JUNE, 2005 NEWSLETTER

Peakfinder Updates

This has been proclaimed the "Year of the Veteran" in Canada. It is interesting to note than a great number of the peaks of the Canadian Rockies carry the names of Canadians and others who served, and in many cases lost their lives, serving their country. If you select the "Peaks by Name Category" a list of 149 World War I related mountain names and another list of 68 World War II related mountain names are available. Most of these honour individuals but others relate to these wars in other ways.

Check out the monthly panorama on the site. Previously they were photos from "50 Roadside Panoramas in the Canadian Rockies. Now we're using new colour photos from different locations.

As all the photos available on Peakfinder, sometimes errors are made in their captions. Several Peakfinder users have located errors and advised us so that they can be corrected. Please let us know if you find an error.
If you have a favourite mountain photo or any information about the peaks of the Canadian Rockies that you would like included in Peakfinder please contact <dave@peakfinder.com>.

Please note that all of the previous newsletters have been archived and are available on the site. If you're interested in esoteric lists, unusual mountain names, etcetera, browse through the earlier issues. 


June's Unusual Canadian Rockies Name

STARVATION PEAK
Starvation Creek flows from the east, to the south of King Edward Peak and Kishinena Ridge. It is only about one half kilometre north of the international border. Starvation Lake lies at the head of Starvation Creek. The mountain is somewhat removed from the creek and the lake, although a branch of Starvation Creek flows from the northeast from a headwaters between King Edward Peak and Starvation Peak.

In his book, "Andy Russell, Memoirs of a Mountain Man," Andy relates how Starvation Valley was named. An International Boundary Survey party had been mapping from the west and planned on meeting another party mapping from the east in the vicinity of where Waterton National Park is now located. When they arrived they couldn't find the other party. Concerned about the Blackfoot Indians, the party decided to spend the winter in a secluded valley where they had noticed plenty of game when they were doing their survey work.

Unaware of the fact that the game migrated out of the valley during winter because of the deep snow the men were soon in serious trouble. They survived by eating their horses but were strickened with scurvey. Three of the survey members died and by spring the survivors were in bad shape. When the sap began to flow, they girdled white pine trees with their knives and collected the sap which cured their scurvey. Andy writes of finding, "old, bleached dead pines in that area still showing the knife marks around them -marks that led down to a "V" on the side of the trunk, indicating that somebody many years before had been collecting sap -a reminder of a grim, winter tragedy. [Andy Russell Memoirs of a Mountain Man" page 159, 160]

Mount Kirby & Spence is shown to the south of Mount Yarrell on John Palliser's map and on George Dawson's 1886 map. Kirby & Spence were early 19th century British entomologists and the names would likely have been chosen by Thomas Blakiston. [Tony Rees] The names are not in use today but it seems likely that they were applied to the mountains now known as Starvation Peak and King Edward Peak.

Dawson's August 15, 1874 journal entry reads, "Looking westward - the valley of the pass is seen to run S.W. between two splendid mountain masses, of which the tops are covered with snow, & which were at once recognisable as Mts Kerby&Spence, and Mt Yarrel of Blackistons map." [Bruce Haig's www.ourheritage.net]

Enter "Starvation Peak" to learn more about the mountain. 

Look who's honoured in the Canadian Rockies

GEORGIA ENGELHARD
 (1906-1985)

A native of New York, Georgia Engelhard enjoyed hiking in the eastern US as a child and studied art in college later and after abandoning painting, and focused on photography.

She had visited the European Alps in her teens and climbed with her father in the Mount Ranier area in 1926. Later that year the family visited the Canadian Rockies and Georgia climbed Pinnacle Mountain with Edward Feuz jr. She was a regular visitor to the Rockies, visiting fifteen summers during the next three decades.

Georgia grew to love the Canadian Rockies. She wrote, "In 1929, I came out on my own and my career really began. In nine days I climbed nine peaks: Mount Lefroy, the traverse of the two Pope's Peaks, the traverse of Haddo Peak and Mount Aberdeen, Mount Hungabee, Mount Huber, Mount Victoria, and Mount Biddle. It was considered quite a feat."

Following her climbs of these nine impressive peaks in as many days, "The day after my last climb, the day of departure, I got up at 4 a.m. A silver full moon flooded the calm, mirrorlike lake with silver, and silver were the Victoria Glaciers beyond. with my easy loping mountaineer's stride less than two hours brought me to the summit of Mount St. Piran, 3000 feet above Lake Louise. The lake and valley were still in deep shadow, but the surrounding peaks, all I had climbed, were bathed in golden rosy light. I was seized by an indescribable ecstasy, filled with the joy of conquest. They were all mine -my beautiful, private, world of mountains. Yet, at the same time, I felt how infinitesimal I was. It was an unforgettable experience."

During 1931 she climbed a total of 38 peaks in the Rockies and the Selkirks. She stood on the summit of Mount Victoria eight times that summer, seven of the trips being part of the filming of the movie, "She Climbs to Conquer."

Engelhard completed 32 first ascents in the Rockies and Selkirks. She, to some extent, competed for first ascents with Katie Gardiner who completed 33.

In 1935 she climbed in Europe for the first time. She was joined by Eaton "Tony" Cromwell, a veteran mountaineer whom she married in 1947 after several years of climbing together in the Canadian Rockies. They retired to Switzerland spending their final years enjoying the Alps together. During the last forty years of her life, Georgia never returned to the Canadian Rockies where she had spent much of her youth.

She considered the best compliment regarding her enthusiasm and stamina to have been offered by her guide, Ernest Feuz after she and Tony Cromwell had done the Victoria, Collier, Pope's Peak Traverse. Ernest said, "Dat Chorcha, she vants to do too much." He described her as, "tough and wiry and climbed so fast she often had us guides puffing to keep up."

For information about Mount Engelhard or Engelhard Tower enter the mountain's name in the appropriate search box on the main page.

Return to Peakfinder Top Level