Charles Augustus "Charlie" Semlin (December 4, 1836 – November 2, 1927) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician and rancher. Born near

Barrie Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically i ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

, Semlin worked there as a schoolteacher until 1862 when he moved to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

during the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

to become a

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. Failing at that, he took work under

Clement Francis Cornwall Clement Francis Cornwall (June 18, 1836 – February 15, 1910) was a Canadian parliamentarian and the third Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. Cornwall was born at Ashcroft House, in Newington Bagpath, near Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucest ...

at the Ashcroft Manor Ranch. With Philip Parke he established the Cache Creek Hotel. In 1869 he purchased the Dominion Ranch and became a rancher. He entered politics when British Columbia became a

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, in 1871, winning the Yale riding in the provincial

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in 1871 and was defeated in 1876, though won election again in 1882. He was Leader of the Opposition in 1884. While in politics Semlin was instrumental in the building and operating of a boarding school in Cache Creek. The site was chosen there as Cache Creek was the midpoint between the Cariboo region to the north and the populated areas of the

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 Canadia ...

to the south. He lost his

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in 1875 but returned to the assembly in 1882. In 1894 he became

leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

and finally the 12th

premier of British Columbia Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

in August 1898. His government lasted only two years and resigned to make way for the rump regime of Joseph Martin, who was defeated in the election of 1900. He died on November 3, 1927 at his ranch, which is just east of

Cache Creek, British Columbia Cache Creek is a historic transportation junction and incorporated village northeast of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is on the Trans-Canada Highway in the province of British Columbia at a junction with Highway 97. The same int ...

. Semlin raised a daughter, Mary, and left much of his estate, valued at just over $50,000 and consisting mainly of stock in the Dominion Ranch to her.

Legacy

His name features in the Cache Creek area in the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

railway-point name Semlin, on the south bank the

Thompson River The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches, the South Thompson River and the North Thompson River. The river ...

near Cache Creek and in the name of the Semlin Valley which stretches east from Cache Creek on the north side of the Thompson, and is the route of the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...

today. It was the location of his

Dominion Ranch The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 Im ...

. A street in East Vancouver, Semlin Drive, bears his name.

References

External link

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Semlin, Charles Augustus 1836 births 1927 deaths Canadian ranchers Premiers of British Columbia