Mazo de la Roche National Historic Person (1879-1961)

Commemorative plaque for Mazo de la Roche National Historic Person
Commemorative plaque for Mazo de la Roche National Historic Person
© Parks Canada

Mazo de la Roche was designated a national historic person in November 1976.

Historical importance: Writer, best known for novels of the Whiteoak family of Jalna.

Commemorative plaque: 1507 Clarkson Road North, Mississauga, Ontario

Born in Newmarket, Ontario, Mazo de la Roche was a prolific writer whose works include novels, short stories, plays, and autobiography. Her novel Jalna, first in a series of sixteen, won the prestigious Atlantic Monthly prize in 1927, propelling her to international fame. Thought to be inspired in part by the leafy settings of Clarkson and Benares, the Jalna novels chronicle the lives of the Whiteoaks at their family estate. The series was translated into many languages and adapted for stage, screen, and television, making Mazo de la Roche one of the most widely read and popular Canadian authors of her time.

Portrait of a women
Mazo de la Roche, December 18, 1927
© Archives of Ontario, F 1075-13, H 1786 
Women portrait
Mazo de la Roche, December 18, 1927
© Archives of Ontario, F 1075-13, H 1784 
Women wearing fur coat
Mazo de la Roche, December 18, 1927
© Archives of Ontario, F 1075-13, H 1785 

The National Program of Historical Commemoration relies on the participation of Canadians in the identification of places, events and persons of national historic significance. Any member of the public can nominate a topic for consideration by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

Get information on how to participate in this process

Date modified :