Hotelier.
Born at Erin, Ontario on 20 February 1844, son of John McKinnon and Margaret McGill, at the age of 21 years he went to the USA and enlisted in the 22nd New York Cavalry commanded by General Philip Sheridan. He served until the end of the American Civil War and was honourably discharged. He spent three years in Kentucky then returned to Ontario where he opened a store at Orangeville and Mount Forest.
He came to Winnipeg in July 1881 with his family and worked a number of jobs before starting a small boarding house. He later opened the Little Central Hotel. In 1886 he built the Palace Hotel which he operated until 1901 when he erected the Imperial Hotel at Brandon. He sold it to Albert Dennison in 1905.
In 1876, he married Helen Francis Hazard (?-1893, daughter of an English army officer) and they had two children: Edith May McKinnon (1876-1938, wife of Francis Joseph Clark) and Louise McKinnon (?-?, wife of Harry Hooper of Carberry). In 1896, he married Agnes McGregor (?-?) of Glasgow, Scotland. They had a son, Donald Colin McKinnon (?-?). His final whereabouts are unknown.
A History of Manitoba: Its Resources and People by Prof. George Bryce, Toronto: The Canadian History Company, 1906.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 13 December 2022
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