Kenora’s First Rock Stars

Muse Newsletter
Vol. 34 No. 2 – Spring 2024

by Braden Murray

When the map below was first published in 1885 there was nothing else like it. Yes, there had been other maps of this area, but none so detailed. Certainly nothing with such a wealth of information on the rocks and minerals in the area. In a time before aerial surveys and satellite imagery, surveyors and geologists took thousands of measurements, markings, and calculations to create accurate maps. Beginning in the 1870s the Geological Survey of Canada began working in this area, first to support the building of the railway and then mapping and searching for minerals. And while this map is an interesting example of one of the earliest geologic maps of Lake of the Woods, it was the geologists who contributed to it that make it significant— these were Kenora’s first rock stars.

1885 Geological And Topographical Map Of The Northern Part Of The Lake Of The Woods And Adjacent Country. Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada. 

Much of the initial work on the 1885 map was completed in the fifteen years before by dozens of unnamed surveyors of several boundary commissions, Dominion land surveyors, surveys related to the establishment of reserve communities after the signing of Treaty #3, and surveys for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The work to bring all the maps together was started in the 1870s by Dr. Robert Bell. He published his first map of the area in 1881. By 1883 he was improving this map with assistance by a newly graduated geologist named Andrew C. Lawson.

During the summer of 1884 AC Lawson continued the work with JW Tyrrell, and WF Ferrier.

Finally in the summer of 1885 AC Lawson was joined by AE Barlow and WH Smith to finish the job.

When all was said and done, AC Lawson published his now famous Report on the Geology of the Lake of the Woods Region along with this map showing the work of he and his colleagues. As part of his work he helped re-write our understanding of precambrian geology, naming the Keewatin and Couchiching rock formations as some of the oldest in the world (2.6 billion years old!).

So, who were these rock stars?

First is Dr. Robert Bell. He is responsible for mapping most of Canada’s north, including naming over 3000 geological features during his career. Mid way through his career he completed a medical degree in his spare time because he wanted to be prepared for any health emergency during his deep woods surveying and exploration work. Bell was a true renaissance man, and perhaps Canada’s greatest exploring scientist.

Next is JW Tyrrell. Anyone who has been to the Alberta Badlands would recognize that name. The same summer Joseph Tyrrell was discovering dinosaur bones in the Alberta badlands, JB’s brother, James Williams Tyrrell was surveying and mapping on Lake of the Woods. JW Tyrrell went on to be a great geologist in his own right, mapping much of the district of Keewatin, and finished his career as the president of the Tyrrell Red Lake [Gold] Mine in Red Lake.

WF Ferrier was a skilled geologist, but is most remembered as a prolific collector of mineral samples from across Canada. His collection was so extensive that by the end of his career it was split to form world class permanent mineral collections at: The Smithsonian in Washington, DC, The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and finally at the Redpath Museum at McGill.

Alfred Barlow went on to be a critical player in the nickel and copper industries in Sudbury. Every year the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum awards the Barlow Medal for the top geological paper. Alf Barlow’s career was tragically cut short when he and his wife were lost at sea during the tragic sinking of the Empress of Ireland steamship in 1914.

WH Smith remained with the Geological Survey of Canada for the duration of his career, working and surveying mostly in the north, including in the Yukon.

And as for AC Lawson? He submitted his work on the Lake of the Woods for his Masters thesis, which was granted in 1885. He received his PhD From Johns Hopkins University in 1888. In 1892 he joined the University of California at Berkeley as Professor of Minerals and Geology. In 1895 he identified and named the San Andreas Fault. In his subsequent work he became the world’s leading figure in earthquake research, authoring the famous The Report of the State Earthquake Investigation Commission aka the “Lawson Report” after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He later founded the world famous Berkeley Seismological Laboratory.

This small team of dedicated professionals went on to do amazing things in their respective careers, and along the way they cut their teeth on Lake of the Woods. With pencils, paper, and a few simple instruments they mapped and laid the ground work for all future maps to come. In the middle of the 1880s these were truly our first rock stars.