John Moore Robinson
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John Moore Robinson, (born in Hustonville, Wellington County, Canada West 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, ...
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 lar ...
who helped shape
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, for ...
'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 p ...
region through, among other things, the establishment of such communities as Naramata, Summerland, and Peachland.


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 and in
St. Catharines, Ontario St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2016, it has an area of , 136,803 residents, and a metropolitan population of 406,074. It lies in Southern 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. 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 Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
in 1897 as a prospector. Inspired by early local ranchers such as
John Carmichael Haynes John Carmichael Haynes (July 6, 1831 – July 6, 1888) was an Irish-born rancher, judge and public servant in British Columbia. He was born in Landscape, County Cork, the son of Jonas Haynes and Hester Carmichael, and came to Victoria, Briti ...
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


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