Gallagher, John Wilbert “Jack”

John W. (Jack) Gallagher was born on October 3, 1882 in Lennoxville, QC. There is no record of his marriage to Parriott but Mrs. Gallagher was visiting her brother, Robert Parriott, in Tulameen in July 1940. He married Alma Francis (see: Death registration). He died on January 18, 1975 in White Rock, BC.

Jack Gallagher came west from Quebec in 1905.

He was a resident of Hedley (c.1925 – c.1939) and the managing director and co-owner of the Red Chief Mine (arsenical iron) a few miles west of Hedley.

He made one trip east, to Quebec, in 1923.

In 1929, his lot (Block 14, Lot 14) in Hedley was up for sale for unpaid taxes.

“In 1930 J.W. Gallagher, who hade been prospecting the district for some years, found some good showings not far from the old Yuniman workings” (Similkameen Star, August 9, 1945).

He formed a new group in 1934: Hedley Gold Hill group comprising eight claims, J. Gallagher owner.

Then, in June 1934, he formed Gold Crown Consolidated (seven claims of the Gold Crown group owned by Gallagher and 5 claims owned by Herbert Hedley Neil of the Ruby group. According to the Princeton Star, in June 1934, Gallagher owned approximately 70 claims in and around the Hedley area.

He was the president of the Hedley Gold Hill Mining Company in November 1934.

In December the same year (1934), he sold a lot in Hedley to the Cosmopolitan Store – as the company was planning to open a a branch store in Hedley.

Gold Crown Consolidated (seven claims of the Gold Crown Group, four claims of the Big Chief group, and nine claims of the Hedley Queen group) was formed in May 1935.

Yuniman Development and Holding Syndicate (A.D. Broomfield, R.D. Affleck and J. W. Gallagher) was formed in 1935. This became the Hedley Yuniman Gold Fields Ltd. company in 1937.

In August 1935 , the Princeton Star reported that he had “almost completed a snug four-roomed bungalow near the school” in Hedley.

The Gallagher house, which was owned by Mr. Tuck in 1939, was undamaged in the Hedley rock slide of January 1939.

During these years, he was a frequent visitor to Princeton.

While he still had a subscription to the Similkameen Star in March 1947 (address: Hedley) he was a resident of Vancouver in July 1944.