When was British Columbia founded?

British Columbia was founded as a colony on August 2, 1858, following the influx of gold miners to the Fraser River during the Fraser River Gold Rush. It was initially established as a separate colony from the Hudson's Bay Company's territories. The colony was later united with the mainland colony of British Columbia and Vancouver Island to form the Province of British Columbia in 1866. It officially became a province of Canada on July 20, 1871.