Roderick Finlayson - Father of Victoria

I mentioned in yesterday's post that Ross Bay Cemetery is the final resting place of many of Victoria's important early residents and above is the grave of a man sometimes called "The Father of Victoria", Roderick Finlayson. While Sir James Douglas selected the location for Fort Victoria the actual building of the fort was the work of Charles Ross, who the first resident Hudson Bay Company factor. He died in the first year and Roderick Finlayson, his second in command, continued as Chief Factor and completed the construction of the fort. After Ross's death, his wife Isabella, a Mètis woman, bought the land surrounding Ross Bay and became, incidentally, the first female landowner in the colony. After her death her farm became the Ross Bay Cemetery. Finlayson was active in many areas of early Victoria's life and in later years became Mayor of the city. His memory is enshrined in the many local landmarks that bear his name - Finlayson Arm (off Saanich Inlet), Finlayson Point (between Clover Point and Holland Point on Dallas Road), Finlayson Street and Mount Finlayson to name a few.