EXPLORATION IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 



At a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, held at the 

 University of London on February 13, Professor Norman Collie 

 read a paper entitled " Exploration in the Canadian Rockies : 

 a Search for Mount Hooker and Mount Brown." Professor Col- 

 lie's paper dealt with two journeys taken during 1897 and 1898 

 through that part of the Canadian Rockies which lies between 

 the Kicking Horse pass on the south and the source of the Atha- 

 basca river on the north. The most interesting problem con- 

 nected with the first journey which presented itself to Professor 

 Collie and his party was whether a lofty mountain — probably 

 14,000 to 15,000 feet high — seen from the slopes of Mount Fresh- 

 field, from which it lay distant about 30 miles in a northwesterly 

 direction, might be Mount Brown or Mount Hooker, which were 

 supposed to be 16,000 feet and 15,000 feet respectively. Profes- 

 sor Coleman, in 1893, starting from Morley, had arrived at the 

 true Athabasca pass, found the historic Committee's Punch-bowl, 

 and his brother had climbed the highest peak on the north, pre- 

 sumably Mount Brown. This peak he found to be only 9,000 

 feet. The question presented itself, Could he have been mistaken 

 or was it possible that there existed two Athabasca passes ? Pro- 

 fessor Collie and his companion returned to their camp on the 

 Saskatchewan pass without having solved the question of either 

 Mounts Brown and Hooker or the Committee's Punch-bowl. It 

 was finally settled on the return to England by reference to the 

 journal of David Douglas, the naturalist, dealing with his jour- 

 ney over the Athabasca pass. From the authentic account of 

 the two mountains there given, it was seen that the credit of 

 having settled with accuracy the real height of the peaks be- 

 longed to Professor Coleman. For nearly 70 years they had 

 been masquerading in every map as the highest peaks in the 

 Rocky mountains. No doubt now remained as to where Brown 

 and Hooker and the Punch-bowl were. That Douglas climbed 

 a peak 17JHH) foot high in an afternoon (as narrated in his ac- 

 count) was impossible; the Mount Brown of Professor Coleman, 

 9,000 feet, was much more likely. There was only one Atha- 

 basca pass, and on each side of its summit might be found a 

 peak — Mount Brown, 9,000 feet, on the north — the higher of the 



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