Arthur Wellesley Gray (1876 – 7 May 1944) was a

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, ...

cabinet minister and mayor. He is particularly noted for his work creating some of British Columbia's early provincial parks and

Wells Gray Provincial Park Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,250 square kilometres (524,990 hectares or ...

is named for him. His colleagues usually called him by his nickname, "Wells".Neave, Roland (2015). ''Exploring Wells Gray Park'', 6th edition. Wells Gray Tours, Kamloops, BC. .

Early life

Gray was born in

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capita ...

, British Columbia, in 1876. As a youth, he achieved distinction in lacrosse and was a member of the New Westminster Salmonbelly Club which won the world lacrosse championship in 1900.

Career

At age 30, Gray was elected alderman of New Westminster and at age 36 he became mayor, a post he held from 1913 to 1919 and again from 1927 to 1930. In 1927, he was also elected to the British Columbia Legislature in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and was re-elected at the next four provincial elections with significant majorities. In 1933, Premier Duff Pattullo appointed Gray Minister of Lands and in 1941, under the Coalition Government, he was given the additional duties of Minister of Municipal Affairs. In 1938, with the assistance of British Columbia's Chief Forester, Ernest Callaway Manning, Gray began to enact legislation creating provincial parks. Tweedsmuir Park was first, located in the

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains (french: La chaîne Côtière) are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia ...

, and it remained the province's largest park until 1993. Later that year, Hamber Park in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

was set aside. In 1939, a large park was proposed for the drainage basin of the Clearwater River and, when the Order in Council to establish it was passed, the park was named

in his honour. The next park was being planned for the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

of southern British Columbia and was dedicated as

E.C. Manning Provincial Park E.C. Manning Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is usually referred to as Manning Park, although that nomenclature is also used to refer to the resort and Gibson Pass Ski Area, ski area at the park's core. The pa ...

, after Manning was killed in a plane crash in 1941. Tourists and hikers of the 21st century owe much to the vision of Gray and Manning. Gray took a tour of the British Columbia interior region during the summer of 1940 and spent four days in Wells Gray Park. He rode the train to

Clearwater Clearwater or Clear Water may refer to: Places Canada * Clear Water Academy, a private Catholic school located in Calgary, Alberta * Clearwater (provincial electoral district), a former provincial electoral district in Alberta * Clearwater, Briti ...

, then was driven to the end of the road at the park boundary where he stayed at the Helset Ranch. He travelled by horse to see

Helmcken Falls Helmcken Falls is a waterfall on the Murtle River within Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. The protection of Helmcken Falls was one of the reasons for the creation of Wells Gray Provincial Park in 1939. Helmcken Falls is th ...

, camped at The Horseshoe on the Clearwater River for two nights, then boated along

Mahood Lake Mahood Lake is a lake in the South Cariboo region of the Interior of British Columbia in Wells Gray Provincial Park. It is drained by the Mahood River, a tributary of the Clearwater River which has cut a deep canyon into Cambrian rocks and Pleis ...

to stay at Mahood Lake Lodge overnight.

Death and legacy

Gray died suddenly in Victoria from a heart ailment on May 7, 1944.

Royal Maitland Royal Lethington (Pat) Maitland (January 9, 1889 – March 28, 1946) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as Deputy Premier and the Attorney General of British Columbia in the coalition government of Premier John Hart. He als ...

, a fellow minister, commented, "No man ever had a greater interest in his own town than he had in New Westminster and everywhere you look in the Royal City you see a monument to something he has accomplished there. A quiet lovable man, he will be greatly missed by the thousands who knew him."

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Wells 1876 births 1944 deaths Mayors of New Westminster British Columbia Liberal Party MLAs