Robert McVicar
- For the HBC chief trader who died at Thunder Bay in 1864, see Robert McVicar (c. 1799–1864).
| Robert McVicar | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1876 |
| Died | 1941-12-29 Fort William |
| Children | |
Robert McVicar (c. 1876 – 29 December 1941) was a resident of Fort William, Ontario.[1]
In the Papers of the Thunder Bay Historical Society (1908–1920)
Around 1860, McVicar maintained a building on the north side of McVicar Creek, near its mouth, in the vicinity of what would become Port Arthur.[2] At that time the only other structure in the locality was a log building owned by Frank Brown, a pioneer trapper, situated near the site of the Mariagei Hotel.[2]
A 1913 account recorded that by 1863 only a handful of white families resided in the area: McVicar and his family, John McIntyre, and the family of the account's author.[3] The account noted that these early settlers were known for receiving every stranger who arrived in the district and making them welcome.[3]
In the Papers of the Thunder Bay Historical Society (1921–1928)
Robert McVicar is identified as a crown lands agent and the first white settler of Port Arthur, having built the first house in the area in 1856 near the present corner of Arthur and Cumberland streets, then covered with heavy timber.[4]
Annie E. McIntyre recounts that for some years the only white residents of the district were the Hudson's Bay Company's colony at the Port and the missionary priests Father Choni and Father Du Ranquet; McVicar and his family arrived thereafter, followed in 1863 by Captain Duncan McKellar and his family.[5]
References
- ↑ Fort William Daily Times-Journal, 30 December 1941, p. 3
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Peter McKellar."The Fort William Ice Jam and Port Arthur Ice Shove."[book].Papers of the Thunder Bay Historical Society.1908–1909.p. 23.Link.(Rights: public_domain | Access: open)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Few White People."[book].Papers of the Thunder Bay Historical Society.1913.p. 275.Link.(Rights: public_domain | Access: open)
- ↑ "Robert McVicar."[book].Papers of the Thunder Bay Historical Society.1924.p. 78.Link.(Rights: public_domain | Access: open)
- ↑ Annie E. McIntyre."Robert McVicar."[book].Papers of the Thunder Bay Historical Society.1924–1925.p. 271.Link.(Rights: public_domain | Access: open)