No Ordinary Man: George Mercer DawsonGeorge Mercer Dawson was indeed no ordinary man. Born in 1849, son of the first Principal of McGill University, Dawson defied health circumstances that would have defeated many people and went on to become one of our most exceptional Canadians. As a geologist in the British North American Boundary Commission between Canada and the U.S.A. and as Director of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1895, Dawson examined and explored every aspect of Canada's unknown territories. This collection of writings, letters, diaries and essays begins with the young George and moves through his developing years to his adult life. "He climbed, walked and rode on horseback over more of Canada than any other member of the Geological Survey of Canada at that time -- yet to look at him, one would not think him capable of a day's hard physical labour .... It was his hand that first traced upon vacant maps the geological formations of the Yukon and much of British Columbia." "To read about him is like taking a drink of water from a cool, unpolluted spring. His sense of values was so great that he once said he didn't care much for money or possessions. All he wanted was what he could hold in his canoe." |
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... Mountain , Manitoba , 1873 . Oxen Train leaving the Depot , Eighty - One Miles West of Red River . Bridge over Souris River , Manitoba , June 1874 . Oxen Train and Horse Train , Fifty - three Miles West of Red River . Painting of G.M. ...
... mountains and valleys held their great mineral secrets . When thousands of buffalo roamed the grassy plains , and other animals both big and small climbed on the mountain slopes and lived secluded in the rich forests , and game and fish ...
... Mountain Region in. G eorge Mercer Dawson began life in Pictou , Nova Scotia , being born there on 1 August 1849. When still a little fellow , he went to live in Montreal when his father2 became principal of McGill College in 1855 ...
... Mountain Region in Canada , ” Bulletin of the Geological Society of America 12 ( 1901 ) : 57-92 . 5W.J. McGee ... mountains close the view . " Subsequently , George decided to attend the prestigious Royal School of Mines in London ...
... I have got my seeds sown and Papa brought < yes > Miss Bell Me and Anna { to the mountain } and we got a lot of Aders tongues 13Proverbs 22 : 6 . trillium sanguinaria & saxifrage . there are also great improvements NO ORDINARY MAN / 17.
Contents
Life and Exploration on the Western Frontier | 122 |
Dawson and the Yukon | 143 |
Ethnological Endeavours | 148 |
Glimpses at Georges Personal Life | 152 |
An Enduring Friend | 155 |
A Loyal Son and Sibling | 169 |
The Bering Sea Commission | 175 |
A WideRanging Mind | 182 |
43 | |
A Voyage by Sail to Great Britain | 49 |
First Year at the Royal School of Mines London 186970 | 57 |
Summer 1870 with Parents in Scotland | 69 |
Second Year at the Royal School of Mines 187071 | 71 |
A Summer of Field Work in the English Lake District | 79 |
Third Year at the Royal School of Mines 187172 | 84 |
GeologistNaturalist on the British North American Boundary Commission | 101 |
Enduring Achievements with the Geological Survey of Canada | 119 |
Selected Poems of George Mercer Dawson | 185 |
Science and Exploration in Canada | 194 |
The Lasting Legacy of George Mercer Dawson | 197 |
For Further Reading | 200 |
About the Author | 201 |
About the Editor | 202 |
Visual Credits | 203 |
Index | 204 |