William Fortune

William was a farmer, businessman (b 1838, Yorkshire, England; d 1 Dec 1914, Kamloops). After immigrating to Ontario, he joined the party of Overlanders who travelled across the continent in 1862 to join the Cariboo Gold Rush. He worked for the HBC in Kamloops, then moved west to settle at Tranquille, where he developed a ranch and farm and built the first flour mill in the Interior. In 1878 he built the sidewheel steamer Lady Dufferin to haul supplies on the Thompson and Shuswap waterways. He sold his property for use as a tuberculosis sanitarium in 1907 and returned to Kamloops, where he was prominent in business until his death. (from B.C. Encyclopedia)

Claude Richmond

On June 19, 2001, Claude Richmond, Member for Kamloops, was elected as the 35th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Mr. Richmond was born in Blue River, British Columbia and educated in the Kamloops area.  Prior to his first election to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in a 1981 by-election, Mr. Richmond served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and worked for twenty-five years in small business. From 1974 to 1977, Mr. Richmond served two terms as a City of Kamloops councilor and from 1978 to 1982 managed CHNL radio station. Mr. Richmond was re-elected in 1983 and 1986 serving until 1991. In recent years, Mr. Richmond worked as a business consultant to the resource industries and markets and also held the position of managing director of the Kamloops Airport Limited. He was re-elected twice to the Liberal government of B.C., and currently serves as Minister of Employment and Income Assistance. (From website)

Billy Miner

Miner was a outlaw (b 1846, Bowling Green, KY; d 2 Sept 1913, Millidgeville, GA). He left home at age 16, went west and began robbing stagecoaches. Before he was 20 he was doing time in the notorious San Quentin Penitentiary. He spent most of the next 30 years in prison, where he worked at hard labour and suffered abusive maltreatment in the penal system. His final term was for 20 years; undaunted, he turned to robbing trains after his release. Once again on the run, he crossed into Canada in 1904 and settled in the Nicola Valley south of Kamloops. On 13 Sept 1904 he held up a CPR train at Mission. A massive search followed and Miner and his gang were captured near Douglas Lake. Miner became a folk hero in BC for his gentlemanly ways and the fact that he targeted the unpopular CPR. An award-winning 1982 film, The Grey Fox, dramatized his career. (from B.C. Encyclopedia)

Phil Gaglardi

Philip Arthur was an evangelist, politician (b 13 Jan 1913, Silverdale; d 23 Sept 1995, Vancouver). Through the influence of Jennie Sandin, whom he later married, he converted to Pentecostalism. In 1944 he became pastor at Calvary Temple in Kamloops, a position he held until 1972. His work at the Temple, and his daily radio ministry, made him a local celebrity and in 1952 he was elected to the provincial legislature for the fledgling Social Credit Party. For the next 20 years he was a leading member of Cabinet as minister of highways. His aggressive energy and flamboyant style seemed to personify this expansive period of economic prosperity. As he rushed about the province checking on highway projects, he earned the nickname "Flyin' Phil" for his frequent use of government aircraft and his many speeding tickets. Gaglardi retired to private business and resumed public life briefly as mayor of Kamloops from 1988 to 1990. (from B.C. Encyclopedia)

Bill Nation

Arthur William was a fishing guide (b 29 June 1881, Bristol, England; d Oct 1940, Kamloops). He is considered the dean of sport fishing guides from the early days of angling in the BC Interior. After immigrating to the province as a young man, he settled in the Kamloops area and worked mainly out of Echo Lodge on Paul Lake. He invented a series of classic fly patterns, and his knowledge of the Kamloops Trout and its habitat was unequalled. In the last week of his life he was still guiding anglers. (from B.C. Encyclopedia)
 

John  Fulton

 "Moose" was born in 1912, the eldest son of Frederick John Fulton, who arrived in Kamloops in 1889. The elder Fulton was a member of the BC Legislature from 1900 to 1909. his wife was the daughter of A.E.B. Davie of Victoria, a former premier of BC. John Fulton was a native son of Kamloops. On May 29, 1944 the Kamloops Airfield was dedicated by the Governor-General of Canada, Earl of Athlone, in honour of Wing Commander Fulton. Highlights of Fulton's career included the great "1,000 plane" raids on Cologne, Bremen and the Ruhr and the conquering of the German Baltic Port of Rostock. On the return journey from one raid on the Kiel Naval Base, his Manchester bomber was shot and he was forced to make an emergency landing back in England. Fulton and his Squadron always returned to the Naval Base, without loss. (From website)