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." |
From inside the book
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... staying until 1884 when he accepted a position as assistant engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway . Finally , in 1884 , he began what he considered his main professional undertaking : director of the Dominion Survey of Tides and ...
... stayed there till nearly 10 o'clock when we came home , had tea and went to bed . Friday July 21st . { We } Had breakfast this morning at 9 then drove to doctors and after- wards Torn road where Anna was stopping saw her and then went ...
... stayed to hear the morning choral service . We then went to the museum which has large grounds around it in which are a portion of the Roman wall and the ruins of an old abby or hospital in the museum are a lot of interesting Roman and ...
... stayed at home after they came back we went for a walk up the hill . Monday August 7 Went down and fished but caught nothing worth keeping at the pier but went over to the rocks and { Alfred } caught one large fish . I stayed 35An ...
... stayed in . I was pasting on some stamps after tea Saturday August 12th . I got up this morning before breakfast and had a bathe with Alfred and Frederic . I stayed in and read in the forenoon , and went down to the sands in the ...
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 |