John Freemont Smith was born in the Danish West Indies (now the Virgin Islands). He initially prospected in the Interior then spent some time in Victoria where he married and started a family. The family moved back to Kamloops; John owned and operated a retail business. In 1902 he became secretary of the Board of Trade; a year later he was elected alderman and served for four years. Various sources also note that Smith served as the Indian Agent for the Kamloops Area from 1912 to 1923 and was instrumental in community organizations, including the Kamloops Agricultural Association, Rifle Association, Children’s Aid and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals.
You may also like
“In commemoration of the arrival in 1858 of the first group of Black settlers to the Colony of Vancouver Island” On April…
With slides and conversation, Beth Cruise, MA University of Alberta, Founder and Executive Director of the Canadian Earth Institute, a certified teacher…
Joe arrived in Vancouver in circa 1885/1886; he was about 20 years old. He initially worked as a bartender but spent many…
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board plaque (designation date: 1997-09-22) commemorating the arrival of the Black settlers in 1858 as “an event…