Yukon who is who

George Mercer Dawson (1849 – 1901)

George Dawson was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia to John William and Margaret Ann Young Mercer Dawson. Dawson’s family lived in Nova Scotia until 1855 when John William became principal of McGill College in Montreal. In 1858, he apparently contracted tuberculosis of the spine (Pott’s disease)) that deformed his upper body, stunted his growth and caused him recurring headaches. He took private studies until age eighteen, and then attended McGill College in 1868-69. He enrolled at the Royal School of Mines in London in 1869, received training in geology, natural history, paleontology, chemistry, mining and applied mechanics, and graduated with distinction in 1872.¹⁾

After joining the Geological Survey of Canada in 1875, he served on the international boundary survey from Lake of The Woods to the Rocky Mountains. His report was praised as a classic of Canadian geology which reflected his broad scientific training and is recognized as an important stimulus to western Canadian settlement. He investigated western regions of Canada including British Columbia (1875–77); the Red, Assiniboine, and Souris river regions (1878–79); and the Skeena and Peace river valleys (1879–80). He included ethnographic studies in his reports and became known as the father of Canadian anthropology. He supported a policy of education and assimilation for Canada’s Indigenous population.²⁾

His much-praised geological report on the Queen Charlotte Islands included a Haida vocabulary (1878-79). His emphasis on collecting supported the development of the present-day Museum of Canadian History and influenced the development of anthropology in Canada. In 1887, he published “Geological map of the northern part of the Dominion of Canada east of the Rocky Mountains” and a paper on the as yet unexplored regions of Canada which encouraged the development of Canadian lode mining.³⁾

In 1887, Dawson led an expedition to survey the Yukon River basin in Canada. He travelled up the Stikine River and reached Selkirk by descending the Pelly River. He met William Ogilvie there and left the area via the Yukon River headwaters and over the pass, the route that Ogilvie had used to enter the territory. His maps and reports contained the first geological information of the district.⁴⁾ Dawson’s report was generally considered a harbinger of the Klondike gold rush. Dawson City was named in his honour even though he was never there.⁵⁾

George Dawson became the assistant director of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1883, became the acting director in 1885-86, and was appointed director in 1895. Dawson received many honors and offices over his career. He died a sudden death due to bronchitis and is remembered for his amazing physical and intellectual accomplishments. He was a scientist who generated economic activity by helping to close the gap between scientific knowledge and practical results.⁶⁾