The Legendary Robert Dunsmuir:Revered Founder or Ruthless Capitalist?

Coal mining can be a dirty and dangerous business - plagued by economic pitfalls, accident and injury. The Dunsmuir collieries were some of the safest in Canada, but etched upon their ebony walls is a different kind of story. Some says it is the tale of a tyrannical, anti-union coal baron who built a kingdom on the backs of immigrant Chinese and impoverished miners. Others say it is the tale of a tenacious industrialist whose unorthodox methods helped shape Canadian history.

The tale begins with the 1825 birth of a young Scotsman. Robert Dunsmuir, born to working class parents and soon to be orphaned, was destined to become British Columbia's leading 19th-century industrialist and first millionaire. Dunsmuir would some day construct collieries, castles, railroads and many other major projects. Dozens would quietly scorn him; hundreds more would openly admire him.

Perhaps it was due to his humble beginnings, but Dunsmuir seemed untroubled by protocol. Just eight days following his marriage to the daughter of a spademaker, his wife gave birth to the first of their eleven children. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Fort Rupert on Vancouver Island, where Dunsmuir would serve as an indentured coal miner with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and where he would continue to test socially acceptable limits.

Inadequate management, hostile natives, and limited, poor quality coal plagued HBC mines, but Dunsmuir remained undiscouraged and, above all, a "company man." When he refused to join a strike of dissident miners, HBC rewarded his loyalty by granting Dunsmuir a free-miner's licence to work an abandoned shaft. With each change of ownership, Dunsmuir moved up the ranks as the owners recognized the hardworking Scot's initiative, skill and productivity.

In the meantime, Dunsmuir clandestinely conducted his own explorations. In 1869, those efforts paid off. He located what would lay the foundation for his coal kingdom - the Wellington coal seam. Borrowing £32,000 from a group of naval officers, he founded Dunsmuir, Diggle, & Co. Thanks to Dunsmuir's efforts, the colliery would meet with unprecedented success.

Newspapers began to note the economic significance of the Dunsmuir project early on. Its coal became in high demand: of 29,818 tons mined in 1874, only 2,384 were stockpiled. By the next year, Dunsmuir Diggle trailed it nearest competitor by only 10,000 tons; by 1878, the company outstripped VCMLC's production by 6,000 tons.

Within ten years, the mine's size and output exceeded all British Columbia mines -- in aggregate. The company kept pace with technical developments and could soon boast "4 and 3/4 miles of railway; 4 locomotives; over 400 waggons; 4 [hauling] engines and 2 steam pumps; 3 wharves for loading vessels, with bunkers." In 1879 Dunsmuir, Diggle purchased another colliery in the same seam, adding more railway line, equipment, and workers. By 1881, the operation's worth had swelled to $245,000, employing 547 men (more than half of whom were Chinese). Annual output had reached 181,048 tons.

Dunsmuir forged ahead, sinking three more shafts and buying all of nonfamily shareholders. Dunsmuir, Dibble, Co. became R. Dunsmuir & Sons. Its founder continued to do what was best for the collieries, rather than his workers. In those do-whatever-the-boss-says-or-get-fired days, no one questioned Dunsmuir's wage scale - lower than any of his competitors. Nor did they question his penchant for hiring Orientals -- who worked for half pay. And no one questioned his strike breaking tactics.

When island colliers threatened to strike over wages in 1877, Dunsmuir quickly gained the upper hand. He locked out his own employees before they could strike, then sicced police and militia on them. Four months later, the destitute miners returned, hats in hand but the victorious Dunsmuir proved vindictive. He reduced the already low daily maximum wage to $2.50 - one-third lower than his best-paid employees were paid before the strike. Dunsmuir had succeeded in crippling the province's first significant attempt to organize miners, and at his own colliery, discouraging rebellion and reducing the payroll.

Craigdarroch Castle

Dunsmuir again used a stern line when asked to build the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway, linking Nanaimo and Victoria. Politicians and businessmen were desperate to prevent Americans from gaining control of the island's railway, land, and mineral rights. They believed Dunsmuir was the man who could complete the task, while keeping the power in Canada. The coal man had little interest in building railways, so he tendered a hard-nosed proposal, expecting it to be turned down. Instead, he won the bid.

For a subsidy of $750,000 plus two million acres of land, Dunsmuir would build the railway. The land grant represented one fifth of Vancouver Island and came complete with mining and mineral rights -- an impressive coup for a coalminer. As a bonus, Dunsmuir was given the freedom to cut timber and erect any structures he deemed necessary. One historian called the package "a major give-away of British Columbia's natural resources," but August 13, 1886 found Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald driving the "last spike." The line would enable trains to run into Victoria along lines that crossed Indian lands -- all expropriated by Dunsmuir.

As an apparent tribute to himself, Dunsmuir commissioned a sandstone castle on twenty-eight acres in Victoria. Craigdarroch Castle would contain four floors, handcrafted panels, stained glass windows and a great tower. But the industrial giant would never see the completion of the massive building. Word of the millionaire's illness hit newsstands daily until his death April 12, 1889.

Craigdarroch Castle stained glass window in breakfast room.

Images courtesy of Craigdarroch Castle Photo Collection

Conflicting opinions greeted the passing of this controversial man. Middle and upper class citizens labelled Dunsmuir's death a "public calamity." Newspaper reports concluded that all of Victoria mourned his passing as schools closed, shopkeepers draped premises in black, and 12,000 onlookers lined the streets for the funeral procession.

To some, Dunsmuir was simply an avaricious and ruthless employer. Others grudgingly respected what he had accomplished for the coal industry, for Canada's sixth province, and for Canada as a whole. To the upper and middle classes, the immigrant Scotsman symbolized wealth, success, and moral authority. He may have paid low wages, but his mines were technologically progressive and among the safest in the country. Although his brief foray into politics proved unremarkable, there is no doubt his efforts helped to shape the province's economy. So the question remains, was Robert Dunsmuir an unbridled capitalist, a ruthless exploiter or a great economist? That decision is best left to historians, politicians and, perhaps, the 150,000 visitors who flock to Craigdarroch castle each year.

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