Which industry became the economic driving force in British Columbia after the gold rush?

• A. Agriculture
• B. Tourism
• C. The logging industry
• D. Manufacturing

Answer: (C)

After the gold rush, British Columbia’s economy shifted from chasing quick riches to exploiting its abundant natural resources, with the logging industry becoming the main driver. The coast is lined with extensive forests, and as mining towns sprang up and expanded, there was a steady and growing demand for timber—for buildings, fuel, ships, and later railroad construction. Logging provided a scalable, export-oriented industry that could quickly employ workers and connect BC to markets in the United States, Asia, and beyond, giving the province a stable economic foundation in the years that followed the gold rush.

Agriculture didn’t dominate because much of BC’s terrain and climate aren’t suited to large-scale farming in the same way as the timber belt is suited to harvest and export. Tourism would become more significant later, and manufacturing hadn’t developed enough capacity or infrastructure to drive the economy at that time.