A nation true to history does not strip its war heroes of their medals during times of peace or belittle the contributions of its pioneering builders during times of prosperity. Why then does the government of Canada want to strip Sir William Logan (1798-1875) of his mountain? Does it really believe that toppling Canada’s greatest scientist from his lofty perch is the best way to honour the memory of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1919-2000)?
Prime Minister Jean Chrtien recently announced that Mount Logan — Canada’s highest peak, at an elevation of 5,950 metres — is to be renamed Mount Pierre Elliott Trudeau. There was no discussion with the people of the Yukon Territory, where the mountain is situated; nor was there any consultation with Canada’s geological community, for whom the mountain is a source of enduring inspiration.
Granted, Logan is not as well-known as Trudeau, whose recent death triggered an outpouring of mourning. But as recently as 1998, he was named Canada’s most important scientist and ranked sixth among the 100 most important Canadians in history, according to a panel of 28 historians and other professionals.
Logan is best-known as the founder of the Geological Survey of Canada, which was created in 1841. The fledgling government of the day understood that development of an industrial economy would depend on a viable mining industry. The problem was that no one knew what resources lay hidden in Canada’s vast uncharted wilderness.
Logan was keen to take on the job, even though he knew it would be an arduous undertaking. “In the spring and summer,” he wrote, “mosquitoes and black-flies are a perfect torment in the woods, where the provincial geologist will have to spend the chief part of his year, as but a small part of the country is yet cleared. In addition to the geological features of the country, he will have to exhibit to the world the geographical. That is to say, he will have to make a map of the rivers and mountains. No correct one exists.”
Among the most important accomplishments of the GSC under Logan was the publication, in 1863, of Geology of Canada, which recorded everything then known about Canadian geology. It received national and international acclaim, as did Logan’s magnificent geological map of Canada, published in 1869.
As a result of his outstanding works, Logan became the first native Canadian inducted into the Royal Society of London for achievements in Canada. From France he received the Cross of the Legion of Honour. And in 1856, he was knighted at Windsor Castle by Queen Victoria.
Despite his many accomplishments, Logan was a modest and somewhat eccentric man. “I fancy I cut the nearest resemblance to a scare-crow,” he once wrote. “What with hair matted with spruce-gum, a beard three months old… a pair of cracked spectacles… [and] a waistcoat with patches on the left pocket, where some sulphuric acid, which I carry in a small vial to try for the presence of lime in the rocks, had leaked through.”
Into the wilderness, Logan carved a path that would be followed by others. His knowledge laid the foundation for later mineral discoveries and more comprehensive studies of Canada’s vast geological endowment. His contribution to his native land was summed up in the eulogy delivered by the Natural History Society of Montreal: “No man has done as much to bring Canada before the notice of the outside world and no man is more deserving of being held in remembrance by the people. Just as statesmen and generals haven risen up at the moment of greatest need to frame laws or fight battles for their countries, so Sir William Logan appeared to reveal to us the hidden treasures of nature just at a time when Canada needed to know her wealth in order to appreciate her greatness.”
Canada is wealthy now, but that does not mean the nation should forget those who laid the foundation for its prosperity. Why rob one man of his well-earned legacy to reward another? The government of Canada ought to rethink its decision to rename Mount Logan and find a more fitting way to commemorate Trudeau’s legacy.
It’s hard to know what Sir William Logan would think of the controversy, but we have a clue in the following words: “I have dined with lords and ladies, chatted with Queen Victoria, and been formally received by the Emperor Napoleon, yet my most cherished memories come not from the fine salons of Europe, but from a leaky tent, a bark canoe, my rock-hammer, compass and theodolite, and the vast and mysterious wilderness of Canada.”
Canada was shaped by men such as Logan. He should not be forgotten.
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