Edgar Dewdney National Historic Person of Canada, Regina, Saskatchewan
Posted by: 
colincan
N 50° 27.327 W 104° 37.752
13U E 526322 N 5589337
Edgar Dewdney was Indian Commissioner then Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest Territories (NWT) after they were created by act of federal parliament in 1875. He convened the first meeting of the NWT Council in the new capital, Regina, in 1883.
Waymark Code: WMGF9P
Location: Saskatchewan, Canada
Date Posted: 02/25/2013
Views: 5
One of Regina’s major arterials, Dewdney Avenue, is named for Edgar Dewdney (1835-1916) who was instrumental in the development of Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Dewdney, an engineer, was appointed Indian Commissioner for the Northwest-Territories in 1875 when the jurisdiction was officially constituted. Prime Minister Sir John A., whom Dewdney counted as a friend, appointed him Lieutenant-Governor of the NWT in 1881. During his tenure, Dewdney oversaw the transfer of the capital of the territories from Battleford to Regina, witnessed the arrival of the transcontinental railway and its subsequent affluence of pioneers and also was in place during the Riel led Northwest Rebellion. To his chagrin he was powerless to halt the ever growing lack of respect for native peoples as they lost their independence owing to the flood of white immigration. Dewdney had two spells as member of parliament in Ottawa, hence his federal appointments, but also adopted British Columbia as his place of residence later in life (was it he who started the well established trend of prairie residents retiring to the coast??) Ha, ha. Dewdney was to serve as Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia from 1892 to 1897. He was designated a National Historic Person of Canada in 1975 and a federal plaque was erected outside the NWT Administration Building on Dewdney Avenue four years later.
Classification: National Historic Person
Province or Territory: Saskatchewan
Location - City name/Town name: Regina
Link to Parks Canada entry (must be on www.pc.gc.ca): [Web Link]
Link to HistoricPlaces.ca: Not listed
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