Tom Thornhill

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Tom Thornhill
Tom Thornhill.jpg
Tom Thornhill is the namesake of Thornhill, British Columbia.
Born1855
Kent, England
DiedJuly 15, 1910
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Burial placeOld Prince Rupert Cemetery
MonumentsThornhill Landing, Thornhill, British Columbia
CitizenshipEngland
SpouseEliza Wright (m. 1982)

Tom Thornhill (1855 – July 15, 1910) was an English settler and one of the first non-Indigenous residents in the Skeena River Valley, British Columbia. [1] [2] [3] [4] The unincorporated community of Thornhill located east of Terrace is named after him. [3] [5] [6] He is known for his significant role in early settlement and as a representative of the unique cultural interconnections between European settlers and Indigenous peoples in the late 19th century. [2] [7] [8]

Contents

Early life and background

Tom Thornhill was born in Kent, England, in 1855. [3] He emigrated to Canada with his family at the age of three, settling in Victoria, British Columbia. [3] Thornhill came from a family of some means, and his father was actively involved in church affairs. [3] Tom is believed to have trained as a blacksmith, but a lung disorder, possibly caused by his trade, led him to seek a different way of life. [3] [6]

Marriage to Eliza Wright

While traveling in the Fraser Valley, Thornhill met Eliza Wright, a member of the Kitselas Tsimshian nation and sister to Kitselas Chief Walter Wright. [2] [3] [5] [7] [9] [10] [11] [12] Eliza was considered part of the “royal family” within her community. [3] [9] The couple married and moved to the Skeena River Valley in 1892, settling on land near the Kitselas Canyon. [2] [3] [5] [10] [13] Their marriage represented a rare union at the time between an English settler and a prominent Indigenous woman. [3] [9]

Life on the Skeena

Upon settling near the Skeena River, Thornhill and Eliza established themselves on a prime fishing site granted by Eliza's lineage. [2] [3] The area, known as Thornhill's Landing, became a stopping point for riverboats traveling up the Skeena River. [1] [3] [8] [14] While Eliza hunted, trapped, and traded furs, Tom farmed the land, producing vegetables and flowers for the riverboats. [3] [8] [12] The couple's cabin also served as a host site for travellers. [3] [9] [10]

Death and legacy

Monument to Tom Thornhill, located under the Dudley Little Bridge, at Thornhill Landing, in Thornhill, British Columbia. The Tom and Eliza Thornhill Monument was commemorated on July 30, 1993. Monument to Tom Thornhill.jpg
Monument to Tom Thornhill, located under the Dudley Little Bridge, at Thornhill Landing, in Thornhill, British Columbia. The Tom and Eliza Thornhill Monument was commemorated on July 30, 1993.

Tom Thornhill died in 1910, three years after Eliza's death in 1907. [3] [9] He is buried in the Garden Island Cemetery, near Prince Rupert. [3] Thornhill's 186-acre homestead, claimed under the Homestead Act of 1906, was later sold and contributed to the development of the Skeena River Valley. [3]

Commemoration

Thornhill's contributions are honoured through various memorials and landmarks:

Cultural and historical significance

Tom and Eliza's story highlights the intersection of European settler and Indigenous histories in British Columbia. [3] [8] [9] Their partnership exemplifies early intercultural relationships and their role in shaping local communities. [3] [9] [10] [11] [12] Eliza's significant contributions as a trapper and community member also emphasize the often-overlooked role of Indigenous women in settler history. [8] [12] [15]

The couple's memory continues to be celebrated as a symbol of the historical ties between Indigenous peoples and settlers in the Skeena Valley. [3] [5] [6] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [15] Efforts to rename local landmarks, such as restoring the name of Sockeye Creek to Eliza Creek, further underscore the importance of their legacy. [8] [10] [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsimshian</span> Indigenous people of the northwest coast of North America

The Tsimshian are an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace and Prince Rupert, and Metlakatla, Alaska on Annette Island, the only reservation in Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrace, British Columbia</span> City in British Columbia, Canada

Terrace is a city in the Skeena region of west central British Columbia, Canada. This regional hub lies east of the confluence of the Kitsumkalum River into the Skeena River. On BC Highway 16, junctions branch northward for the Nisga'a Highway to the west and southward for the Stewart–Cassiar Highway to the east. The locality is by road about 204 km (127 mi) southwest of Smithers and 144 km (89 mi) east of Prince Rupert. Transportation links are the Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat, a passenger train, and bus services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazelton, British Columbia</span> Village municipality in British Columbia, Canada

Hazelton is a village municipality in the Skeena region of west central British Columbia, Canada. The place is on the southeast side of the Skeena River immediately north of the Bulkley River mouth, where the confluence forms a peninsula. On BC Highway 62, the locality is by road about 75 kilometres (47 mi) northwest of Smithers and 144 kilometres (89 mi) northeast of Terrace. Hazelton is the original of the "Three Hazeltons", the other two being New Hazelton to the southeast and South Hazelton to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skeena River</span> River in British Columbia, Canada

The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada. Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose names mean "inside the River of Mist", and "people of the River of Mist," respectively. The river and its basin sustain a wide variety of fish, wildlife, and vegetation, and communities native to the area depend on the health of the river. The Tsimshian migrated to the Lower Skeena River, and the Gitxsan occupy territory of the Upper Skeena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usk, British Columbia</span> Hamlet in British Columbia, Canada

Usk is an unincorporated community in the Skeena region of west central British Columbia, Canada. The Usk Ferry connects the two parts of the hamlet that straddle the Skeena River. Just off BC Highway 16, the locality is by road about 182 kilometres (113 mi) west of Smithers and 23 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of Terrace.

Kitsumkalum Park is in the Skeena region of west central British Columbia, Canada. This provincial park is on the east shore of the Kitsumkalum River at the foot of Kitsumkalum Lake. On Kalum Lake Road, the locality is by road about 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of Terrace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornhill, British Columbia</span> Unincorporated Community in British Columbia, Canada

Thornhill is an unincorporated community in northwestern British Columbia, with a population of 3,932 residents as of the 2021 Canadian census. It is governed by the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, and is classified as Electoral Area E.Thornhill is located immediately to the east of Terrace across the Skeena River. Thornhill is connected to Terrace by the Old Skeena Bridge and the Dudley Little Bridge.

Kitsumkalum is an original tribe/ galts'ap (community) of the Tsimshian Nation. Kitsumkalum is one of the 14 tribes of the Tsimshian nation in British Columbia, Canada. Kitsumkalum and is also the name of one of their Indian Reserve just west of the city of Terrace, British Columbia, where the Kitsumkalum River flows into the Skeena River. Archaeological evidence places Kitsumkalum with property holdings (laxyuup/territories) in the Kitsumkalum Valley, down the Skeena River to the coast, the Zymagotitz River, areas around Lakelse Lake and many special sites surrounding coastal and inland areas of the North West Coast prior to 1846 and as far back as 5,000 years BP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Essington, British Columbia</span> Former town in British Columbia, Canada

Port Essington was a cannery town on the south bank of the Skeena River estuary in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, between Prince Rupert and Terrace, and at the confluence of the Skeena and Ecstall Rivers. It was founded in 1871 by Robert Cunningham and Thomas Hankin and was for a time the largest settlement in the region. During its heyday it was home to an ethnic mix of European-Canadians, Japanese-Canadians, and members of First Nations from throughout the region, especially Tsimshians from the Kitselas and Kitsumkalum tribes. In the Tsimshian language, the site of Port Essington is called Spaksuut or, in English spelling, "Spokeshute", which means "autumn camping place". This also became the Tsimshian name for the town of Port Essington, and was conferred on Spokeshute Mountain, which stands above and behind the community. It sits on the traditional territory of the Gitzaxłaał tribe, one of the nine Tsimshian tribes based at Lax Kw'alaams. In 1888, the anthropologist Franz Boas visited Port Essington, interviewing Haida and Tsimshian individuals and establishing a working relationship with Odille Morison, the Tsimshian linguist, who lived in Port Essington.

Walter George Wright was a Canadian hereditary chief of the Tsimshian from the community of Kitselas, near Terrace, British Columbia, whose extensive knowledge of oral history was published posthumously in book form as Men of Medeek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gitsegukla</span> Community in British Columbia, Canada

Gitsegukla is an unincorporated community in the Skeena region of west central British Columbia, Canada. The place is on the southeast side of the Skeena River adjacent to the Kitseguecla River mouth. On BC Highway 16, the locality is by road about 94 kilometres (58 mi) northwest of Smithers and 113 kilometres (70 mi) northeast of Terrace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitwanga</span> Place in British Columbia, Canada

Kitwanga or Gitwangak is in the Skeena region of west central British Columbia. Among the Hazelton and Bulkley Mountain Ranges, the place is on the north shore of the Skeena River, east of the Kitwanga River confluence. On BC Highway 37, northeast of the junction with BC Highway 16, the locality is by road about 115 kilometres (71 mi) northwest of Smithers, 99 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of Terrace, and 212 kilometres (132 mi) southeast of Stewart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasper–Prince Rupert train</span> Via Rail service between Jasper, Alberta and Prince Rupert, British Columbia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitselas Canyon</span> Canyon in Kitimat-Stikine Regional District, Canada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Goulet</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Nelson (Tsimshian chief)</span>

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Facilities & Parks". www.rdks.bc.ca. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Thornhill Official Community Plan". www.rdks.bc.ca. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Watmough, Les. "Tom Thornhill". www.terracelibrary.ca. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  4. ↑ "Terrace has done plenty of growing since 1892". Prince George Citizen. 1964-03-31. p. 57. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Terrace History". www.terrace.ca. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Speirs, Margaret (2016-12-09). "New 'Welcome to Thornhill' sign being crafted". Terrace Standard. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  7. 1 2 "Thornhill Fire Lookout Recreation Site: Visitor Map and Guide" (PDF). www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca. 2012. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wiebe, Kelsey (2015-06-17). "There's far more to Terrace's history than white men". Terrace Standard. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Historic Couple Remembered". www.terracelibrary.ca. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Massey, Josh (2013-03-02). "Push underway to change name of Terrace area creek". Terrace Standard. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Massey, Josh (2013-04-14). "Creek name change investigated in Terrace, B.C. area". Terrace Standard. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Massey, Josh (2013-07-18). "More support for creek name change". Terrace Standard. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  13. ↑ Bogstie, Ben (2020-08-25). "Proposed Eliza's Village development in Thornhill seeking zoning amendments". Terrace Standard. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  14. ↑ Asante, Nadine (1972). The History of Terrace. Terrace Public Library Association.
  15. 1 2 Quezada, Dustin (2006-08-02). "Pioneer women, pioneer play" (PDF). Terrace Standard. p. 17.
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