Craigdarroch Castle was built between 1887 and 1890 to let everyone know that Robert Dunsmuir was the richest man in Western Canada.
Originally surrounded by 28 acres of gardens, ponds, streams and meadows, the castle has 39 rooms and 20,000 sq ft of space.
Dunsmuir made his initial fortune in Vancouver Island coal, and then expanded it with ventures in railroads, shipping, iron and real estate.
His business associates included California's railroad barons Charles Crocker, Collis Huntington and Leland Stanford.

Dunsmuir died in 1889, a few months before Craigdarroch was completed, leaving an estate of some $20,000,000 to his wife Joan.
She lived in the castle until her death in 1908, presiding over the family's business interests with her grown sons James and Alex.
Ironically, the Dunsmuir clan was a classic demonstration of the fact that money can't buy happiness:
There were frequent suits and counter-suits between mother and sons, and between brothers and sisters.
Perhaps the most famous was one filed by Joan against her son James when he was the Premier of British Columbia.

Here's a link to the castle's official website: http://www.craigdarrochcastle.com/visitor.htm