Although many tourist operations would have you believe that Victoria fell off
Great Britain in a neat little chunk, its High Tea tradition actually began in
the 1950's to draw American tourists. Before the invasion of tea, Fort Victoria,
founded in 1843, was a fur trading post and supply center for the Hudson Bay Company.
But the discovery of gold in the Fraser River Canyon pushed it into the fast lane
in 1858, bringing international trade and the requisite bars and brothels. The
government soon followed and Victoria became the capital in 1868. Victoria is a
clean, polite, tourist-friendly city of diverse origins and interests.
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