Henry Rose, Last Man Hanged in Nelson

How many British Columbia communities commemorate a murderer?

Here is irony at its best. Legions of men and women who spent their lives working and contributing to the building of this province have faded into history and are forgotten. But at Gray Creek, on the north shore of Kootenay Lake, a fancy signboard marks the site of Henry Rose’s cabin. Only the chimney remains and it has become a popular geocache site. 

Incredibly, his victim’s house is still standing, too—without a marker. 

Henry Rose’s dubious claim to fame is his distinction as the last man hanged in Nelson, in this week’s BC Chronicles.

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PHOTO: The execution of Stanislas Lacroix by Radclive on March 21, 1902, at Hull, Quebec, was said to be the last public execution in Canada. Eight months later, Radcliffe would be in Nelson to attend to Henry Rose’s dispatch. —Wikipedia