MAY, 2005 NEWSLETTER

Peakfinder Updates

Thanks to Lindsay Elms for his very complete biography of Albert H. MacCarthy that has now replaced the rather limited one formerly available on the website. Lindsay is the author of "Beyond Nootka -A Historical Perspective of Vancouver Island Mountains." (Please see: http://www.members.shaw.ca/beyondnootka/.)

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Please note that all of the previous newsletters have been archived and are available on the site.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. 


May's Unusual Canadian Rockies Name

MANX PEAK
Manx Peak was named by Morrison P. Bridgland in 1916 because the shape of the contours of the mountain resembled the coat of arms for the Isle of Man
Enter "Manx Peak" to learn more about the mountain. 

Look who's honoured in the Canadian Rockies

THE FIFTH LORD OF SELKIRK
 Thomas Douglas (1771-1820) was a Scottish nobleman who made three attempts to establish colonies of poor Scottish farmers in Canada. The last, the Red River Colony, eventually led to the province of Manitoba.

As the youngest of seven sons, it was not expected that he would inherit the wealth and title of his father. But all his brothers died tragically, and he became the 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1799. Concerned with the plight of Scottish farm workers who were displaced when landowners the owner decided to use the fields for raising sheep, Douglas decided to establish these displaced farmers on colonies in Canada.

After successfully establishing a colony in Prince Edward Island but suffering a failed attempt in Ontario he persuaded the Hudson Bay Company to grant him a large parcel of land in what is now Manitoba. In 1812 his colony was established on the Red River. The North West Company and the local Metis saw the settlers as a threat to their fur trading interests and twice drove the colonists away, only to have them return.

In 1816 Selkirk himself came to Canada with a force of retired soldiers. He captured Fort William from the North West Company and then moved on to Red River the following summer to organize the colony. Eventually, the Red River Colony was turned over to the Hudson Bay Company by Selkirk's heirs and in 1870 it was sold to the Canadian government. Today the centre of Selkirk's colony forms part of Winnipeg.

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

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