British Columbia Church History
Below are some of the prominent historical events of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in British Columbia.
- 1845, Brigham Young mentioned in a letter to the Saints that Vancouver Island was being considered as a place of settlement for the Pioneers.
- 1875 - Pioneers William and Maria Copley settled on Vancouver Island with their three children at Shawnigan.
- 1887 - Anthony Stenhouse, a member of the legislative assembly of British Columbia who chose to resign from the assembly, was the first convert on Vancouver Island. He was later baptised in Cardston by Charles Ora Card.
- 1902, Mar 5, BC was added to the Northwest States Mission.
- 1903, May 14 - President Nephi Pratt of the Northwestern States Mission organized the "Victoria Conference" with Elder W. M. Swan of Salt Lake City, UT, as the president.
- 1904 - The president of the Northwest States Mission visited Vancouver and found an LDS family.
- 1909 - A meeting with 12 members in attendance was held
- 1911 - A branch was organized in 1911 in the Vancouver area.
- 1918 - First Sunday School was organised in Victoria with twenty-one members. George V. Copley was called as an early superintendent. Over the years, this congregation eventually disbanded.
- 1925 - A tall, narrow frame structure on 14th Av was the first meetinghouse purchased in Vancouver.
- 1937, Oct 17 - Second Sunday School was formed after Melvin Oxspring, president of the Vancouver Branch, moved with his family to Victoria.
- 1938 - The Vancouver branch became ward and was included in the Seattle Washington Stake.
- 1942 - A dependent branch was formed in Victoria.
- 1946 - The dependant branch became independent.
- 1946, late - Two missionaries organised a Sunday School in the Samuel Dyson home in Nanaimo with twenty-three present.
- 1948, May 5 - The Nanaimo Branch was organised.
- 1953, May 27 - First meetinghouse dedicated on Vancouver Island in Nanaimo.
- 1959, Aug 2 - Victoria British Columbia District created from part of the Vancouver British Columbia District.
- 1960, Nov 1st - Elder Hugh B. Brown organised the Vancouver British Columbia Stake, which consisted of two wards in Vancouver, and wards in North Shore, New Westminster, Fleetwood, Richmond, White Rock, Langley, and Chilliwack. Elders Franklin D. Richards and Nathan E. Tanner were also in attendance.
- 1960 - A first-stage meetinghouse was completed in Victoria.
- 1966 - Port Alberni meetinghouse was dedicated by William J. Critchlow, Jr.
- 1969 - The first-stage building in Victoria was dedicated by President N. Eldon Tanner as a fully completed building.
- 1975, Feb 9 - Elder Boyd K. Packer organised the Victoria British Columbia Stake consisting of the Nanaimo, Victoria Colwood, Victoria First, and Victoria Second wards; and the Courtenay, Duncan, Port Alberni, Powell River, and Sidney branches. Howard L. Biddulph was first stake president.
- 1979, early - Cranbrook British Columbia Stake formed.
- 1994 - Abbotsford British Columbia Stake formed.
Information compiled from various sources, including lds.org and the Ensign.
