John Moore Robinson, (born in Hustonville,
Wellington County,
Canada West
The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on th ...
in December 1855
– died February 23, 1934
) was a
pioneer,
rancher,
prospector,
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and
orchardist
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of la ...
who helped shape
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
's
Okanagan Valley
The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is ...
region through, among other things, the establishment of such communities as
Naramata
Naramata is an unincorporated community in the Okanagan region of south central British Columbia. On the eastern shore of southern Lake Okanagan, the locality is by road about north of Penticton.
Name origin
In November 1906, John Moore Ro ...
,
Summerland, and
Peachland
Peachland is a district municipality in the Okanagan Valley on the west side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1899 by John Moore Robinson, although the region had long been home to the Okanagan people. Peachlan ...
.
Biography
Education and early career
The son of William Robinson, an
Irish-born merchant, and Maria Moore, he was educated in Hustonville, in
Lockport, New York
Lockport is both a city and the town that surrounds it in Niagara County, New York. The city is the Niagara county seat, with a population of 21,165 according to 2010 census figures, and an estimated population of 20,305 as of 2019.
Its name de ...
and in
St. Catharines, Ontario. He taught school for four years in Ontario, and then, in 1879, he moved to Manitoba, where he taught in
Woodlands for two more years. In 1882, Robinson married Eliza Lipsett. He was the editor and publisher of the ''Brandon Times'', the ''Portage la Prairie Tribune'' and the ''Portage la Prairie Review''. Robinson also served as clerk for Woodlands and for
Portage la Prairie
Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was .
Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hi ...
. He was later employed in the real estate business in Portage la Prairie.
He was elected to the Manitoba assembly for the
Woodlands constituency in 1886 as a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
. Robinson was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1888.
Work in British Columbia
Robinson arrived in the Okanagan Valley from
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
, coordinates =
, capital = Win ...
in 1897
as a prospector.
Inspired by early local ranchers such as
John Carmichael Haynes and James and Fred Gartrell, Robinson purchased a ranch, which he renamed "Peachland", and took up selling parcels of arable land for the establishment of orchards. Unlike other ranchers of the time, who grew but a few fruit trees on their property to serve the family and workmen, the Gartrells harvested some of their fruit for sale, and expanding on this concept with dedicated orchards, Robinson is credited with founding the soft fruit industry.
After establishing the town of Peachland in 1899,
Robinson founded Summerland, south of Peachland, in 1902, under the patronage of then-
CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spont ...
president,
Sir Thomas Shaughnessy. In 1907, Robinson founded the hillside town of Naramata.
Upon incorporating the Peachland Townsite and Irrigation Company in 1899, Robinson implemented a new water management system, laying out creek-fed irrigation to supply of orchard, which he had subdivided into lots.
Robinson employed the same land development formula in Summerland and Naramata, encouraging other land development companies to follow in his footsteps, heralding a new era of corporate land management and irrigation.
He died in Naramata at the age of 78.
See also
*
Okanagan people
The ''Syilx'' () people, also known as the Okanagan, Okanogan or Okinagan people, are a First Nations and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the Canada–US boundary in Washington state and British Columbia in the Okanaga ...
*
History of British Columbia
The history of British Columbia covers the period from the arrival of Paleo-Indians thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands encompassing present-day British Columbia were inhabited for millennia by a ...
References
External links
Heritage BC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson
Members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Settlers of Canada
Canadian prospectors
1855 births
1934 deaths
Canadian orchardists