John Moore Robinson, (born in Hustonville, Wellington County, Canada West in December 1855[1] – died February 23, 1934[2]) was a pioneer, rancher, prospector, politician and orchardist who helped shape British Columbia's Okanagan Valley region through, among other things, the establishment of such communities as Naramata, Summerland, and Peachland.
The son of William Robinson, an Irish-born merchant, and Maria Moore, he was educated in Hustonville, in Lockport, New York and in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Robinson also served as clerk for Woodlands and for Portage la Prairie.
[5] Inspired by early local ranchers such as John Carmichael Haynes and James and Fred Gartrell, Robinson purchased a ranch, which he renamed "Peachland", and took up selling parcels of arable land for the establishment of orchards.
[4] Upon incorporating the Peachland Townsite and Irrigation Company in 1899, Robinson implemented a new water management system, laying out creek-fed irrigation to supply 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of orchard, which he had subdivided into 10-acre (40,000 m2) lots.