Category Archives: Place Names

Alberta-British Columbia Boundary Commission

When the British Columbia-Alberta Boundary Act was amended in 1932, the preamble explained the context:

WHEREAS by Order in Council P.C. 337, approved on the eighteenth day of February, 1913, an invitation was extended by the Government of the Dominion of Canada to the Governments of the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia to participate in the joint survey of the boundary line between the Province of Alberta and the Province of British Columbia; And whereas the said invitation was accepted by the Government of the Province of Alberta by Order in Council No. 534-13, approved on the sixteenth day of June, 1913, and by the Government of the Province of British Columbia by Order in Council No. 812, approved on the second day of June, 1913; And whereas by Order in Council approved on the eleventh day of July, 1913, J. N. Wallace, D.L.S., was appointed Boundary Commissioner to represent the Dominion on the joint survey of the boundary line, and whereas by Order in Council, approved on the twentieth day of September, 1915, R. W. Cautley, D.L.S., was appointed Boundary Commissioner to represent the Dominion in the place of the said J. N. Wallace; And whereas A. 0. Wheeler, B.C.L.S., as Commissioner for the Province of British Columbia, with the said J. N. Wallace, as Commissioner for the Dominion up to the twentieth day of September, 1915, and the said R. W. Cautley, as Commissioner for the Province of Alberta and, after the twentieth day of September, 1915, for the Dominion as well, did subsequently enter upon the work of the joint survey of the said boundary line and did complete the same in or about the year 1924 from the International Boundary on the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, northerly to a point on the one hundred and twentieth meridian of west longitude in or about latitude north fifty-seven degrees, twenty-six minutes, and forty and twenty-five one hundredths seconds.

— Alberta-British Columbia Boundary Act (1932; 22-23 George V., Chap. 5)

British Columbia commissioner Arthur Oliver Wheeler [1860–1945] explained the necessity of the survey:

Of late years the influx of settlement into the Province of British Columbia and the rapid development of its vast natural resources have brought to the front the necessity for the delimitation of the boundary-line between this Province and the Province of Alberta.

The instructions received from the Surveyor-General of Dominion Lands set forth the following premises: …

(5) The portions of the boundary requiring first attention are: (a) The Crowsnest Pass, owing to the proximity of mining properties; (b) the Vermillion Pass, owing to the construction of the motor-road from Banff to Windermere; (c) the Howse Pass, owing to the proximity of timber claims; (d) the Kicking Horse Pass, Simpson Pass, and White man Pass, owing to their lying within or adjacent to populated areas; (e) the Athabasca Pass, which may possibly become a railway route; (f) the South Kootenay, the North Kootenay, North Fork, and Kananaskis Passes; (g) the Moose Pass, which may become of importance as a feasible route to the north via the Smoky River; and (h) the Robson Pass, which is part of the boundary of Mount Robson Park and is one of the most striking scenic centres of the mountain regions.

— Wheeler 1913

Map sheets 26 to 39, published in 1924, cover the boundary from Athabasca Pass to Intersection Mountain.

References:

  • Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Boundary survey between the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Victoria: Government of British Columbia, 1913
  • Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Boundary survey between the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Victoria: Government of British Columbia, 1914
  • Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Boundary survey between the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Victoria: Government of British Columbia, 1915
  • Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Survey of the boundary between the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Victoria: Government of British Columbia, 1916
  • Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Survey of the boundary between the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.. Victoria: Government of British Columbia, 1917
  • Cautley, Richard William [1873–1953]; Wallace, James Nevin [d. 1941]; Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Report of the Commission Appointed to Delimit the Boundary between the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Part I: From 1913 to 1916. Ottawa: Office of the Surveyor General, 1917. Internet Archive
  • McCaw, R. D. “Report of the Alberta and British Columbia Boundary Survey, Part I., 1913 to 1916 [review].” Canadian Alpine Journal, Vol. 10 (1919):77-79
  • Cautley, Richard William [1873–1953], and Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Report of the Commission appointed to delimit the boundary between the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Part II. 1917 to 1921. From Kicking Horse Pass to Yellowhead Pass.. Ottawa: Office of the Surveyor General, 1924. Whyte Museum
  • Interprovincial Boundary Commission. Boundary between Alberta and British Columbia. Index Sheet 3. Ottawa: Office of the Surveyor General, 1924. Internet Archive
  • Cautley, Richard William [1873–1953], and Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Report of the Commission Appointed to Delimit the Boundary between the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia – Part III – from 1918 to 1924. Atlas. Ottawa: Office of the Surveyor General, 1925
  • Sherwood, Jay. Surveying the Great Divide. The Alberta/BC Boundary Survey, 1913-1917. Qualicum Beach, BC: Caitlin Press, 2017
  • Sherwood, Jay. Surveying the 120th Meridian and the Great Divide: The Alberta/BC Boundary Survey, 1918–1924. Qualicum Beach, BC: Caitlin Press, 2019

Jobe 1915 map Jarvis Pass to Yellowhead Pass

Preliminary Map of the Canadian Rocky Mountains between Jarvis Pass and Yellowhead Pass

Preliminary Map of the Canadian Rocky Mountains between Jarvis Pass and Yellowhead Pass
Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, 1915

Preliminary Map of the Canadian Rocky Mountains between Jarvis Pass (54°9’ N) and Yellowhead Pass (52°53’ N). Showing the route followed by Mary L. Jobe in August 1914. Compiled from available sources, with corrections and additions by Mary L. Jobe and Donald Phillips

Mary Lenore Jobe Akeley [1878–1966] of Connecticut, Margaret Springate of Winnipeg, and guide Donald “Curly” Phillips [1884–1938] of Jasper made an expedition into the Canadian Rockies of Alberta and British Columbia, northwest of Mount Robson.

The map in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society (Volume 47, No. 7, 1915) is accompanied by the following lengthy note:

To accompany her article Miss Joe had originally prepared a sketch map, based on her and Donald Phillips’s observations, which, while showing remarkably well the essential features of the country, did not partake of the nature of an instrumental survey. Subsequently an unpublished blue-print map of the Grand Trunk Pacifie Railway (1a in appended list of maps) came to her knowledge, which showed in contours the topography of the whole mountain region between Jarvis Pass and the transverse courses of the Jack Pine and Smoky Rivers and its relation to the Fraser valley. Recognizing that this was a much more satisfactory representation, being based on an instrumental survey, it was decided to use it, together with all other available sources, in the compilation of a new map. As the blue-print map contained no geographic coordinates, it was necessary to supply them. This was done by drawing the parallel of 53° and the meridian of 119° in their proper positions as deduced from the known astronomic position of the township and range lines shown on the Yellowhead sheet of the Sectional Map of Western Canada (7) and from them expanding the coordinate net over the rest of the map. The resulting position of Jarvis Pass was 53°59′. and of the head of the larger lake at the head of the right source-stream of the Porcupine, 53°51′. The corresponding positions on the two most reliable maps each showing one of these features (Dawson, 10, and Northern Alberta, 11), are 54°9 [note in original: While stating the latitude of Jarvis Pass to be 54°7′, the map represents it in 54°9′] and 54°2′. In addition to this divergence the blue-print map showed the Sulphur River heading in the same divide as the East Branch of the Moose River, in contradiction of both Wheeler’s map (4) and the map of Northern Alberta, and placed Mt. Kitchi about 30 miles from the Fraser valley, while Donald Phillips stated that it was not less than 40 miles. These and other discrepancies led the writer to believe that the contoured mountain area on the blue-print map was shown in incorrect relation to the Fraser valley, and it was accordingly pushed north to the latitude shown on the map of Northern Alberta. Subsequent correspondence with the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway brought to light another blue-print map of the same region which developed to be the original (1). On this the mountain area was shown in its northern location, with Jarvis Pass in 54°9′. The evidence now seemed conclusive that this was the correct interpretation and it was so accepted in the compilation of the map.

With the northern section of the map thus accounted for, the compilation of the remainder was relatively easy. In the southeast Wheeler’s excellent photographic survey of the Mt. Robson region (4) was used and its contours interpreted by hachuring in the style of the Sectional Map of Western Canada (7), while retaining from Wheeler’s map the representation of the glaciers, which are left blank on the Sectional Map. To the southwest the topography was expanded from McEvoy’s contoured map (5). The Fraser River itself was taken from the Pre-emptor’s map (6), while the walls of its trough valley were generalized from the contours in the original edition of the Grand Trunk map (1). The region adjoining the Wheeler survey to the north was filled in from Dr. Collie’s map (3). (This map also includes the Mt. Robson region, but here it is, of course, superseded by Wheeler’s map.) This left a wedge-shaped gap, 5 to 15 miles wide, between Collie’s survey and the Grand Trunk Pacific survey. For this section Donald Phillips’s sketch map (2) was alone available.

Not only here, but throughout the map his data have been used in correction or amplification of the other sources. For instance, on the northwestern edge of Wheeler’s map Wolverene Creek is connected with the head of the Beaver; instead there should be a divide between them, as shown on the present map and also on Collie’s. At Meadow Lake Pass the Grand Trunk Pacific map shows the divide to lie south of the largest lake: Phillips states it to lie north of it. On the Grand Trunk map neither the bend of the Big Salmon around the southern base of Mt. Kitchi is shown nor Providence Creek. The headwaters of the latter are there conjectured to flow into Black Bear Creek over what is actually Providence Pass: the drainage in this region has therefore been altered according to information furnished by Miss Jobe and Donald Phillips.

From what has been said it will be evident that the various sections of the map are of very unequal value, Wheeler’s survey and the Fraser River are the most correct; next in accuracy come the Grand Trunk Pacific survey and McEvoy’s survey, which are of reconnaissance grade; then comes Collie’s survey and, finally, the section based on Phillips alone.

While all the other sections of the map are geometrical reductions of the originals, in the case of Collie’s survey distortion was necessary in order to make it fit. Using the head of the Smoky River and the confluence of the Jack Pine with it as two points whose location was known (one from Wheeler’s map, the other from the Grand Trunk map), the Smoky River was fitted in between these two points. This gives it a more meridional trend than in Collie’s map, where its direction is north-northwest. It also gives it a change in trend at the mouth of the Wolverene which is not present on Collie’s map, where the whole river from Calumet Creek to the edge of the map is rectilinear. Which version is correct remains to be seen. The prevailing northwest-southeast trend of the structural valleys in this part of the Rocky Mountains would seem to argue for the greater correctness of Collie’s map. On the other hand, the trend is incorrect on his map of several valleys in the Mt. Robson region, as indicated by Wheeler’s later and more correct survey; and furthermore a difference is apparent from the map in the structure of the mountains north of the transverse courses of the Jack Pine and Smoky, where transverse and not longitudinal valleys predominate. The influence of this structural change might extend south to the upper Smoky valley. The upper valley of the Jack Pine and, consequently, the whole region between it and the Smoky have also been swung into a more meridional position. The trend of the upper Beaver having been retained, on the basis of Phillips’s sketch map, as on Collie’s map, this has resulted in a widening of the ridge between the upper Beaver and Jack Pine.

In the east the adjustment of Collie’s survey was very satisfactory. By making the bend of the Middle Branch of the Stony River (53°15′ N. and 118°50′ W.) coincide with the same feature on the Wheeler map and drawing the remainder of the Stony drainage in its geometrical proportions, the North Branch of the Stony, taken from the Grand Trunk map, when continued to the southeast, coincided with the Deer Creek of Collie’s map. The interpretation of Deer Creek as the lower North Branch seemed to be confirmed by the Grand Trunk map, on which the main Stony is shown as surveyed from its mouth to the junction of the Middle Branch, with only a small piece left conjectural between it and the North Branch. If this interpretation be correct, then Collie’s North Branch (the next valley to the west, left unnamed on the present map) would simply be another longitudinal valley, presumably also leading over to the Sulphur River.

A different identification from Collie is here also given in the case of the South Branch of the Stony. By this name Collie designates the short transverse valley, here left unnamed, which forms the upper continuation of the lower Middle Branch. On Wheeler’s map the head of the South Branch is shown as here reproduced. As this seems to be a major tributary, Wheeler’s designation has been retained and its conjectural course shown as on the map of Northern Alberta, on which Wheeler’s designation is also followed.

It has been thought wise to enter into the details of the construction of the map, inasmuch as a compilation of this nature, as contrasted with an original survey, is based on critique and not on observation, and a judgment as to its correctness can only be formed when the methods employed are known. In spite of its obvious lack of finality, the map, it is believed, constitutes a more complete representation of the region according to our present state of knowledge than heretofore available. Comparison with the latest editions of the largest-scale general maps including this region — the map of Northern Alberta (11) and the map of British Columbia (12) — will bear this out. Aside from the fact that these maps do not show relief, they have not always utilized all the sources. While reproducing Wheeler’s survey the map of Northern Alberta (corrected to Sept. 1, 1914) does not utilize Collie’s survey, although it was published in March, 1912. Both maps in the representation of the headwaters of the Smoky are evidently based on the Grand Trunk map which has doubtless been filed with the Dominion railway commissioners. While the British Columbia map reproduces it in toto, the Northern Alberta map has modified the region near the confluence of Sheep Creek with the Smoky and the course of the Muskeg River, presumably on the basis of the surveys of the Fifteenth and the Sixteenth Base Lines (8 and 9). While the survey of the base lines themselves is probably satisfactory, the topography on each side does not claim to be [note in original: On map 8 the Smoky crosses the line between townships 58 and 39 in range 7, on map 9 it crosses the same line in the corresponding part of range 6. This has led to its being stretched on the map of Northern Alberta.], and it would seem wiser to retain the railroad survey, which is at least consistent with-in itself. With regard to the upper courses of the Smoky, Jack Pine and main Beaver these two maps are either conjectural or are left blank. But their course determines the continental divide and, consequently, the boundary between Alberta and British Columbia, which follows the divide from the United States boundary to the 120th meridian. The present map is therefore able to offer some additional information on this question of practical interest.

In conclusion it is a pleasure to acknowledge the Society’s indebtedness to the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway for the permission to reproduce its blue-print map and particularly to its Assistant Chief Engineer, Mr. A. A. Woods, for his unfailing courtesy in answering inquiries. Dr. E. Deville, the Surveyor General of Canada, was also good enough to answer several inquiries as to the reliability of various government maps. During compilation, Miss Jobe and Mr. Phillips kindly checked up the map from notes and photographs and offered helpful suggestions.

Any information tending to the correction or expansion of the map will be gratefully received by the Society.

W. L. G. J.

List of maps

1. [Blue-print map by Grand Trunk Pacific Railway]. 1:190,080. In two latitudinal strips cover- ing 56°12° 52°45′ N. and 123°15 – 117° W. 1906. [Original. Correct location of mountain region. Shows geographic coordinates and township squares. Relief in contours. Routes of engineers’ reconnaissance surveys shown (R. W. Jones, D. D. Sprague, A. S. Going), affording criterion as to reliability of various sections. Fraser valley in reconnaissance.]

1a. [Blue-print map by Grand Trunk Pacific Railway]. 1:190,080. Section covering 54°20′- 52°45 N. and 129°15′ – 118°30 W. 1914%. [Copy from above. Incorrect location of mountain region. No geographic coordi- nates or township squares. Fraser valley from land surveys.J

2. [Manuscript sketch map by Mary L. Jobe and Donald Phillips]. 1:200,000 approx. 54°10- 32345 N.; 12290′ -118025 W. 1915.

3. Part of the Rocky Mountains north of the Yellowhead Pass. from a plane table survey by Professor J. Norman Collie, F.R.S., 1910-11. 1:500,000. 53°35 – 52°35 N.: 12000° – 117930 W Accompanies ” Exploration in the Rocky Mountains North of the Yellowhead Pass ‘ by J. Norman Collie, Geogr. Journ., Vol. 39, 1912, No. 3, pp. 223-235. [Relief in shading.]

4. Topographical Map Showing Mount Robson and Mountains of the Continental Divide North Yellowhead Pass. From photographic surveys by Arthur O. Wheeler. [1:100,000]. (53°17’ – 52°45 N.; 119°97 – 118°20 W. Accompanies The Alpine Club of Canada’s Expedition to Jasper Park. Yellowhead Pass and Mount Robson Region, 1911,* by A. O, Wheeler, Canadian Alpine Journ., Vol. 4. 1919, pp. 1-83; also “Special Number” of Canadian Alpine Journ., 1912; also “The Mountains of the Yellowhead Pass by A. 0. Wheeler, Alpine Journ., Vol. 26, 1912, pp. 382-400; also Annual Report Topogr. Surv. Branch for 1911-12, Ottawa, 1918. (Relief in contours.]

5. Map showing Yellowhead Pass Route from Edmonton to Tête-Jaune Cache. 1:506,880. 58°45 – 52-38 N.; 110°34 – 118°18 W. Accompanies Report on the Geology and Natural Resources of the Country Traversed by the Yellowhead Pass Route from Exmonton to Tête Jaune Cache ‘ by James McEvoy, Sub-report D (44 pp., 1900), Annual Report, Geol. Survey of Canada, for 1695, N. S., Vol. 11, 1901. [Relief in contours.]

6. Pre-emptor’s Map [of British Columbia]: Tête Jaune Sheet (No. 8 H. 1:190,080. 53°48′- 52°41 N.; 121°10° -118°22′ W. Dept. of Lands, British Columbia. Revised to April 8, 1914. (No relief.]

7. Sectional Map [of Western Canada]: Yellowhead Sheet. 1:190.080. 53°12′ – 52098′ N.: 120°0′- 118°0′. Topographical Surveys Branch, Dept, of the Interior, Ottawa. Revised to Oct. 10, 1912.
[Relief of Wheeler’s survey in hachuring.]

8. Sketch Map Showing Topography of the Fifteenth Base Line across Ranges 25, 26 and 20, West of 5th Meridian, and Ranges 1 to 8, West of 6th Meridian, Province of Alberta. 1:380,160. (54°4′- 53°43 N.; 119°14 – 117°33′ W.. Accompanies “Extracts from the Report of A. H. Hawkins, D. L.S.’ Appendix No. 21, Annual Report Topogr. Surveys Branch for 1209-1910, pp. 84-91, Ottawa, 1911. [Generalized relief.]

9. Sketch Map of the Sixteenth Base Line across Ranges 5 to 13 and the Seventeenth Base Line across Ranges 9 to 14, West of the 6th Meridian. 1:380,160. [54°-45′ – 54°4” N.; 120°7- 118°36]. Accompanies, in pocket of report for 1911-12, “Abstract of the Report of George McMillan, D.L S.”, Appendix No. 35, Annual Report Topogr. Surveys Branch for 1910-1911, pp. 116-118, Ottawa, 1912. [No relief.]

10. Map of Part of British Columbia and the Northwest Territory from the Pacific Ocean to Fort Edmonton. Sheet II. 1:506.880. 57°8′ – 53°49 N.: 124°35 – 117°55 W. Accompanies “Report of an Exploration from Port Simpson on the Pacific Coast to Edmonton on the Saskatchewan, Embracing a Portion of the Northern Part of British Columbia and the Peace River Country, 1879, by George M. Dawson, Sub-report B (165 pp., 1881), Report of Progress, Geol. Surrey of Canada, for 1579-50, Montreal, 1851.

11. Northern Alberta: Map Showing Disposition of Lands, Prepared under the direction of F. C. C. Lynch, Superintendent of Railway Lands, [by] J. E. Chalifour, Chief Geographer, 1:792,000. 60°15′ – 52°50° N.; 120°20 – 109°15 W. Dept. of the Interior, Ottawa. Eighth edition, corrected to Sept. 1, 1914.

12. British Columbia. [Compiled under the direction of] G. G. Aiken, Chief Geographer. 1:1,125,000. 61° -48° N.; 140° – 112½° W. British Columbia Dept. of Lands, Victoria, B. C., 1912.

References:

  • Jobe Akeley, Mary Lenore [1878–1966]. “Mt. Kitchi: A New Peak in the Canadian Rockies.” Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, Volume 47, No. 7 (1915):481-497. JSTOR

Collie’s map Yellowhead Pass 1912

Part of the Rocky Mountains North of the Yellowhead Pass, J. Norman Collie, 1910-11

Part of the Rocky Mountains North of the Yellowhead Pass, J. Norman Collie, 1910-11
The Geographical Journal 1912

This map accompanies “Exploration in the Rocky Mountains North of the Yellowhead Pass” by John Norman Collie [1859–1942], Ph.D., LL.D., F.R.S, F.R.G.S., etc., The Geographical Journal (London), 39 (1912):223-233.

Collie was a chemist and mountaineer who lived at London, England. Between 1897 and 1911, Collie pioneered climbing in the Canadian Rockies, making twenty-one first ascents including Mount Victoria and Mount Athabasca.

This Map is from a plane table survey by Professor J. Norman Collie, based upon the map of the “Yellow-head Pass Route,” by Mr. J. McEvoy, B.A.Sc., of the Canadian Government Survey, which accompanies Part D., Vol XI., of the Report of the Geological Survey of Canada, 1900. The positions of Roche Miette, Roche Jacques, Roche Suette, and the Athabasca and Stoney rivers were laid down exactly as they are on that map, and the plane table survey of the mountainous region to the north of the Yellowhead Pass and Moose Lake adjusted to them. A traverse with the plane table was first run up the Stoney river as far as its source and Mt. Hoodoo, and rays were drawn to peaks on either side of the valley which were intersected from other points later on. Numerous photographs were taken during the expedition, many of which were used in the construction of the plane table map, and provided means of testing its general accuracy.

The position of Mt. Robson as determined by Professor Collie differs only about one mile from that given by Professor A. P. Coleman.

The heights underlined are taken from McEvoy’s map, while those in brackets are rough estimations; all others are from Collie’s readings of an aneroid, which was checked frequently by comparison with a mercurial barometer. They were computed by Collie with a mean sea-level of 30 ins., and should be considered as approximate only. In all cases the heights are above sea level.

— Note by editor of The Geographical Journal (London)
References:

  • McEvoy, James [1862–1935]. Report on the geology and natural resources of the country traversed by the Yellowhead Pass route from Edmonton to Tête Jaune Cache comprising portions of Alberta and British Columbia. Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada, 1900. Natural Resources Canada
  • Mumm, Arnold Louis [1859–1927]. “Mount Robson District. Mumm and Collie’s 1910 Journey.” Alpine Journal, Vol. 25 (1910–1911):466
  • Collie, John Norman [1859–1942]. “Exploration in the Rocky Mountains North of the Yellowhead Pass.” The Geographical Journal (London), 39 (1912):223-233. JSTOR
  • Collie, John Norman [1859–1942]. “On the Canadian Rocky Mountains north of the Yellowhead Pass.” Alpine Journal, Vol. 26 (1912):5-17
  • Collie, John Norman [1859–1942]. “Early Expeditions of the Rocky Mountains.” Alpine Journal, Vol. 33 (1920–1921):319

Mile 29

British Columbia. Railway point
About a mile west of Red Pass Junction
Earliest known reference to this name is 1913
Not currently an official name.
Police Barracks at Mile 29. Alan K. Bourchier, 1911 (Item 2009.5.3.48)

Police Barracks at Mile 29. Alan K. Bourchier, 1911 (Item 2009.5.3.48)
Northern British Columbia Archives

Boundary Commission 1924 Maps

Detail from Index sheets 2 and 3. Boundary between Alberta and British Columbia. Office of the Surveyor-General, 1924

Detail from Index sheets 2 and 3. Boundary between Alberta and British Columbia. Office of the Surveyor-General, 1924
Internet Archive

Alberta-British Columbia Boundary Commission map sheets 26 to 39, published in 1924, cover the boundary from Athabasca Pass to Intersection Mountain.

Maps credited to

R. W. Cautley, D.L.S., Commissioner for the Dominion and for Alberta
A. O. Wheeler, B.C.L.S., Commissioner for British Columbia

Richard William Cautley [1873–1953], Dominion Land Surveyor, and Arthur Oliver Wheeler [1860–1945], British Columbia Land Surveyor, were commissioners appointed by the Surveyor General of Canada.

Available in high resolution on the William C. Wonders map collection, University of Alberta Library, on the Internet Archive.

Sheets relevant to the Mount Robson region:

Boundary Commission Index Sheet 2
Boundary Commission Index Sheet 3

Boundary Commission Sheet 26 — Mount Brown to Whirlpool
Boundary Commission Sheet 27 — Mount Hooker to Whirlpool Pass
    Boundary Commission Sheet 27 A — Athabasca Pass
    Boundary Commission Sheet 27 B — Whirlpool Pass
Boundary Commission Sheet 28 — Mount Whitecrow to Tonquin Pass
Boundary Commission Sheet 29 — Yellowhead Pass.
    Boundary Commission Sheet 29 A— Miette Hill to Yellowhead Pass
    Boundary Commission Sheet 29 B — Yellowhead Pass to Tête Roche
Boundary Commission Sheet 30 — Mount O’Beirne to Colonel Pass
Boundary Commission Sheet 31 — Colonel Pass to Moose Pass
Boundary Commission Sheet 32 — Moose Pass to Cacajou Pass
    Boundary Commission Sheet 32 A — Robson Pass
Boundary Commission Sheet 33 — Carcajou Pass to Jackpine Pass
Boundary Commission Sheet 34 — Jackpine Pass to Mount Holmes
Boundary Commission Sheet 35 — Chalco Mountain to Beaverdam Pass
Boundary Commission Sheet 36 — Great Shale Hill to Loren Lake
Boundary Commission Sheet 37 — Avalanche Pass to Casket Pass
Boundary Commission Sheet 38 — To Intersection Mountain
Boundary Commission Sheet 39 — North of Intersection to Kakwa River

References:

  • Cautley, Richard William [1873–1953], and Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Report of the Commission Appointed to Delimit the Boundary between the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia – Part III – from 1918 to 1924. Atlas. Ottawa: Office of the Surveyor General, 1925
  • Cautley, Richard William [1873–1953], and Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Report of the Commission Appointed to Delimit the Boundary between the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Parts IIIA & IIIB, 1918 to 1924. From Yellowhead Pass Northerly. Ottawa: Office of the Surveyor General, 1925. Whyte Museum

Jeffrey Creek

British Columbia. Creek: Columbia River drainage
Flows SE. into Wood River from Mount Brown Icefield
52.2833 N 118.15 W — Map 83D/8 — GoogleGeoHack
Earliest known reference to this name is 1922 (Wheeler)
Name officially adopted in 1954
Official in BCCanada

Probably named by the Alberta-British Columbia Boundary Commission which surveyed the area in 1920. Boundary comissioner Arthur Oliver Wheeler [1860–1945] mentions Jeffrey Creek in his 1922 article on Mount Brown and Mount Hooker.

References:

  • Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. “The location of Mts. Brown and Hooker.” Canadian Alpine Journal, Vol. 12 (1921–1922):123-129

Henry House

Alberta. Former locality and railway point
Approximately 12 km north ofJasper
52.9867 N 118.0628 W — Map 083D16 — GoogleGeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1951
Official in Canada
19 miles east of the Yellowhead Pass on the Canadian National Railway
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway station built in 1911

“Henry’s House” or “William Henry’s Old House” was a minor trading post near Athabasca Pass. In 1811, while David Thompson [1770–1857] was making his way over the Pass, William Henry, the eldest son of Alexander Henry, provided support on the eastern side of the mountains. He a built a post on the Athabasca River near the mouth of the Miette River, where the trail from the passes reached the head of navigation. At this point travellers coming over the mountains transferred from horses to canoes for the journey down river.

The normal route over the mountains was from Jasper House west to Boat Encampment on the Columbia Riverr. To save time one could take a light (non-freight) 50 miles more up the Athabasca River to Henry’s House and cross the mountains from there. George Simpson [1792–1860] and John McLoughlin used this route in 1824.

William Henry (1783?-1846?) was a fur trader in the service of the North West Company [1779–], and it was after him that this trading post and later locality was named in 1912.

References:

  • Karamitsanis, Aphrodite [1961–]. Place names of Alberta. Volume 1: Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1991
  • Bohi, Charles W., and Kozma, Leslie S. Canadian National’s Western Stations. Don Mills, Ontario: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2002
  • Wikipedia. Henry House

Jasper House National Historic Site of Canada

Alberta. National Historic Site: Athabasca River drainage
At the foot of Jasper Lake on Athabasca River
53.1383 N 117.9806 W — Map 083F04 — GoogleGeoHack
Name officially adopted in 2001
Official in Canada

Jasper House National Historic Site is the site of a fur trading post on the Athabasca River that functioned in two different locations from 1813 to 1884 as a major staging and supply post for travel through the Canadian Rockies.

The post was originally named Rocky Mountain House, but was renamed to avoid confusion with the Rocky Mountain House trading post on the North Saskatchewan River, becoming “Jasper’s House” after the postmaster, Jasper Hawes, who operated the post from 1814 to 1817. The first location is believed to have been at the outlet of Brûlé Lake, downstream from the present site. The second Jasper House was established at the northern end of Jasper Lake in 1830, primarily serving travellers crossing Yellowhead Pass or Athabasca Pass.

The site operated until 1853, and was occasionally used until 1858 when it was reopened seasonally by Henry John Moberly, who operated it into the 1860s. The post was officially closed in 1884 after years of inactivity. From 1891 or 1892 to 1894 the house was used by miner Lewis Swift. The building was destroyed in 1909 when its lumber was used to make a raft by surveyors for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Apart from a small cemetery, no significant ruins remain. It was designated a national historic site in 1924, and is marked by a commemorative stone and plaque.

References:

Tolmie and Dawson map Indian Tribes of BC 1884

References:

  • Tolmie, William Fraser [1812–1886], and Dawson, George Mercer [1849–1901]. Comparative Vocabularies of the Indian Tribes of British Columbia, with a Map Illustrating Distribution. Ottawa: Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada, 1884. Toronto Public Library