John Moore Robinson

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John Moore Robinson, born in Ontario, Canada in 1855,[1] was a pioneer, rancher, prospector, politician and orchardist who helped shape British Columbia's Okanagan Valley region through, among other things, the establishment of such communities as Naramata, Summerland, and Peachland.

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[edit] Biography

[edit] Work in British Columbia

Robinson arrived in the Okanagan Valley from Manitoba in 1897[2] as a prospector. While in Manitoba, he had worked as a newspaper editor, teacher, and member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly.[1] 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.[3]

After establishing the town of Peachland in 1899,[4] Robinson founded Summerland, south of Peachland, in 1902, with the patronage of then-CPR president, Sir Thomas Shaughnessy. In 1907, Robinson founded the hillside town of Naramata.[2]

Upon incorporating the Peachland Townsite and Irrigation Company in 1899, Robinson implemented a new water management system, laying out creek-fed irrigation to supply 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) of orchard, which he had subdivided into 10 acre lots.[5]

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.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Robinson on HeritageBC.ca. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
  2. ^ a b John Moore Robinson on BritishColumbia.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
  3. ^ John Moore Robinson on LivingLandscapes.bc.ca. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
  4. ^ Peachland History at Peachland.ca. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
  5. ^ a b Irrigation on LocalLandscapes.bc.ca. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME John Moore Robinson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION pioneer, rancher, orchardist, politician, prospector
DATE OF BIRTH 1855
PLACE OF BIRTH Ontario, Canada
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH