Near Port Alberni in Alberni-Clayoquot, British Columbia — Canada’s West Coast (North America)

A Versatile Pioneer

B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), June 15, 2016

1. A Versatile Pioneer Marker

Inscription. Sproat Lake is named for Gilbert Malcolm Sproat, scholar, author, anthropologist, businessman, and avid British Columbian from his arrival in 1860. He co-founded Port Alberni's first sawmill in 1861, was British Columbia's first agent-general in London from 1872 to 1876, served on the Indian Land Commission until 1880, and held several offices in the Kootenays until his retirement in 1889.

Erected 1971 by Province of British Columbia.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.

Location. 49° 16.753′ N, 125° 6.833′ W. Marker is near Port Alberni, British Columbia, in Alberni-Clayoquot. It is on Pacific Rim Highway (Provincial Highway 4) 25 kilometers west of Beaver Creek Rd (Port Alberni), on the right when traveling east. Marker is at the turnout for Sproat Lake viewpoint. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 18516-19000 BC-4, Port Alberni BC V9Y 9A5, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island.

Globally, it is

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in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.

Also see . . . Sproat, Gilbert Malcolm. Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry on the businessman, government agent, Indian reserve commissioner, magistrate and author. (Submitted on February 17, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Gilbert Malcom Sproat (1834-1913) image. Click for full size.

R.H. Trueman via British Columbia Archives A-01770 (Public domain), circa 1870

2. Gilbert Malcom Sproat (1834-1913)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 289 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 10, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on February 17, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

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