Lynn Lake is named in honour of Sapper John Linn, Royal Engineers, a member of the Columbia Detachment, a military unit that served in the lower mainland of BC from 1859 to 1863. The Linn family name was frequently misspelled “Lynn”, and that spelling of the lake name came into use at an early date. The name was used as early as 1878 to identify this area, but registered for use with the Government of Canada on December 7, 1937.
John Linn was born at Corstorphine, Edinburgh in July 1821, and joined the Army in 1846. He served in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1848 to 1857, marrying Mary Robertson just before returning to England. In 1859, he sailed for British Columbia with his family, as a member of the Columbia Detachment of the Royal Engineers. A mason by trade, Linn had his part in the construction of roads and buildings and other projects in the newly established colony. When the Detachment was disbanded in October 1863, he chose to remain in the colony rather than return to England. In 1869 he moved his family from New Westminster to a house he built on the north shore of Burrard Inlet just east of what is now Lynn Creek. He worked as a mason and also logged, providing lumber for wharf construction in the area. Unfortunately, his new life in British Columbia was short lived as he fell seriously ill in 1875. He later died of a stroke in April 1876.
