Last spring, my son Ean and wife Sibylle sold their home in North Vancouver and moved roughly 175 kilometres up the Sunshine Coast to Powell River.
When researching the history of Powell River, I learned it was named after Israel Wood Powell, a prominent doctor who served briefly in the Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island. He was travelling up the coast of BC in the 1880s and both a lake and river were named after him. Powell was a strong supporter of BC being part of the union with Canada and brought the first Canadian flag to BC in June 1871.
The name Israel Wood Powell struck a familiar note in my mind and with a little local research I learned that Powell Park, in the centre of downtown Port Dover, Ontario, was named after Israel Wood Powell. Further investigation uncovered that father and son both carried the same name.
Israel Wood Powell was a storekeeper in Colborne village, the north section of present day Simcoe, Ontario. Based upon activity in the War of 1812 and realizing the potential for growth about the harbour south of the hamlet of Dover, which had been reduced to ashes during that conflict, Powell bought up land, had it surveyed and laid out a village plan in 1835. In the middle of his village plan he had set aside one acre to be used as a market square, which subsequently became Powell Park.
In July 1909, Dr. I.W. Powell of Victoria, BC, gave $100, a considerable sum at that time, toward the dedication of the park which was to be named in honour of his father.
Powell’s second son was tutored in anatomy while growing up in Simcoe and subsequently, at age 20, received a degree in 1860 from McGill Medical College. For some unknown reason, Dr. I.W. Powell set out for New Zealand around 1863, got as far as Victoria, settled there and made a respected name for himself in BC.
Armed with this delightful coincidence between my home in Port Dover, and my son’s new home in Powell River, I planned to pay a visit to the local newspaper while visiting there in late summer. Fortunately, I happened to pick up a copy of the Peak beforehand and my plans came to a screeching halt ["Council chooses committee members to discuss possible name change for Powell River," July 16.
Turns out that Dr. I.W. Powell was, for 17 years, the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for BC and a strong proponent of residential schools, created to eradicate indigenous identity and to “civilize” and educate indigenous children. A movement was being discussed to remove the name Powell from the city, lake and river that had originally carried his name.
It no longer seemed like such a good idea to let the good folks of Powell River know that Dr. Israel Wood Powell originated from here.
Hadley Jackson,
Port Dover, Ontario
