Timeline August 1858

Events in August 1858 3

• 1858 Colony of British Columbia established Crown colony created amid the Fraser Canyon gold rush Britain proclaimed the mainland Colony of British Columbia after tens of thousands of prospectors poured into the Fraser Canyon following a gold discovery. The rush prompted London to assert direct control over territory previously administered informally by the Hudson's Bay Company. James Douglas was appointed the colony's first governor.
• 1858 First transatlantic telegraph cable completed Cable links Ireland and Newfoundland for the first time Engineers aboard the Agamemnon and Niagara completed a submarine telegraph cable connecting Valentia Island, Ireland, to Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. Queen Victoria and President Buchanan exchanged congratulatory messages over the new link. The cable's insulation failed within about a month, and a durable connection was not achieved until 1866.
• 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates Seven debates over slavery expansion during the Illinois Senate race Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas held seven public debates across Illinois while competing for a US Senate seat, focusing on the expansion of slavery into new territories. Douglas won the election, but the debates gave Lincoln national prominence. Transcripts were widely reprinted in newspapers across the country.