William Edmond Logan (1798-1875)
Knighted Canadian Geologist
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
William Edmond Logan was born in Montreal, April 20,1798; completed one year at Edinburgh University, taking courses in mathematics, chemistry, & logic; worked in London for his uncle as bookkeeper and manager; in 1831, moved to Swansea Wales as manager of a copper smelting & coal production; did precise geological mapping of the south Wales coal basin to establish reserves; in 1842, appointed Director and Founder of the Geological Survey of Canada; with a few assistants, mapped Canada East and Canada West from Gaspe to Lake Superior; in 1851, 1855, and 1862 organized displays of Canadian rocks & minerals for International Exhibitions in London and Paris; in January 1856, Queen Victoria conferred knighthood, the first native born Canadian so honoured; in 1863, published a 983 page volume, the GEOLOGY OF CANADA, along with an atlas of geologic maps; in 1869, published a large geologic map about two and half by one metre, covering the area from Newfoundland to Manitoba, & the United States bordering the Great Lakes, from Maine to Kansas; in November 1869, relinquished the GSC directorship; died June 22, 1875, at Llechryd, Wales with burial at Cilgerran Wales, with the grave becoming 'unknown' being covered with lichens and moss.
The biography by Harrington (1883) is rare, found only in professional & university libraries, generally not available to the public. So why this anthology of published papers by seven authors including Logan himself? In 1998, Sir William Logan was selected as the most important scientist in Canadian history. In 2000, headlines were made when the government proposed replacing his name on Canada's highest mountain in the Yukon. The public protested; the proposal was withdrawn. Logan's name is on numerous geographic & geologic features from offshore Nova Scotia near Sable Island to the Queen Charlotte Islands off British Columbia. In 2004, the CBC searched for the most important Canadians in a historic context, Logan's name is on the list.
About the Author
C. Gordon Winder, Professor (emer.) of Geology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, has published research results in professional journals on micropaleontology; limestone; sandstone; coal; stratigraphic principles, geology of southern Ontario; geology of London, Ontario; and science and religion. In 1963, a sabbatical leave was spent at the University of Wales (Swansea). B.J. Harrington's biography (1883) of Logan states that his grave is at Llechryd, Wales, which is false. Winder was directed to Major William Edmond Logan Stewart (d.1964) who, with his wife and daughter, Elizabeth Halliday, lived at Llandovery, Wales; he was Logan's great grand nephew, and still possessed the silver christening cup given to him by Sir William. Mrs. Stewart provided the reason why the grave probably would be found in the Cilgerran church yard, a mile west of Llechryd. The "Logan and South Wales" essay records the adventure of discovery. Elizabeth Halliday became very active in preserving and drawing attention to the grave. However Logan's Silver Fountain, given to him in 1856 by the citizens of Montreal after his receiving knighthood, was unknown to his relatives. Attempts to locate in Canada have failed. So what happened to it? Just how could such a massive piece of silverware disappear? The search for this Silver Fountain over decades has required a comprehensive examination of every possible aspect of Logan's life. Some of the findings are summarized in this book. And the search for Logan's Silver Fountain continues!!