John Maxwell

John Maxwell arrived on Salt Spring Island in 1862. Born in Ireland in 1835, Maxwell had travelled to the west coast of North America with a fellow Irishman, James Lunney. Family lore has it that the two made a considerable fortune in the gold fields of the Cariboo. The two men took up about 350 acres of land in the fertile Burgoyne Valley. They then established a large cattle-raising operation with Maxwell quickly importing about 100 Texas Longhorns from Oregon to Victoria, and then to Salt Spring Island via Cowichan. The pair expanded their property through a five-year grazing lease from the provincial government in 1870, where, according to the Surveyor, Ashdown Green, they "scattered grass seed so there is some good feed for stock." Maxwell finally obtained a Crown grant for his land -- some of the best on the island -- in 1880.

Maxwell was an important member of the community. By 1865 he was probably living with his native wife, Mary, as their first child was born in that year. Mary was only about 14 when she had her first child, and about 16 years younger than John. In all, they had six children. The Maxwell's go on to have a prosperous, if hardworking, life, acting as the economic and social backbone of the south end of the island. In 1872 Maxwell signed a petition requesting a school at Burgoyne Bay. In 1883 he purchased outright 50 acres in section 3, range 1. He supplemented his work on the farm with work on the roads for the provincial government in 1884. Also in in that year, he bought another 196 acres in sections 81 and 82, around Mount Maxwell (obtaining the Crown grant in 1892), and he pre-empted another 160 acres in south west 83, which he payed for in 1892. In 1891, he purchased another 9 acres in north-east section 68, which borders on his property on Burgoyne Bay.

The sons started pre-empting and buying in 1886, when Richard pre-empted 160 acres in section 80. This is cancelled in 1925, and is never improved, so was probably used for logging (one of its few uses, situated as it is on Mount Maxwell). In 1890, Sam Maxwell bought outright section 3, range 2 in Burgoyne Bay. In 1891, the Maxwell brothers bought 160 acres in the south half of section 80, while David pre-empts 155 acres in another part of section 80, which is cancelled. In 1901, David Maxwell married Clara Trage, and they both lived on the island until their death in 1967, she at age 88, he age 94. They had a daughter who was born in 1902, and died in 1906.

John Maxwell Jr. died in 1887 at age 23. James stayed on the island till at least 1916. Richard too stayed on the island till at least 1916, working as a logger and farmer. Samuel Maxwell worked for a while as a tax collector (1888-91) and postmaster at Burgoyne Bay (1889-95), but his work is not approved of. He also worked as a teamster and labourer in 1893, farmer in 1894, and is used as a constable in 1894. He doesn't appear on the island after 1900.