John Palliser
Encyclopedia
John Palliser was an Irish
-born geographer
and explorer. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he was the son of Colonel Wray Palliser and a brother of Major Sir William Palliser
(1830-1882), all descendants of Dr William Palliser, Archbishop of Cashel
(1644–1726).
From 1839 to 1863, Palliser served in the Waterford Militia, eventually with the rank of captain. He was also sheriff of Waterford. His first hunting expedition was in North America in 1847 during which time, Palliser wrote Solitary Rambles and Adventures of a Hunter in the Prairies, first published in 1853. He travelled back to Rupert's Land
as leader of the British North American Exploring Expedition
, which travelled over the uncharted regions of the far west between 1857 and 1861. He made a topographical delimitation of the boundary between British North America
and the United States, from Lake Superior
to the coast of the Pacific Ocean
. He was assisted by astronomer Lieutenant Thomas Blakiston
of the Royal Artillery
, botanist Eugène Bourgeau
and geologist Dr James Hector
.
His travels took him to Rupert's Land, exploring a few rivers:
He returned to Ireland
in 1862 and presented his findings to the British Parliament. The information contained in his survey was instrumental in the ending of the Hudson's Bay Company
's ownership of Rupert's Land (lands encompassing all tributaries to Hudson Bay
) with the Deed of Surrender in 1869. While Palliser is credited with opening up a new era of settlement and development in the Canadian West, his warnings about the unsuitability to agricultural development of the area now known as Palliser's Triangle
went unheeded. Palliser reported that the region, in southeastern Alberta
and southwestern Saskatchewan
, was too arid for farming. The area was nevertheless settled for farming, but was devastated in the Dust Bowl
drought.
There were rumours he was working on behalf of certain Caribbean islands and the Confederate states in America but there is no evidence he was a spy.
In 1869 he travelled to Novaya Zemlya
in Russia
with another brother, Frederick Palliser aboard the ship Sampson
.
Palliser was named a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG). He never married and retired to Ireland
, where he spent the rest of his life caring for his family. He died at his house, Comeragh House, Mahon Bridge, in County Waterford, Ireland in 1887. He is buried in the graveyard of Comeragh Church, Briska, Kilmacthomas
, Co. Waterford. The Alberta administration have placed a plaque on his grave in commemoration of his achievements.
The Fairmont Palliser Hotel
and the neighbourhood of Palliser in Calgary
, Alberta, are named after him, as are the Palliser Range
and Palliser Formation
of the Canadian Rockies
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
-born geographer
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
and explorer. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he was the son of Colonel Wray Palliser and a brother of Major Sir William Palliser
William Palliser
Major Sir William Palliser CB MP was an Irish-born politician and inventor, Member of Parliament for Taunton from 1880 until his death.-Early life:...
(1830-1882), all descendants of Dr William Palliser, Archbishop of Cashel
Archbishop of Cashel
The Archbishop of Cashel is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. The title is still in use in the Roman Catholic Church, but in the Church of Ireland it was downgraded to a bishopric in 1838....
(1644–1726).
From 1839 to 1863, Palliser served in the Waterford Militia, eventually with the rank of captain. He was also sheriff of Waterford. His first hunting expedition was in North America in 1847 during which time, Palliser wrote Solitary Rambles and Adventures of a Hunter in the Prairies, first published in 1853. He travelled back to Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
as leader of the British North American Exploring Expedition
Palliser Expedition
The British North American Exploring Expedition, commonly called the Palliser Expedition, explored and surveyed the open prairies and rugged wilderness of western Canada from 1857 to 1860. The purpose was to explore possible routes for the Canadian Pacific Railway and discover new species of plants...
, which travelled over the uncharted regions of the far west between 1857 and 1861. He made a topographical delimitation of the boundary between British North America
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
and the United States, from Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
to the coast of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. He was assisted by astronomer Lieutenant Thomas Blakiston
Thomas Blakiston
Thomas Wright Blakiston was an English explorer and naturalist.Born in Lymington, Hampshire, England, Blakiston was the son of Major John Blakiston, second son of Sir Matthew Blakiston, 2nd Baronet...
of the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, botanist Eugène Bourgeau
Eugene Bourgeau
Eugène Bourgeau was a native of Brizon in the département of Haute-Savoie in France. He had previously been a botanical collector in Spain, North Africa and the Canary Islands before joining the British North American Exploring Expedition of Western Canada from 1857 to 1860.-External links:*...
and geologist Dr James Hector
James Hector
Sir James Hector was a Scottish geologist, naturalist, and surgeon who accompanied the Palliser Expedition as a surgeon and geologist...
.
His travels took him to Rupert's Land, exploring a few rivers:
- White Fish River
- Kaministiquia RiverKaministiquia RiverThe Kaministiquia River is a river which empties into western Lake Superior at the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Kaministiquia is an Ojibwe word meaning " with islands" due to two large islands at the mouth of the river...
- North Saskatchewan RiverNorth Saskatchewan RiverThe North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....
- South Saskatchewan RiverSouth Saskatchewan RiverThe South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan....
- Red RiverRed River of the NorthThe Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
He returned to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1862 and presented his findings to the British Parliament. The information contained in his survey was instrumental in the ending of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
's ownership of Rupert's Land (lands encompassing all tributaries to Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
) with the Deed of Surrender in 1869. While Palliser is credited with opening up a new era of settlement and development in the Canadian West, his warnings about the unsuitability to agricultural development of the area now known as Palliser's Triangle
Palliser's Triangle
Palliser's Triangle, or the Palliser Triangle, is a largely semi-arid steppe region in the Prairie Provinces of Western Canada that was determined to be unsuitable for agriculture because of its unfavourable climate. The soil in this area is dark brown or black in color and is very nutrient-rich....
went unheeded. Palliser reported that the region, in southeastern Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and southwestern Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, was too arid for farming. The area was nevertheless settled for farming, but was devastated in the Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
drought.
In 1869 he travelled to Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya , also known in Dutch as Nova Zembla and in Norwegian as , is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe, the easternmost point of Europe lying at Cape Flissingsky on the northern island...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
with another brother, Frederick Palliser aboard the ship Sampson
Sampson
-Astronomy:* Sampson , a small impact crater near the central part of the Mare Imbrium on the Moon-Literature:* Samson, the figure in the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible* Sampson, a character in the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare...
.
Palliser was named a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG). He never married and retired to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, where he spent the rest of his life caring for his family. He died at his house, Comeragh House, Mahon Bridge, in County Waterford, Ireland in 1887. He is buried in the graveyard of Comeragh Church, Briska, Kilmacthomas
Kilmacthomas
Kilmacthomas or Kilmactomas , often referred to locally as "Kilmac", is a town on the River Mahon in County Waterford, Ireland. It lies on the R677 immediately north of the N25 national primary road from Dungarvan to Waterford....
, Co. Waterford. The Alberta administration have placed a plaque on his grave in commemoration of his achievements.
The Fairmont Palliser Hotel
Fairmont Palliser Hotel
The Fairmont Palliser, is a hotel of the Canada-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain. The historic hotel is located in downtown Calgary, Alberta on 9th Avenue South adjacent to the Calgary Tower and Palliser Square...
and the neighbourhood of Palliser in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta, are named after him, as are the Palliser Range
Palliser Range
The Palliser Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies that lies in the extreme southeast corner of Banff National Park.The Palliser Range is part of the East Banff Ranges of the Central Front Canadian Rockies....
and Palliser Formation
Palliser Formation
The Palliser Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Famennian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. found in the ranges of the Canadian Rockies and foothills....
of the Canadian Rockies
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...