John Fall Allison (1825–1897) was a pioneer settler, Justice of the Peace, Postmaster and Gold Commissioner in the

Similkameen Country The Similkameen Country, also referred to as the Similkameen Valley or Similkameen District, but generally referred to simply as The Similkameen or more archaically, Similkameen, is a region roughly coinciding with the basin of the river of the sam ...

of the Southern Interior of

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, ...

, Canada.

Life and career

Allison was born in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

in West

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, England in 1828. In 1837, he emigrated with his parents to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. In 1849, he went prospecting in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. In 1858, during the Fraser River Gold Rush, Allison travelled to the

Colony of British Columbia The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada: *Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) *Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) See also *History of Br ...

and arrived in Vermillion Forks (now

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

) in 1860. Allison was the first European settler in the area, where he staked gold, copper and coal claims and established the first cattle ranch. In 1862, Allison married a

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

woman named Nora Yakumtikum, with whom he had four children. In 1868, he married Susan Louisa Moir. Together John and Susan had fourteen children. In 1876, Allison was appointed a Justice of the Peace and became the first Gold Commissioner of the newly created Similkameen Mining District. Allison died in 1897 and was buried at a site overlooking the

Similkameen River The Similkameen River runs through southern British Columbia, Canada, eventually discharging into the Okanagan River near Oroville, Washington, in the United States. Through the Okanagan River, it drains to the Columbia River. The river is said ...

near a landmark named "Castle Rock".

Allison Pass Allison Pass (el. ) is a highway summit along the Crowsnest Highway in British Columbia, Canada. It is the highest point on the highway between the cities of Hope and Princeton. It is located in the middle of Manning Park, at the divide between ...

, through which

Highway 3 The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A. International * Asian Highway 3 * Europea ...

runs, was named for Allison, as he was the first European explorer to discover the pass.ABC Books
ALLISON, Susan
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, John Fall 1825 births 1897 deaths Similkameen Country Pre-Confederation British Columbia people 19th-century Canadian civil servants Gold commissioners in British Columbia People from Leeds Canadian ranchers English emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia Canadian justices of the peace People from Princeton, British Columbia