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Fraser York's (1858-1941) parents, Thomas and Anne Marie York and sister Phoebe, arrived in
Nanaimo in 1854 from England. Thomas was recruited to work in developing the coal mines owned by the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1858, when gold was found near Yale, Thomas moved his family to this
center of gold mining activity. He quickly realized that there was more money to make providing shelter for the miners and constructed the first boarding house in Yale. It was here, in a half-finished structure that a second child, Fraser, was born to Thomas and Marie.
In 1865, the family moved to Sumas Prairie, settling into a successful farming life. Fraser received most of his education in New Westminster before beginning his working life in Yale where he ran the Oriental Hotel. In 1880, he married Josephine MacDonald. The young couple moved to a 160-acre farm on Sumas Prairie. This land was given to York in 1876 to
honor his status as the first white child to be born on the Mainland of British Columbia. The farming life held little appeal to York. He eventually became the customs officer at the Whatcom Road port of entry, a job he held for 23 years.
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