The 9 separate drawings - as well as the drawings, prints, and maps, inserted in the two grangerized volumes of Bigsby's The Shoe and Canoe - document John Jeremiah Bigsby's career in Canada. As an assistant surgeon who had trained at the University of Edinburgh, he joined the British Army in 1816, and was posted to Canada in 1818. While stationed here, he developed an interest in geology, and undertook a number of sketching and geological excursions in Lower and Upper Canada. He subsequently became a member of the US-Britain Boundary Commission delineating the Canadian-American boundaries agreed upon in the Treaty of Ghent in 1814. As a result of his membership in this commission, he undertook further journeys to Lake Huron in 1820, to Lakes St. Clair and Erie in the summer of 1821, and to the north shore of the St. Lawrence in the fall of 1821. In 1822, he visited Niagara Falls, and in 1823, as part of the Boundary Commission, helped explore and map the region between Fort William on Lake Superior, and the Lake of the Woods. The astronomer and mapmaker for the Commission (some of whose work appears in this fonds) was David Thompson. Bigsby remained in Canada until late 1826 or 1827, when he returned to England.
Most of the drawings and maps relate to specific sites and show his interest in the geology of the regions he visited. However, there are also some excellent images of fur trade posts and native settlements. In addition to work by Bigsby, the work of a number of other individuals is included in the volumes: maps by David Thompson, a print after Daniel Wadsworth, sketches by Lieutenants Skene, Shaw, and C.R. Robe, and one after a sketch by American Army Major Long. In the text of the book, mention is also made of sketching expeditions with Colonel Forrest (to the Falls of St. Feriole) and Captain Vivian (to Niagara Falls).
Bigsby, John J. (John Jeremiah), 1792-1881 : John Jeremiah Bigsby (1792-1881), medical officer with the British Army, geologist.
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