Mark Sweeten Wade
Encyclopedia
Mark Sweeten Wade was a medical doctor and noted historian of early British Columbia
history. A doctor at the Kamloops Home for Men in the 1920s, he was able to interview many veterans of the province's early gold rush, including many of the more famous names in the history of the Cariboo Road
, the Cariboo Gold Rush
and the Overlanders of 1862. He also wrote on medical legislation and hospital policy in the province of British Columbia as well as a biography of explorer Alexander Mackenzie
. His works have served as an important source of biographical and historical detail by later historians.
He was born in Sunderland, County Durham
, England
on November 23, 1858. His parents were John Wade of Stockton-on-Tees
and his mother was Mary Sweeten of Barnard Castle
. After an education in British public schools (what would in North America be called private schools) and matriculated in the Faculty of Medicine at Durham University
. He emigrated to Canada in 1881 and pursued further studies in medicine at Fort Wayne, Indiana
and returning to Canada in 1882 was hired as a medical officer for the Canadian Pacific Railway survey with the party surveying the Qu'Appelle, Regina, Moose Jaw and Swift Current area. In the fall of that year he returned to school at the University of Toronto
General Hospital, finishing in 1883. He returned to England for a short visit, then upon re-entry to Canada at Victoria, B.C.
registered as a medical practitioner and took land in the Surrey
area, practicing there until 1884. He hired on with Andrew Onderdonk
s construction operations for the Canadian Pacific Railway
, then based in Spences Bridge and Savona
. There he met Emma Uren, daughter of James Bottrell Uren, who ran the local hotel and also the ferry, on March 10, 1885. Upon the completion of the CPR he moved to Clinton
and was the resident physician there until 1889.
In 1889 Wade went to San Francisco to study medicine at the University of California
, returning to live in Victoria after graduation and practicing medicine there until 1895. During a major smallpox epidemic in 1892 he was appointed Chief Medical Officer of the province by Premier
Theodore Davie
. In 1895, he moved to Kamloops and open practice as an ear, nose and throat specialist in offices across from that city's Dominion Hotel. A growing interest in newspaper writing led to his appointment as Editor of the Inland Sentinel when that paper's editor and publisher, F.J. Deane
, was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly
of British Columbia
for Yale-West
(which Kamloops was in at the time) and needed to be freed up from his editorial activities to pursue politics in Victoria and around the riding
. Although the provincial legislature as yet did not have political parties, both men were ardent Liberals and the newspaper espoused Liberal politics. In the same year he was appointed doctor for the Provincial Home for men and the local jail, and in 1899 he was appointed coroner and in 1900 elected vice-president of the Kamloops Liberal Association and also elected to the Board of Trade
. Deane lost re-election in 1902 to F.J. Fulton and due to most such appointments in the province being from patronage
, Wade also lost his position as jail doctor and coroner.
Deane bought the Nelson Miner in 1902 and renamed it the Nelson Daily News, with Wade also contributing to it as a writer. In 1904 Deane sold the Inland Sentinel to Wade, who continued publishing it as a small paper covering only local and district news. In 1910, he tied the paper into a wire service
and expanded it to eight pages as a weekly, covering world news and little local news. Wade's acvitiies on the Board of Trade and a group known as the 10,000 Club (which like others of its time sought to promote growth in the city to a population of 10,000), Wade engaged in an adevertising campaign to draw industries to the city, promoting ventures such as a tourist hotel, steamboat service on the North Thompson River, a cannery, a creamery, a flour mill and a cold storage plant.. As part of his promotional zeal and in time for the Christmas sales market of 1907, Wade published The Thompson Country, which biographer Mary Gulliford notes was error-ridden and "had an air of carelessness. It was probably due to increased demand for advertising of the Kamloops district that caused the hurried job." Wade also took part in the city's negotiations with the Canadian National Railway
concerning sites for stations and shops
in the Kamloops area for that railway's expansion of a line to the Okanagan
. Wade helped organized the memorial service for King Edward VII, held in the city's Riverside Park and was on the city's welcoming committee when Prime Minister
Sir Wilfrid Laurier
came to town. He sold the Sentinel in 1912 and was elected alderman in 1913, retiring from the position and touring Europe briefly in 1914, returning to serve as a member of the medical board examining new recruits for the Canadian Expeditionary Force
.
During his lifetime Wade wrote two books other than The Thompson Country, Mackanzie of Canada: The Life and Adventurers of Alexander Mackenzie, Discoverer which was the first biographer ever published on the famous explorer. His The Overlanders of '62, which had been commissioned by the provincial government, was unfinished at the time of his death and was edited and published by provincial Archivist and Librarian John Hosie in 1932. His biographer summarizes
Wade died in 1929 leaving his wife Emma and son M. Leighton; another son, Daryl Fred, had died in 1920 after operating as an auto mechanic in Kamloops from 1912 and serving in the war from 1916 onwards to its completion. M. Leighton earned a [Bachelor of Science|B.Sc.] from McGill University
and was involved in construction of the Mt. Olie power plant near Kamloops in 1913 and later supervised construction of hydroelectric development at Adams Lake, also becoming superintendent of the East Kootenay Power Co. in 1930 and from 1934 onwards was in charge of the Kamloops area highway department.
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...
history. A doctor at the Kamloops Home for Men in the 1920s, he was able to interview many veterans of the province's early gold rush, including many of the more famous names in the history of the Cariboo Road
Cariboo Road
The Cariboo Road was a project initiated in 1860 by the colonial Governor of British Columbia, James Douglas...
, the Cariboo Gold Rush
Cariboo Gold Rush
The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Although the first gold discovery was made in 1859 at Horsefly Creek, followed by more strikes at Keithley Creek and Antler Horns lake in 1860, the actual rush did not begin until 1861, when these discoveries were...
and the Overlanders of 1862. He also wrote on medical legislation and hospital policy in the province of British Columbia as well as a biography of explorer Alexander Mackenzie
Alexander Mackenzie
Alexander Mackenzie, PC , a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.-Biography:...
. His works have served as an important source of biographical and historical detail by later historians.
Biography
- This section is paraphrased from "Dr. Mark Sweeten Wade", an unpublished typescript by Mary Gulliford on the Kamloops Museum and Archives website.
He was born in Sunderland, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on November 23, 1858. His parents were John Wade of Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
and his mother was Mary Sweeten of Barnard Castle
Barnard Castle
Barnard Castle is an historical town in Teesdale, County Durham, England. It is named after the castle around which it grew up. It sits on the north side of the River Tees, opposite Startforth, south southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne, south southwest of Sunderland, west of Middlesbrough and ...
. After an education in British public schools (what would in North America be called private schools) and matriculated in the Faculty of Medicine at Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
. He emigrated to Canada in 1881 and pursued further studies in medicine at Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
and returning to Canada in 1882 was hired as a medical officer for the Canadian Pacific Railway survey with the party surveying the Qu'Appelle, Regina, Moose Jaw and Swift Current area. In the fall of that year he returned to school at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
General Hospital, finishing in 1883. He returned to England for a short visit, then upon re-entry to Canada at Victoria, B.C.
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
registered as a medical practitioner and took land in the Surrey
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
area, practicing there until 1884. He hired on with Andrew Onderdonk
Andrew Onderdonk
Andrew Onderdonk was a construction contractor who worked on several major projects including the San Francisco seawall in California and the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia. He was born on August 30, 1848 in New York to an established Dutch family. He received his education at the...
s construction operations for 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...
, then based in Spences Bridge and Savona
Savona, British Columbia
Savona is a small community located at the west end of Kamloops Lake, where the Thompson River exits it. It is approximately halfway between Kamloops and Cache Creek along the Trans-Canada Highway...
. There he met Emma Uren, daughter of James Bottrell Uren, who ran the local hotel and also the ferry, on March 10, 1885. Upon the completion of the CPR he moved to Clinton
Clinton, British Columbia
Clinton is a village in British Columbia, Canada, located approximately 40 km northwest of Cache Creek and 30 km south of 70 Mile House.It is considered by some to straddle the southern edge of the Cariboo country of British Columbia, although others consider Ashcroft-Cache Creek, Lillooet, Savona,...
and was the resident physician there until 1889.
In 1889 Wade went to San Francisco to study medicine at the University of California
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
, returning to live in Victoria after graduation and practicing medicine there until 1895. During a major smallpox epidemic in 1892 he was appointed Chief Medical Officer of the province by Premier
Premier of British Columbia
The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...
Theodore Davie
Theodore Davie
Theodore Davie was a British Columbia lawyer, politician and jurist. He practiced law in Cassiar and Nanaimo before settling in Victoria and becoming a leading criminal lawyer. He was the brother of Alexander Edmund Batson Davie. Theodore Davie was first elected to the provincial legislature in...
. In 1895, he moved to Kamloops and open practice as an ear, nose and throat specialist in offices across from that city's Dominion Hotel. A growing interest in newspaper writing led to his appointment as Editor of the Inland Sentinel when that paper's editor and publisher, F.J. Deane
Francis John Deane
Francis John Deane was a newspaper publisher and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Yale-North in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1898 to 1900....
, was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
of British Columbia
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
for Yale-West
Yale-West
Yale-West was a provincial electoral district in the British Columbia legislature that appeared only in the 1894, 1898 and 1900 elections. It and its sister ridings Yale-West and Yale-East were created from the older three-member Yale riding, which was one of the province's first twelve as of 1871...
(which Kamloops was in at the time) and needed to be freed up from his editorial activities to pursue politics in Victoria and around the riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
. Although the provincial legislature as yet did not have political parties, both men were ardent Liberals and the newspaper espoused Liberal politics. In the same year he was appointed doctor for the Provincial Home for men and the local jail, and in 1899 he was appointed coroner and in 1900 elected vice-president of the Kamloops Liberal Association and also elected to the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
. Deane lost re-election in 1902 to F.J. Fulton and due to most such appointments in the province being from patronage
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
, Wade also lost his position as jail doctor and coroner.
Deane bought the Nelson Miner in 1902 and renamed it the Nelson Daily News, with Wade also contributing to it as a writer. In 1904 Deane sold the Inland Sentinel to Wade, who continued publishing it as a small paper covering only local and district news. In 1910, he tied the paper into a wire service
Wire Service
Wire Service is an American drama series that aired on ABC as part of its 1956-57 season lineup.-Synopsis:Wire Service focuses on three reporters for the fictional Trans-Globe wire service, which was similar to real-life news wire services such as the Associated Press and United Press International...
and expanded it to eight pages as a weekly, covering world news and little local news. Wade's acvitiies on the Board of Trade and a group known as the 10,000 Club (which like others of its time sought to promote growth in the city to a population of 10,000), Wade engaged in an adevertising campaign to draw industries to the city, promoting ventures such as a tourist hotel, steamboat service on the North Thompson River, a cannery, a creamery, a flour mill and a cold storage plant.. As part of his promotional zeal and in time for the Christmas sales market of 1907, Wade published The Thompson Country, which biographer Mary Gulliford notes was error-ridden and "had an air of carelessness. It was probably due to increased demand for advertising of the Kamloops district that caused the hurried job." Wade also took part in the city's negotiations with the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
concerning sites for stations and shops
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
in the Kamloops area for that railway's expansion of a line to the Okanagan
Okanagan
The Okanagan , also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as Okanagan Country is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. As of 2009, the region's population is approximately 350,927. The...
. Wade helped organized the memorial service for King Edward VII, held in the city's Riverside Park and was on the city's welcoming committee when Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
came to town. He sold the Sentinel in 1912 and was elected alderman in 1913, retiring from the position and touring Europe briefly in 1914, returning to serve as a member of the medical board examining new recruits for the Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
.
During his lifetime Wade wrote two books other than The Thompson Country, Mackanzie of Canada: The Life and Adventurers of Alexander Mackenzie, Discoverer which was the first biographer ever published on the famous explorer. His The Overlanders of '62, which had been commissioned by the provincial government, was unfinished at the time of his death and was edited and published by provincial Archivist and Librarian John Hosie in 1932. His biographer summarizes
"It was said of Wade as a historian "no pains in research were too strenuous" and certainly The Overlanders displays this trait. He possessed every scrap of evidence on the Overlanders that was to be had in diaries and correspondence and by word of mouth. The book is very meticulous and a fascinating work."
Wade died in 1929 leaving his wife Emma and son M. Leighton; another son, Daryl Fred, had died in 1920 after operating as an auto mechanic in Kamloops from 1912 and serving in the war from 1916 onwards to its completion. M. Leighton earned a [Bachelor of Science|B.Sc.] from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and was involved in construction of the Mt. Olie power plant near Kamloops in 1913 and later supervised construction of hydroelectric development at Adams Lake, also becoming superintendent of the East Kootenay Power Co. in 1930 and from 1934 onwards was in charge of the Kamloops area highway department.