Someone asked me last week if I could list a Canadian icon hero that few others knew.

I immediately thought of a true character that I mentioned in my book published last year,  Lost Souls of Lakewood.

The case of 31-year-old Albert Ginger Goodwin fits the bill and all it took was a single bullet.

We see ourselves as a dull nation with a dull history.

We often look south of the border for exceeding tales of desperadoes, heroes and personality superstars.

However, we really do not have to look beyond our borders to find exciting, interesting characters of our own here in Canada. 

 Many of their stories are simply tucked away in our history books or stuffed in the corners of our museums.

One such character various levels of government in Canada would rather us forget was Goodwin.

Ginger was just 31 when he died alone and scared on a mountainside on Vancouver Island.

His death remains shrouded in mystery and irony almost 100 years after his murder, which many say was put into motion by corporate suits and upset politicians.

When Ginger died at such a young age, he'd already spent more than half his life trying to survive in coal mines.

A Yorkshire man by birth, Ginger (something about his red hair) followed his father into the mines when he was 12, driving pit ponies that hauled carts of coal to the surface.

Working conditions were incredibly dangerous in British coal mines and the harsh day to day lifestyle was not much better.

Like many young men of his era,  Goodwin decided to seek his fame and fortune in the new country of Canada, which had been advertising safer and richer work conditions for young miners.

At age 19, Goodwin found employment near Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.

Tragically, conditions in the promised land were just as horrendous as those back in England.

Poisonous gas, cave-ins, explosions, black lung disease... the list of challenges to survive went on and on, not to mention 10-hour days, seven days a week.

By 1909, disgruntled miners had enough and a bitter strike took place.

Goodwin, like many others, began to speak out and support unions struggling to improve work conditions.

Soon after the strike began, Ginger was blacklisted for his efforts and sent packing.

This time he crossed our vast new nation to work in the coal mines of Cumberland on Vancouver Island.

Life expectancy at Cumberland was not good Ï㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥“  the death toll mounted week by week.

Dangerous methane gas often resulted in explosions and fires when otherwise simply poisoning the men.

More than 290 miners had died in the company's operations over the years.

Frustrated again by horrid work conditions, Goodwin started demanding changes. Finally in 1912 he convinced Island coal mine workers to walk off the job.

Once again Goodwin was blacklisted and sent packing. Eventually, he made his way to the smelter at Trail. It was the beginning of his end.

Shortly after procuring work, Ginger once again fell into the habit of agitating coworkers.

Intentional or not, he'd become an activist and proved to be a powerful speaker and inspirational leader. Soon after his arrival Ginger was elected secretary of the union, vice-president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, and president of the Trail labour council.

In fact, during the tumultuous 1916 provincial election, Goodwin ran for MLA as a member of the Socialist Party. However, the dragging on of the First World War and the dramatic costs of lives inspired the Canadian government to institute conscription in 1917, an unpopular decision designed to bolster the ranks of young men to help the Allied cause overseas.

A pacifist and socialist, Goodwin would refuse to fight and was suddenly caught between a rock and a hard place.

When first tested, his health was so poor (black lung disease) he qualified as a category D 'unacceptable for enlistment' in the Army ironic.

Ironically just 11 days after spearheading yet another strike in late 1917, Goodwin was ordered to retake the test. This time his health rating jumped to an A.

No one questioned the dramatic change in status as a setup by the Trail smelter company to get rid of Goodwin.

Many suspected the company, led by Selwyn Blaylock, was responsible.

Regardless, Goodwin was not about to go to war and within weeks fled back to friends and safety in Cumberland.

The Dominion Police Force was ordered to track down such cowards as Goodwin and his cohorts.

It is still unclear what happened next in the hills above Cumberland. The only witness was the only other person involved aside from Goodwin.

Disgraced former police officer Dan Campbell, a crack shot and skilled woodsman, was hired as a posse member to help track down Goodwin.

So it was on July 27, 1918, that Campbell while hiking a trail on Alone Mountain found Goodwin and  shot him dead.