John Deighton
John Deighton | |
---|---|
Canadian | |
Other names | Gassy Jack |
Occupation | Bar owner/steamboat captain |
Known for | Founding Gastown |
John Deighton (November 1830 – May 23, 1875), better known as "Gassy Jack", was a bar-owner in
History
Deighton was born in
Next, Deighton worked a gold claim in California, along with many others, until February 1858 when there was news of gold further north in a British territory known as New Caledonia. The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush had begun and Deighton sailed north along with thousands of others. The harsh winter took its toll on the prospectors but Deighton stayed for 5 years. He found no gold, though others did. New Caledonia was now the Colony of British Columbia. Traffic on the Fraser River was increasing as more miners arrived, but so far only American steamers were able to travel beyond Langley. Local boats were built to meet this need and Deighton piloted steamships and sternwheelers on the Fraser River for several years.[3]
By 1864, Deighton was forced to pursue other lines of work as he developed health problems (swelling of the legs and feet).[4]
Between 1862 and 1867, he ran a bar called the Globe Saloon in
In 1867, Deighton opened a bar on the south side of
Deighton was first married to a Squamish woman, whose name is currently unknown. Before her death around 1870, her niece, Quahail-ya, came to care for her. After her death, Deighton married Quahail-ya who was also known by the name Madeline Deighton.
A son, Richard Mason Deighton, was born to Deighton and his wife in December 1871; the baby was baptized in 1872. Richard was nicknamed the "Earl of Granville" and was a popular figure in Gastown. (In her 1940 interview with Major Matthews, Madeline said the baby lived about two years and was buried at Brockton Point, but in fact he outlived his father.) Deighton's brother Tom and his wife took over the business in 1873 and Deighton returned to working the steamship that plied the Fraser River, this time as a captain of the steamer Onward. However, after a family quarrel a few months later, he resumed management of the saloon and operated it until he became ill and died at the age of 44 on May 23, 1875. Deighton's will left everything to his four-year-old son, but Richard died in November 1875 before the will was probated. It is not known who inherited the $304, but Quahail-ya/Madeline was reimbursed for three months of childcare and the expenses of her son's funeral.[14] She returned to the North Shore and married Billy Williams, who died in 1897. She died August 10, 1948.[15]
Legacy
He is interred at the Fraser Cemetery in New Westminster, British Columbia. A headstone was installed in 1972, reading "Here lies John 'Gassy Jack' Deighton, 1830 - 1875, Sailor, Prospector, Steamboatman, Pioneer, Hotelman at New Westminster & Granville: 'I have done well since I came here.'"
Deighton was known as Gassy Jack because of his talkative nature and his penchant for storytelling. Locals called the area around his bar "Gastown" though its proper name at the time was Granville.
The Deighton House was later burned in the Great Vancouver Fire of June 1886.
In honour of Jack Deighton, the
References
- ^ Bruzelius, Lars. "Invincible".
- ISBN 0919574017.
- ISBN 0919574017.
- ^ Donna Jean MacKinnon. "Gassy Jack". The Greater Vancouver Book. Archived from the original on 18 February 2003.
- ISBN 0919574017.
- ^ Greg Middleton. "Vancouver Crime". The Greater Vancouver Book. Archived from the original on 2 September 2006.
- ISBN 0919574017.
- ^ Sciarpelletti, Laura (30 June 2019). "Indigenous activists say the story of Gassy Jack is missing sordid details". CBC News. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ Britten, Liam (16 June 2020). "Vancouver's Gassy Jack statue defaced, petition calls for its removal". CBC News. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ Matthews, Major J.S. Early Vancouver, Volume Five, 1945, City of Vancouver, page 293}
- ^ The Vancouver Sun, July 27, 1946, page 36.
- ^ The Province, August 14, 1948.
- ^ The Vancouver Sun, August 11, 1948, page 19.
- ^ "Will throws light on life of Gassy Jack", The Province, May 29, 1962, page 1.
- ISBN 0919574017.
- ^ "Granite tombstone laid on Gassy Jack's grave", The Province, October 2, 1972, page 14.
- ^ Anderson, Sarah (14 February 2022). "Protesters topple Vancouver's Gassy Jack statue in Gastown". DH News. Vancouver: The Daily Hive. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.