American immigration to Canada
- Little Canada
- Snowbird
- Canada–United States sports rivalries
- Comparison of healthcare systems
- Canada lunar sample displays
- Canadian Society of New York
- CANUSA Games
- Hollywood North
- Maple Match
- 51st state
- Continentalism
- Fort Stikine
- Godfrey–Milliken Bill
- Invasion of Quebec
- Letters to the inhabitants of Canada
- Indian barrier state
- Royal Proclamation of 1763
- Indian Reserve
- Aroostook War
- Great Lakes Fishery Commission
- Halifax Fisheries Commission
- Pacific Salmon Commission
- Pugets Sound Agricultural Company
- Rum-running in Windsor, Ontario
- United States passport card
- Western Climate Initiative
- Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
- Windsor–Detroit International Freedom Festival
- Champlain Hudson Power Express
- Great Recycling and Northern Development Canal
- Lake Champlain Seaway
- International Control Dam
- North American Water and Power Alliance
- Northwest Area Water Supply
- St. Lawrence Seaway
- Sumas 2
- Alaska gas pipeline
- Alberta Clipper pipeline
- Alliance Pipeline
- Brunswick Pipeline
- Gas Transmission Northwest
- Great Lakes Transmission
- Iroquois Pipeline
- Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline
- Northern Border Pipeline
- Northwest Pipeline
- Portland–Montreal pipeline
- Vector Pipeline
- Territorial claims in the Arctic
- Simultaneous substitution
- Canadian television stations available in the United States
- Foreign television channels available in Canada
- Talking to Americans
- Lament for a Nation
- The Fight for Canada
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/16px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png)