The Norman Morison, a 529-ton Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) ship, made three voyages from England to Vancouver Island between 1850 and 1853. Sometimes called Victoria’s “Mayflower,” it carried workers and families who transformed Fort Victoria from a fur-trade post into a permanent settlement.

Voyage One: Workmen from Orkney (1850)

The ship’s first voyage brought mostly young Orkney men under indenture to the HBC. They provided essential labour and trades for the struggling outpost. Among them was Caleb Pike, later commemorated at the Caleb Pike Heritage Park. Another passenger, Dr. Sebastian Helmcken, married into Governor Douglas’s family and became a key political figure in British Columbia’s path to Confederation. Others, like farmer William Sims, helped build Victoria’s first farm in J

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