Captain James Herrick McGregor
CVWM

British Columbia Geographical Names states, “McGregor River adopted 28 May 1915. Includes to its source the South Branch of the North Fork of the Fraser River. Formerly also known as Big Salmon River.”

Surveyor James Herrick McGregor [1869–1915] was born in Montreal and received his early education in the east. He came to western Canada in 1891 and obtained his commission as a British Columbia Provincial Land Surveyor. He practiced his profession for a few years in the Kootenays and subsequently settled in Victoria. McGregor was involved in the 1891-98 triangulation and photo-topographic surveys of the southern Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Alberta-British Columbia boundary. He enlisted in World War I and was killed in the Battle of Ypres.

His obituary in the Victoria Colonist stated: “For the past 25 years Captain McGregor has been one of the best known Victorians. Throughout the Province, too, he was well known, as in past years he visited many sections of British Columbia in his business of a Provincial land surveyor. With his fellow officers of the 50th Gordon Highlanders, and also with the men under his command, he was esteemed for his many sterling qualities. The late Captain McGregor leaves a widow and four children.”

Hugh Drummond Allan [1887–1917] was born in Scotland and came to Canada around 1907. He became a British Columbia land surveyor in 1912. His professional work was carried on mainly in the Kamloops district and the North Thompson valley. In 1913 he surveyed in the Canoe River area. “From Mile 49 on the Grand Trunk Pacific I proceeded with my party by wagon and reached the Canoe River in one day,” he reported.

After the start of the first World War Allan returned to Scotland and enlisted. In 1916 he was wounded, and in 1917 he was killed leading his company at Croiselles, France. Lieutenant Allan was shortly predeceased by his wife and infant child.

(There is another Hugh Allan [1810-1882], a Scottish-Canadian shipping magnate, apparently unrelated.)