McGregor, John
John McGregor worked as a coal miner for the Hudson’s Bay Company.1 According to this letter, he took the Una to mine for coal in Haida Gwaii but found gold instead. After the gold discovery, the local people (probably Haida) claimed ownership of the yellow metal, and, after some conflict, the Una and her crew left the island to avoid bloodshed.
McGregor emigrated from Scotland in 1848 with his relatives, the Muirs, to work as a coal miner at Fort Rupert.2 When McGregor and the Muirs arrived, they found the conditions less than desirable, and, when local officials ignored their complaints, McGregor and Andrew Muir organized a labour strike. In response, George Blenkinsop had the two imprisoned at the fort for six days.3
  • 1. Muir, Andrew, Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Ibid.
Mentions of this person in the documents
People in this document

Blenkinsop, George

Muir, Andrew

Vessels in this document

SS Una, 1849-1851

Places in this document

Fort Rupert, or T'sakis

Haida Gwaii

The Colonial Despatches Team. McGregor, John. The Colonial Despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871, Edition 2.0, ed. The Colonial Despatches Team. Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria. https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/mc_gregor.html.

Last modified: 2020-03-30 13:22:16 -0700 (Mon, 30 Mar 2020) (SVN revision: 4193)