Bunn, John - stonemason
John Robinson Bunn (1860-1939) was born in Quebec, and moved into Ontario in 1871 and then to Winnipeg in 1886. He married Annie Sophia Rich in 1883.
Trained in Ontario as a stonemason, he plied that trade for a number of years, but eventually focused on farming and various business ventures.
During his stone masonry era, John Bunn built, or helped to build, the following stone buildings:
• c1889 - John & Annie Bunn farmhouse, south of Qu'Appelle - status undetermined
• 1890 - Sunny South School, near Indian Head - status undetermined
• 1891 - Sunbeam Barn (Brassey Farm), SW of Indian Head - abandoned
• 1894 - Leonard G. Bell farmhouse and barn, south of Qu’Appelle – house demolished; barn still extant in 2018
• 1897 - Motherwell Farmhouse, south of Abernethy – National Historic Site
• 1900-1901 - Inglewood School, near Qu’Appelle - demolished ca. 1967
While farming, he became a member of the first Rural Municipal Council of Qu'Appelle; was a member of the I.O.O.F., and belonged to the Liberal Association in his region.
In 1899, Bunn moved to Milestone and opened a lumber, coal and wood supply store. He became active in local politics and was elected mayor of Milestone during 1908.
In addition, he represented various businesses and organizations, including: Massey-Harris Implement Company; Canadian Pacific Railway Land Department; the Hudson Bay Company; the Canada North-West Land Company; and served as sub-agent for the Dominion Lands Office in the Milestone region.
In 1908 John Bunn was a member of the Winnipeg Grain Exchange, and he was a business partner in the following agricultural businesses: Bunn Bros. Ltd,; Bunn-Munro Elevator Company; and the Blanchard Grain Company.
He also became a charter member of the Leader Publishing Company, which published the "Regina Leader" (now the "Regina Leader-Post"), and became vice-president of that company.
About 1910 the family moved to Saskatoon; and in 1919 John and Annie retired to Victoria, British Columbia, where John died in 1939 and Annie in 1954.
SOURCES:
Photo Source: Bunn family - taken Aug. 22, 1880.
Correspondence from Lois Powell, great-granddaughter, April 2021
"Indian Head & District History", p. 101-103
"History of Milestone: 1893-1910" by A.W. Garrett, 1947
"From Prairie Plow Till Now", 1984
"Qu'Appelle: Footprints to Progress", p. 182, 203, and 370-373
"Qu'Appelle Progress", Dec. 16, 1886
"Regina Leader" - various issues from 1900 until 1937.
Obituary - "Regina Leader-Post" - 18 May, 1939, p. 11
RESEARCH BY:
Lois Powell, Port Alberni, British Columbia; Margaret Hryniuk, Regina, Sask; and Frank Korvemaker, Regina, Sask.