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7835 EAST SAANICH RD |
British Columbia Tourism Region : Vancouver Island
Description From Owner:
- John Dean Park - After John Dean (1850-1943), a fascinating eccentric. Born in Cheshire, he arrived in British Columbia from California in 1885.
- In 1903 he was mayor of Rossland. Subsequently he moved to Victoria, where he engaged for a while in the real estate business.
- Entering civic politics in Victoria as an ardent advocate of putting the city under a city manager, he was defeated in civic elections in 1928 and 1929.
- An enthusiastic naturalist, Dean owned property high on Mount Newton, and here he spent much of each summer in a log cabin.
- With considerable misgivings he was persuaded to let the Boy Scouts camp on his property.
- His delighted amazement at finding how excellently they had cared for it may have had something to do with his decision in 1931 to turn over eighty acres for a provincial park to preserve the original flora and fauna of the area.
- In 1936, a lifelong bachelor of eighty-six, Dean had his own tombstone erected in Ross Bay cemetery.
- On it he had engraved his verdict about life: 'It is a rotten world, artful politicians are its bane. Its saving grace is the artlessness of the young and the wonders of the sky.' He died some six years later.
- Mount Newton - After W.E. Newton, a farmer who arrived in Victoria in 1851 and married Emmeline, daughter of John Tod (see Tod Inlet).
- With permission from G.P.V and Helen B. Akrigg 1997 British Columbia Place Names. UBC Press.
Address of this page: http://bc.ruralroutes.com/Saanichton