Robert Dunsmuir

Abstract

Robert Dunsmuir began working for the H.B.C. coal operations in 1851. He moved to Nanaimo in 1852 and supervised the relatively small coal mining activities of the company. His son Alexander was the first white child born in Nanaimo. From these rather humble beginnings Dunsmuir amassed a fortune, with interests in coal mining, land speculation, railway construction, and numerous other enterprises. When he died in 1889, he was the wealthiest and one of the most powerful men in the province. One of his homes in Victoria--Craigdarrock Castle--was built at a cost of $650,000 in 1889 (about $7,000,000 today.)