Archy Lee was born into slavery in Mississippi sometime in 1840. In October of 1857 his master Charles Stovall brought him to California and rented him out. When Stovall was ready to leave California in January just a few months later Archy escaped. He was caught, released, caught again and became involved in a series of lawsuits regarding his freedom.

On April 14, 1858, the California Courts decided that Archy would remain a free man because he escaped in a Free State. If he had crossed a state line during his escape he would have lost his freedom as a fugitive slave.

That evening the congregation of the Zion Church met to celebrate the freedom of young Archy Lee. As they were celebrating, Captain Nagle of the steamship Commodore walked into the church with a letter from the new British colony of Vancouver Island. This letter invited the black population to the new colony offering them the opportunity to purchase and own land, vote, sit on juries, hold public office, and become British subjectsafter seven years of residence.

The congregation decided to send an advance party of 60 settlers to scope out Vancouver Island and send word back. Only 35 of the 65 that planned to travel north on the next ship actually went. They sent back glowing reviews of the colony and encouraged the rest of their black brethren to join them. In the next year around 600 of their fellow Negroes joined them.

These new immigrants became store owners, merchants, teachers, carpenters, fur traders, city councilors, policemen and firemen. When tensions rose and war loomed on the near horizon between the United States and the British colony the Negroes formed their own militia with uniforms and guns provided by the colonial government and training from the British naval officers in the colony.

Archy Lee became a draughtsman in what is now British Columbia. He died of some illness in1871.

Taken from Go Do Some Great Thing: The Black Pioneers of British Columbia by Kilian Crawford

Across the mountains in Southern Alberta, one of the most respected and influential ranchers in the region was John Ware. Ware was born a slave in South Carolina sometime in 1845. He moved to Texas and became a cowboy after the civil war freed the slaves. He came to Southern Alberta in 1882 working on a cattle drive. He decided to stay and found work on a local ranch. By saving his wages he soon started his own ranch in the area which became profitable enough to expand. Ware was one of the original ranchers that organized the summer rodeo which later became the Calgary stampede. His prowess as a rider was legendary and it was often said that he was never thrown from a bucking horse. Sadly, in 1905 his horse stumbled in a gopher hole and landed on him. He died that day with a broken neck.

There is a book called John Ware's Cow Country by Grant McEwan that chronicles his life.