Sunday October 20th, 1895. Guisachan B.C.

We came on here from Sicamous on Friday. We are glad we came down here, as we have found there is a good deal to arrange and re-organize.... There are a number of educated young Englishmen here who have bought small farms and who are beginning to have hope, although money is still very short with them. There is Mr Stirling, who was in the navy, who has money and is v. keen about farming; Mr Lysons, the nephew of Gen. Sir D. Lysons and Mr. Hobson his partner, both very gentlemanly young fellows; two young Roses, grandsons of Rose of the Inverness Courier; two young Fitzmaurices, grandsons of Mr Gladstone's rector at Hawarden; Mr and Mrs Pridham, tiresome grand people; Mr and Mrs Crozier, a nice old Cumberland man; Mr and Mrs Crichton, a happy looking young couple and so on... We have been twice to Presbyterian service to-day - this morning at Kelowna and this evening at the pretty little church at Benvoulin which H.E. helped to build. Both services taken by Mr Mackay, a pathetic looking starved, wizened, little missionary - it was his first Sunday - he preached the same sermon twice...

(excerpt from The Journal of Lady Aberdeen: The Okanagan Valley in the Nineties, Annotated and Edited by R. M. Middleton, 1986, pp 37-38)

Notes:

-This is the second visit to their Guisachan Ranch that is described in Lady Aberdeen's diary. This may be because of the acquisition of the Coldstream Ranch. MacKay had purchased the Coldstream ranch, from the Honourable F. G. Vernon (MacKay's partner in the Okanagan Land and Development Company), for the Aberdeen's soon after their visit in 1891. They visited their new Coldstream Ranch in Vernon in 1894, after they returned to Canada upon Lord Aberdeen's appointment as Governor-General in 1893. This was their last visit to Guisachan Ranch recorded in Lady Aberdeen's diary. Guisachan Ranch was sold in 1903 to the Cameron family.

-H. E. refers to Lord Aberdeen after he is appointed Governor General of Canada