Hugh Samuel Bostock (1901 – 1994)
Hugh Bostock was born in Vancouver. His father, Hewitt Bostock, was a lawyer, a businessman, and politician elected as a Liberal to the House of Commons in 1896 and appointed to the Senate in 1904.1) Hugh attended school in England and then returned to Canada in 1917 to attend the Royal Military College in Kingston in 1918, McGill University in 1922, and the University of Wisconsin in 1925. He obtained degrees in mining engineering and geology and started his career with the Geological Survey of Canada in 1924.2)
Hugh Bostock spent twenty-five field seasons in the Yukon, from 1931 to 1954. His travels on foot, by canoe, and with pack horses, gave him a detailed knowledge of the land and the people and his field notes and annual reports are a treasure of historical and scientific information. His 1957 Yukon Territory, an annotated compilation of selected Geological Survey of Canada Yukon field reports 1898 to 1933, is a standard reference for researchers. In 1965, shortly before his retirement, he was encouraged to write an account of his field experiences. His autobiography, Pack Horse Trails, was published in 1979 and revised and republished in 1990.3)
In 1942, the Canadian government was eager to develop tungsten deposits and Bostock was asked how scheelite could be brought out from Dublin Gulch. He thought that several tons could be brought out that fall but it would require building fourteen miles of road and a bridge over the McQuesten River. He pointed out that Mr. Jeckell could assemble the needed equipment and Jeckell hired Jim Gibson and some other old time axe men to cut trees for bridge piles and timbers. The bridge was finished by breakup thanks to Jeckell and Bostock’s foresight.4)
In 1965, Bostock was awarded the Massey Medal for outstanding work in the Yukon and his description of its geology, and mineral and economic resources. In 1988 he received the Geological Association of Canada's Astrolabe Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements. In 1994, The Yukon Government named Mount Bostock, the highest mountain in the McQuesten Valley, in an area that he studied for fifteen years.5)
Hugh Bostock was interviewed by Diane Chisholm of the Yukon Archives in 1977. Recorded topics include the McArthur Game Sanctuary, Yukon agriculture, trading posts and possible dam sites.6)