A. B. Rogers
Encyclopedia
Albert Bowman Rogers commonly known as Major A.B. Rogers, was an American
surveyor
now best remembered for his discovery of the Rogers Pass
in British Columbia
, Canada
. He also has the distinction of having Rogers Pass
in the Montana named after him, which he discovered in 1887.
in 1834, he attended Brown University
, but transferred after one year to Yale University
, where he obtained a degree in Engineering
. Rogers served with the U.S. Cavalry
during the Indian Wars
, attaining the rank of major
during the 1862 Dakota Sioux uprising
.
. Nevertheless, James Jerome Hill of the Canadian Pacific Railway
hired Rogers in April 1881 to find a rail route through the Selkirk
and Rocky Mountains
. Rogers carefully studied the reports of earlier surveyors, particularly those of Walter Moberly
from 1865. Moberly's assistant Albert Perry had previously described the approach to a potential pass from the Columbia River
along the Illecillewaet River
. In later years, Moberly claimed the pass should have been named Perry's Pass.
Rogers was a tough task master and was disliked by many of those who worked under him. They suffered under basic and meagre food supplies while being driven to continue on. One party avoided starvation by sheer luck when they were able to quickly canoe downstream. On May 28, 1881, his birthday, Rogers found a pass through the mountains. He approached from the west up the Illecillewaet River but he failed to reach the pass by a mere eighteen miles (29 km) because of the lack of food supplies and was forced to turn back west.
It was not until the following year that he was able to approach the pass from the east along the Beaver River. On July 24, 1882, he managed to reach the pass he had only observed in the distance the previous year.
In gratitude, the Canadian Pacific named the pass for him and presented Rogers with a cheque
for $
5,000. Rogers initially refused to cash the cheque, preferring rather to display it in a frame. It was not until Van Horne
promised him a gold
watch
as a souvenir that he consented to cash the cheque.
, he was searching for a pass over the continental divide and located Rogers Pass
in Montana. Though the Great Northern eventually selected Marias Pass
, 100 miles to the north of Rogers Pass, as the continental divide pass for their transcontinental rail route, the Great Northern named Rogers Pass in Montana for the surveyor. Rogers Pass in Montana became the route of Montana Highway 200, the best highway route between Great Falls and Missoula, Montana.
His surveying career was curtailed after he was badly injured falling from his horse while surveying the right-of-way for the Great Northern Railway near Coeur d'Alene
, Idaho
. He died 4 May 1889 at Waterville
Minnesota
. Although some sources report that he died as a result of his injuries, others indicate that he suffered from cancer of the stomach
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
now best remembered for his discovery of the Rogers Pass
Rogers Pass
Rogers Pass is a high mountain pass through the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia used by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Trans-Canada Highway. The pass is a shortcut across the "Big Bend" of the Columbia River from Revelstoke on the west to Donald, near Golden, on the east...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He also has the distinction of having Rogers Pass
Rogers Pass (Montana)
Rogers Pass rises above sea level and is located on the continental divide in the U.S. state of Montana. The pass is adjacent to Helena National Forest and is traversed by Montana Highway 200. Wide shoulders provide parking for those wishing to hike the Continental Divide Trail...
in the Montana named after him, which he discovered in 1887.
Early life
Born in Orleans, MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1834, he attended Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, but transferred after one year to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he obtained a degree in Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. Rogers served with the U.S. Cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
during the Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
, attaining the rank of major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
during the 1862 Dakota Sioux uprising
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
.
CPR surveys
His initial engineering experience was primarily on the American prairies surveying for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific RailroadChicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...
. Nevertheless, James Jerome Hill of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
hired Rogers in April 1881 to find a rail route through the Selkirk
Selkirk Mountains
The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia. They begin at Mica Peak near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and extend approximately 320 km north from the border. The range is bounded on its west,...
and Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. Rogers carefully studied the reports of earlier surveyors, particularly those of Walter Moberly
Walter Moberly (engineer)
Walter Moberly was a civil engineer and surveyor who played a large role in the early exploration and development of British Columbia, Canada, including discovering Eagle Pass, now used by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Trans-Canada Highway.He was born in Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire, England...
from 1865. Moberly's assistant Albert Perry had previously described the approach to a potential pass from the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
along the Illecillewaet River
Illecillewaet River
The Illecillewaet River is a tributary of the Columbia River located in British Columbia, Canada. Fed by the Illecillewaet Glacier in Glacier National Park, the river flows approximately to the southwest, where it flows into the north end of Upper Arrow Lake at Revelstoke...
. In later years, Moberly claimed the pass should have been named Perry's Pass.
Rogers was a tough task master and was disliked by many of those who worked under him. They suffered under basic and meagre food supplies while being driven to continue on. One party avoided starvation by sheer luck when they were able to quickly canoe downstream. On May 28, 1881, his birthday, Rogers found a pass through the mountains. He approached from the west up the Illecillewaet River but he failed to reach the pass by a mere eighteen miles (29 km) because of the lack of food supplies and was forced to turn back west.
It was not until the following year that he was able to approach the pass from the east along the Beaver River. On July 24, 1882, he managed to reach the pass he had only observed in the distance the previous year.
In gratitude, the Canadian Pacific named the pass for him and presented Rogers with a cheque
Cheque
A cheque is a document/instrument See the negotiable cow—itself a fictional story—for discussions of cheques written on unusual surfaces. that orders a payment of money from a bank account...
for $
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
5,000. Rogers initially refused to cash the cheque, preferring rather to display it in a frame. It was not until Van Horne
William Cornelius Van Horne
Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, KCMG was a pioneering Canadian railway executive.-Life and career:Born in 1843 in rural Illinois, he moved with his family to Joliet, Illinois when he was eight years old...
promised him a gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
watch
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
as a souvenir that he consented to cash the cheque.
Post Rogers Pass
In 1887 while surveying again for James Jerome Hill, but this time for the Great Northern RailwayGreat Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway may refer to:*Great Northern Railway of Canada*Great Northern Railway *Great Northern Railway *Great Northern Railway , now part of the BNSF Railway system*Great Northern Rail Services in Australia...
, he was searching for a pass over the continental divide and located Rogers Pass
Rogers Pass
Rogers Pass is a high mountain pass through the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia used by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Trans-Canada Highway. The pass is a shortcut across the "Big Bend" of the Columbia River from Revelstoke on the west to Donald, near Golden, on the east...
in Montana. Though the Great Northern eventually selected Marias Pass
Marias Pass
Marias Pass is a high mountain pass near Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana in the United States.The pass traverses the continental divide in the Lewis Range, along the boundary between the Lewis and Clark National Forest and the Flathead National Forest...
, 100 miles to the north of Rogers Pass, as the continental divide pass for their transcontinental rail route, the Great Northern named Rogers Pass in Montana for the surveyor. Rogers Pass in Montana became the route of Montana Highway 200, the best highway route between Great Falls and Missoula, Montana.
His surveying career was curtailed after he was badly injured falling from his horse while surveying the right-of-way for the Great Northern Railway near Coeur d'Alene
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. Coeur d'Alene has the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census the population of Coeur...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. He died 4 May 1889 at Waterville
Waterville, Minnesota
Waterville is a city in Le Sueur County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,868 at the 2010 census. It is close to Sakatah Lake State Park on the Cannon River.-Geography:...
Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Although some sources report that he died as a result of his injuries, others indicate that he suffered from cancer of the stomach
Stomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
.