William George Cox
Encyclopedia
William George Cox was Gold Commissioner
for the Cariboo
and Boundary Districts
in the Colony of British Columbia
, Canada
during the Rock Creek Gold Rush
.
Cox was among the war party raised in the Cariboo
during the Chilcotin War
, riding west from Alexandria, British Columbia with 50 men raised in the goldfields to meet the corresponding party of the New Westminster Rifle Corps, mostly former Royal Engineers
, led by Governor Seymour
and Chief Constable Brew
, who had disembarked from the HMS Sutlej
at Bella Coola
and entered the Chilcotin District
from the west.
Cox, who is described by BC historians G.P.V. and Helen B. Akrigg as "friendly, genial and easy-going", encamped at Puntzi Lake
on June 12, 1864, four days after leaving Alexandria, and did not very much in advance of the arrival of Seymour's and Brew's contingent other than build minor fortifications. The leader of the Tsilhqot'in
revolt, Klatassine or Klatsassan, was actually in the vicinity of Puntzi Lake when Cox arrived, but slipped away from the area. Rather than attempt pursuit Cox whiled away a month at Puntzi Lake, using up expensive supplies and much to the later chagrin of his seniors in government, sent for more. Cox rationalized that he had been at the site waiting for Chief Alexis, to whom he had sent a message and for whom he had sent out a party to seek him at Chilcotin Forks, and that without this powerful Tsilhqot'in chief on-side there was little he could do but wait for the Governor's party.
As the Akriggs comment, "One can imagine the blistering contempt Sir James Douglas would have expressed if Cox had given such a report to him" (had Douglas still been Governor). Governor Seymour, nonplussed by Cox's excuse, sent him and his troops to Tatla Lake
to search for the warring members of the Tsilhqot'in
. Cox's party was joined soon after by former Fort Kamloops Chief Trader, Donald McLean
, but McLean was frustrated by Cox's incompetence and set out on his own foray near the northern end of Chilko Lake
where he was surprised from behind by Klatassine, who fired a shot into McLean's back, which was unprotected by the iron skillet he customarily wore under the front of his shirt, killing him.
Cox was discouraged at the death of McLean, who was a noted and self-touted "Indian killer", and wanted to abandon the pursuit but Governor Seymour insisted he persevere in the hunt, partly because given the expense of the expedition he had to have something to account for upon his return to the capital. As luck would have it, the rebel Tshilqot'in warriors walked into Cox's camp, which by then was on the site of the former Fort Chilcotin
, a long-defunct Hudson's Bay Company fur-post, apparently in response to a message from Cox which seemed to promise them "amnesty in time of war". The Governor and his officials, however, had made no such promise and Klatassine and his men were arrested and eventually tried and hanged for murder at Qiesnellemouthe (today's Quesnel
).
In 1867, Cox was among those who pushed for the selection of Victoria
as the capital of the newly-united colonies
, partly by opposing a dredging plan for New Westminster, whose faults as prospective capital included the difficulty of navigating the sandbars and shoals of the lowermost Fraser. In 1868, Cox was among those who opposed an address to the Queen prepared by John Robson
, Amor de Cosmos
, Edward Stamp
and G.A.B. Walkem and mandated by mass meetings in New Westminster and at Yale (known as the Yale Convention) in regards to joining Canada, as they opposed the terms proposed. Others opposing were Henry Pering Pellew Crease
, Joseph Trutch
, Joseph Despard Pemberton
, John Sebastian Helmcken
, Thomas Elwyn
, Henry Maynard Ball and Messrs Wood, Ker, Smith, and Spalding.
Gold Commissioner
Gold Commissioner was an important regional administrative post in the Colony of British Columbia.In the 1860s, Governor Douglas had three priorities to protect the two colonies he governed: to protect the boundaries, to uphold law and order and to provide access to the gold fields...
for the Cariboo
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia along a plateau stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the woodland caribou that were once abundant in the region...
and Boundary Districts
Boundary Country
The Boundary Country is a historical designation for a district in southern British Columbia lying, as its name suggests, along the boundary between Canada and the United States. It lies to the east of the southern Okanagan Valley and to the west of the West Kootenay. It is often included in...
in the Colony of British Columbia
Colony of British Columbia
The Colony of British Columbia was a crown colony in British North America from 1858 until 1866. At its creation, it physically constituted approximately half the present day Canadian province of British Columbia, since it did not include the Colony of Vancouver Island, the vast and still largely...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
during the Rock Creek Gold Rush
Rock Creek Gold Rush
The Rock Creek Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Boundary Country region of the Colony of British Columbia . The rush was touched off in 1859 when two US soldiers were driven across the border to escape pursuing Indians and chanced on gold only three miles into British territory, on the banks of...
.
Cox was among the war party raised in the Cariboo
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia along a plateau stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the woodland caribou that were once abundant in the region...
during the Chilcotin War
Chilcotin War
The Chilcotin War, Chilcotin Uprising or Bute Inlet Massacre was a confrontation in 1864 between members of the Tsilhqot'in people in British Columbia and white road construction workers...
, riding west from Alexandria, British Columbia with 50 men raised in the goldfields to meet the corresponding party of the New Westminster Rifle Corps, mostly former Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, led by Governor Seymour
Frederick Seymour
Frederick Seymour was a colonial administrator. He served as the second Governor of the Colony of British Columbia from 1864 to 1866, and the first governor of the union of the two colonies, also named the Colony of British Columbia from 1866 to 1869.Seymour was the son of Henry Augustus Seymour,...
and Chief Constable Brew
Chartres Brew
Chartres Brew was a Gold commissioner, Chief Constable and judge in the Colony of British Columbia, later a province of Canada....
, who had disembarked from the HMS Sutlej
HMS Sutlej (1855)
HMS Sutlej was a Constance-class 50-gun fourth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy.The class was designed by Sir William Symonds in 1843, and were the largest sailing frigates built for the Navy. Sutlej was ordered from Pembroke Dockyard on 26 March 1845, laid down in August 1847 and launched on 17...
at Bella Coola
Bella Coola, British Columbia
Bella Coola is a community of approximately 600 at the western extremity of the Bella Coola Valley. Bella Coola usually refers to the entire valley, encompassing the settlements of Bella Coola proper , Lower Bella Coola, Hagensborg, Saloompt, Nusatsum, Firvale and Stuie...
and entered the Chilcotin District
Chilcotin District
The Chilcotin District of British Columbia is usually known simply as "the Chilcotin", and also in speech commonly as "the Chilcotin Country" or simply Chilcotin. It is a plateau and mountain region in British Columbia on the inland lea of the Coast Mountains on the west side of the Fraser River....
from the west.
Cox, who is described by BC historians G.P.V. and Helen B. Akrigg as "friendly, genial and easy-going", encamped at Puntzi Lake
Puntzi Lake
Puntzi Lake is a lake in the Chilcotin District of the Central Interior of British Columbia. It is located on the western side of the upper Chilcotin River to the northeast of Tatla Lake, and is connected to the Chilcotin River via Puntzi Creek, of which it is an expansion...
on June 12, 1864, four days after leaving Alexandria, and did not very much in advance of the arrival of Seymour's and Brew's contingent other than build minor fortifications. The leader of the Tsilhqot'in
Tsilhqot'in
The Tsilhqot'in are a Northern Athabaskan First Nations people that live in British Columbia, Canada...
revolt, Klatassine or Klatsassan, was actually in the vicinity of Puntzi Lake when Cox arrived, but slipped away from the area. Rather than attempt pursuit Cox whiled away a month at Puntzi Lake, using up expensive supplies and much to the later chagrin of his seniors in government, sent for more. Cox rationalized that he had been at the site waiting for Chief Alexis, to whom he had sent a message and for whom he had sent out a party to seek him at Chilcotin Forks, and that without this powerful Tsilhqot'in chief on-side there was little he could do but wait for the Governor's party.
As the Akriggs comment, "One can imagine the blistering contempt Sir James Douglas would have expressed if Cox had given such a report to him" (had Douglas still been Governor). Governor Seymour, nonplussed by Cox's excuse, sent him and his troops to Tatla Lake
Tatla Lake
Tatla Lake is a freshwater lake in the West Chilcotin area of British Columbia, Canada, situated just east of the community of Tatla Lake, British Columbia. This long, narrow lake, known for good Kokanee fishing, is part of the Fraser River drainage basin....
to search for the warring members of the Tsilhqot'in
Tsilhqot'in
The Tsilhqot'in are a Northern Athabaskan First Nations people that live in British Columbia, Canada...
. Cox's party was joined soon after by former Fort Kamloops Chief Trader, Donald McLean
Donald McLean (fur trader)
Donald McLean was a Scottish fur trader and explorer for the Hudson's Bay Company and who later became a cattle rancher near Cache Creek in British Columbia's Thompson Country . McLean was the last casualty of the Chilcotin War of 1864...
, but McLean was frustrated by Cox's incompetence and set out on his own foray near the northern end of Chilko Lake
Chilko Lake
Chilko Lake is a 180 km² lake in west-central British Columbia, at the head of the Chilko River on the Chilcotin Plateau. The lake is about 65 km long, with a southwest arm 10 km long. It is one of the largest lakes by volume in the province because of its great depth, and the...
where he was surprised from behind by Klatassine, who fired a shot into McLean's back, which was unprotected by the iron skillet he customarily wore under the front of his shirt, killing him.
Cox was discouraged at the death of McLean, who was a noted and self-touted "Indian killer", and wanted to abandon the pursuit but Governor Seymour insisted he persevere in the hunt, partly because given the expense of the expedition he had to have something to account for upon his return to the capital. As luck would have it, the rebel Tshilqot'in warriors walked into Cox's camp, which by then was on the site of the former Fort Chilcotin
Fort Chilcotin
Fort Chilcotin was a short-lived trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company, located at the confluence of the Chilko and Chilcotin Rivers, British Columbia, Canada. It operated between the years 1836 and 1844...
, a long-defunct Hudson's Bay Company fur-post, apparently in response to a message from Cox which seemed to promise them "amnesty in time of war". The Governor and his officials, however, had made no such promise and Klatassine and his men were arrested and eventually tried and hanged for murder at Qiesnellemouthe (today's Quesnel
Quesnel, British Columbia
-Demographics:Quesnel had a population of 9,326 people in 2006, which was a decrease of 7.1% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Quesnel was $54,044, which is slightly above the British Columbia provincial average of $52,709....
).
In 1867, Cox was among those who pushed for the selection of Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
as the capital of the newly-united colonies
United Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia
The Colony of British Columbia is a crown colony that resulted from the amalgamation of the two former colonies, the Colony of Vancouver Island and the mainland Colony of British Columbia...
, partly by opposing a dredging plan for New Westminster, whose faults as prospective capital included the difficulty of navigating the sandbars and shoals of the lowermost Fraser. In 1868, Cox was among those who opposed an address to the Queen prepared by John Robson
John Robson
John Robson was a Canadian journalist and politician, who served as the ninth Premier of the Province of British Columbia.-Journalist and activist:...
, Amor de Cosmos
Amor De Cosmos
Amor De Cosmos was a Canadian journalist, publisher and politician. He served as the second Premier of British Columbia.-Early life:...
, Edward Stamp
Edward Stamp
Edward Stamp was an English mariner and entrepreneur who contributed to the early economic development of British Columbia and Vancouver Island...
and G.A.B. Walkem and mandated by mass meetings in New Westminster and at Yale (known as the Yale Convention) in regards to joining Canada, as they opposed the terms proposed. Others opposing were Henry Pering Pellew Crease
Henry Pering Pellew Crease
Sir Henry Pering Pellew Crease was a British lawyer, judge, and politician, influential in the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia...
, Joseph Trutch
Joseph Trutch
Sir Joseph William Trutch, KCMG was an English-born Canadian engineer, surveyor and politician.-Early life and career:...
, Joseph Despard Pemberton
Joseph Despard Pemberton
Joseph Despard Pemberton was a surveyor for the Hudson's Bay Company, Surveyor General for the Colony of Vancouver Island, a pre-Confederation politician, a businessman and a farmer. He was born in 1821 in Dublin, Ireland and died in 1893 in Oak Bay, British Columbia...
, John Sebastian Helmcken
John Sebastian Helmcken
John Sebastian Helmcken was a British Columbia physician who played a prominent role in bringing the province into Canadian Confederation...
, Thomas Elwyn
Thomas Elwyn
Thomas Elwyn was a British soldier, police officer and gold commissioner in colonial British Columbia.Elwyn, born into a family with a long military tradition, served as a lieutenant in the 30th Foot during the Crimean war...
, Henry Maynard Ball and Messrs Wood, Ker, Smith, and Spalding.