John Deighton
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John Deighton (November 1830 – May 29 1875), generally known as Gassy Jack, was a Canadian bar owner who was born in Hull, England. The Gastown neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia is named for him.
Between 1862 and 1867 John Deighton ran a bar in New Westminster, B.C. Then he opened a bar on the south side of Burrard Inlet, the Globe Saloon. This bar was demolished when the townsite of Granville was established and was afterwards rebuilt as Deighton House. Brother Tom Deighton and his wife took over the business for a while during 1874 and John began working the steamships plying the Fraser River. However after a family quarrel he resumed control of the saloon a few months later and operated it until his death the following year.
Deighton was known as Gassy Jack because of his talkative nature and his penchant for storytelling. The name stuck and the area around his bar is now known as Gastown.
External link
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online (http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=39056)