Following Historic Trails JAMES HECTOR Explorer 44444444 L44444444 14444444. 44444444 3| Historical Resource Foundation A' WL * m.% mk ^1 Following Historic Trails James Hector Explorer Bruce Haig Alberta Historical Resources Foundation Detselig Enterprises Ltd. Calgary, Alberta Following Historic Trails James Hector Explorer Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Haig, Bruce, 1936 - Sir James Hector's exploration of the Rockies (Following historic trails) ISBN 0-920490-35-2 1. Hector, James, Sir, 1834-1907. 2. Rocky Mountains Region - Discovery and exploration. 3. Palliser Expedition, 1857-1860.* I. Alberta Historical Resources Foundation. II. Title. III. Series. FC3213.H34 1983 971.1*02 C84-091027-4 F1060.8.H34 1983 © 1983 by Detselig Enterprises Limited P.O. Box G399 Calgary, Alberta T3A 2G3 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Canada ISBN 0-920490-35 -2 Acknowledgements Many people have offered encouragement and sup­ port in the researching of this project. First, I would like to acknowledge the help offered by the staff of Canada's national parks system. Next, my appreciation goes to the staffs at the Archives of the Canadian Rockies, Banff; the Glenbow Archives, Calgary; the Saskatchewan Archives, Regina and the Provincial Archives of Alberta, Edmonton. Special thanks to the National Museum and the National Library of New Zealand, Wellington and The Hocken Library, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. For her encouragement and support of this project I'm especially grateful to Irene M. Spry of the University of Ottawa, who is Canada's foremost authority on the Palliser Expedition. Of course, all research is wasted if there is no way of sharing it with people. To the Board of the Alberta Historial Resources Foundation, Calgary and its Executive Director Trudy Cowan and Publications Officer Jim Allabarton, and Ted Giles of Detselig Enterprises, Calgary thank you for bringing the concept to life. And my gratitude to Frank Huszar, a 20th century "Nimrod" and member of the Historic Trails Society of Alberta, who accompanied me on this adventure of "following historic trails," Bruce Haig, Lethbridge, Alberta September, 1983 Sir James Hector (1834-1907) James Hector was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on March 16, 1834. His father was a lawyer and a friend of Sir Walter Scott, the novelist. At 14 he graduated from Edin­ burgh Academy and went to work in his father's law office. Later, he became a clerk with an insurance com­ pany while he continued with his schooling. At 18 he entered Edinburgh University where he took medicine because only the medical school offered the courses in the natural sciences which were his main interest. In addition to his medical studies Hector also seized the opportunity to study botany, chemistry, and natural history. In his spare time he took lectures in minerology, geology and paleon­ tology. Hector spent his holidays taking part in long field trips studying plants and rocks. In 1856 he graduated as a medical doctor, but had little time to practice his new career when he was recommended as a member of the Palliser Expedition. His competence in scientific botany and special interest in geology and natural history made him an ideal choice. Also Hector's belief in physical fitness held him in good stead for his future explorations; his peers had great respect for his moral fibre. "He was admired and talked about by every man that travelled with him and his fame as a traveller was a wonder and a byword among many a tepee that never saw the man," wrote Peter Erasmus who was Hector's special assistant. Although only in his early twenties, Hector was described as a wise and kindly man with steady good sense and a warm heart who was cheerful and had a deep sense of humour. His training as a doctor also made it possible for him to help people they met whether they were officers of the Hudson's Bay Company, missionaries, Metis or Indians. The esteem with which the Photograph: Glenbow Archives, Calgary, Alberta Indians held him made it easier for the Palliser Expedition James Hector, at 23 explored the Rocky Mountains in 1858. to conduct its work. From 1857 to 1860 Dr. James Hector travelled thou­ sands of kilometres exploring western Canada. He was an extremely careful and accurate observer and mapper and contributed many diagrams dealing with the geology of the country to Palliser's reports. Before returning to England, where he received the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society, Hector made a geological examination of Vancouver Island and This same year, 1868, he married the daughter of Sir toured the gold fields in British Columbia, California and David Munro. They had two sons and three daughters. northern Mexico. Lady Hector died in 1930, almost 24 years after her husband's death. Although Dr. Hector's outstanding contribution to western Canada is preserved in reports that were issued by When the University of New Zealand was established the British Government in 1865, what is not widely known in Wellington in 1870, he was elected to the Senate. In 1885 is the outstanding scientific contribution he continued to he became Chancellor, a position he held until his retire­ make throughout his life. ment in 1903. At the conclusion of the Palliser Expedition, Sir In 1875 he visited England and Europe and was Roderick Impey Murchison, Director General of the created a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and Geological Survey of Great Britain and President of the St. George (C.M.G.), in recognition of his work with the Royal Geographical Society who had earlier appointed Palliser Expedition 15 years earlier. The next year he was Hector to assist Palliser, recommended him for a position elected a Lyell Medalist by the Geological Society and the in New Zealand. same year, 1876, represented New Zealand at the United States Centenary Exhibition at Philadelphia. He received a On January 5, 1862 he left for New Zealand to knighthood in 1887. become a geologist to the Province of Otago. Three years later he became the Director of the Geological Survey of In 1903, Hector returned to western Canada to revisit New Zealand. the scenes of his explorations nearly half a century before. He brought with him his son Douglas, and it is said that Under his guidance the whole country was surveyed with high spirits he laughingly told people he met that he and his work for the advancement of science was recog­ had come to see the place where he was almost buried alive nized in 1866 by his election to the Fellowship of the Royal — having awoken from unconsciousness after a fall from a Society. The Botanical Garden in the capital city, horse to see that his men had already dug his grave. There Wellington, was placed under his care and for many years is a tragic irony to the story. Shortly after his arrival, his he was in charge of almost all the government departments son, Douglas, became ill. The boy's condition grew worse offering scientific advice. In 1868 he was instrumental in and he was rushed to Revelstoke Hospital where he died forming the New Zealand Institute and was considered the from appendicitis. A granite block was placed on his son's most knowledgeable person on the natural resources of grave — it is thought that the block was cut from the same New Zealand. He was a prolific writer and contributed piece of granite used to commemorate his father's dis­ more than 71 scientific papers of which 31 dealt with birds, covery of the Continental Divide on the Kicking Horse whales and fish; 28 were about geological subjects; three Pass. Overcome with grief Sir James Hector immediately were on botany and nine were of a general nature. He en­ returned home to New Zealand. couraged extensive investigation of the botany of New Zealand and 11 plants have the name "Hectori" included He died four years later on August 16, 1907 at the age in their scientific name. of 73. Some background on the Palliser Expedition In 1858, a tiny settlement known as Red River, now Winnipeg, was all there was of civilization except for strings of fur trading posts along the major rivers. Settlements in the east were cut off by the granite and swamp of the Canadian Shield and to the west by a moun­ tain barrier. For two centuries British North America had been controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company which had harvested the rich furs. Civilization was beginning to close in on the Hudson's In 1847 Palliser spent two years on the American Bay Company empire. American settlers following the prairies. He later recounted his experiences in a book, Oregon Trail had wrested away the valuable Columbia "Solitary Rambles and Adventures of a Hunter in the River territory when the international boundary was set­ Prairies," which was published in 1853 to great acclaim. tled in 1846. Vancouver Island had remained, as yet, in British hands and soon the Crown colony of British From 1853 to 1856, the United States government Columbia would demand a rail route across British financed a series of expeditions to look for possible routes territory as a link with the east. for railways from the central states to the Pacific. Some of these groups had, on occasion, crossed the border into The Hudson's Bay Company's long trading monopoly British territory and by 1856, John Palliser had come to would soon be up for review. While Sir George Simpson, feel that the British had better learn something about their Governor-in-Chief, argued in London for his company's terrain.