In 1885 and 1886 Mr. Amos Bowman was engaged in geologically examining the Cariboo mining district of British Columbia, the expense of the undertaking being borne jointly by the Geological Survey of Canada and the Government of British Columbia. Mr. Bowman was assisted by Mr. James McEvoy, and for a part of the time by Messrs. S. P. Tuck and L. R. Voligny. The year 1885 was necessarily given chiefly to geographical and topographical work, but in the following year Mr. Bowman devoted most of his own time to the geological and mining features. His general report was published by the Geological Survey in the volume for 1887-88, together with a geological map of the district on a scale of two miles to an inch, and maps on a large scale of Hixon Creek and Island Mountain and Mosquito Creek.

It was intended to follow the report above mentioned by a second, in which detailed descriptions should be given of the principal auriferous creeks of the district. Maps of these creeks were prepared by Mr. Bowman and lithographed, but as he had in the meantime been obliged to sever his regular connection with the Survey in favour of urgent private business, the final correction and printing of these maps was only completed after long delays, and in June, 1894, Mr. Bowman died, without having written any descriptive matter to accompany these mining maps.

— George M. Dawson, Geological Survey of Canada, April, 1895

Amos B. Bowman was born at Blair, Ontario, but soon after, his parents moved to Ohio. Later he had a very distinguished career as a renowned scientist in Canada and the United States. Following university studies in Germany, he graduated as a civil and mining engineer, and traveled in Europe writing articles for the New York Tribune.

An outstanding authority on geology, he had charge of a five-year California geological survey. He then joined an official Canadian geological survey, surveying the Cariboo mining region, and prepared reports on many sections of British Columbia.

Mr. Bowman promoted the interests of Fidalgo Island in British Columbia, whose possibilities impressed him. In recognition of his services, the town of Anacortes was named after his wife, Anna Curtis Bowman. He published a newspaper, and gave liberally in land to induce the building of a railroad up the Skagit Valley.

It was said of this outstanding scientist that “he often impoverished himself to enrich others.”

— Waterloo Region Generations

Map
showing the Yellowhead Pass Route
from
Edmonton to Tête-Jaune Cache
1900

Compiled and drawn by J. McEvoy, B.A.Sc., from surveys by J. McEvoy, Topological Surveys Branch & Canadian Pacific Railways.

In 1898 James McEvoy [1862–1935] of the Geological Survey of Canada surveyed the Athabasca River valley for about 240 kilometres east of the Yellowhead Pass, and down the Fraser River on the west side of the pass for another 120 kilometres.

The splendid report of James McEvoy, published by the Geological Survey of Canada in 1900, dealing with the geology and natural history resources of the country traversed by the Yellowhead Pass route from Edmonton to Tête-Jaune Cache, contains the most comprehensive and reliable geographical information that has yet been published, and also contains the only geographical map published of that route on a sufficiently large scale to be of value.

— Arthur Oliver Wheeler [1860–1945], 1912

The general shape of northwestern North America south of the Arctic was now established, although innumerable details remained to be filled in, including the routes of Fraser River and Columbia River.

A General Chart:
Exhibiting the Discoveries made by Captn. James Cook in this and his two preceeding Voyages with the Tracks of the Ships under his Command

.
The map was drawn by Henry Roberts [1756–1796], a native to Shoreham, Sussex, who was an officer in the Royal Navy who served with James Cook [1728–1779] on Cook’s last two voyages [1].
According to the Champlain Society edition of Samuel Hearne’s journeys, this map was the first to show Cook’s route [2].
The map does not seem to appear in the 1796 Cook’s Voyage to the Pacific Ocean [3].

A Map of America
between Latitudes 40 and 70 North, and Longitudes 45 and 180 West
Exhibiting Mackenzie’s Track
From Montreal to Fort Chipewyan from thence
to the North Sea In 1789
and to the West Pacific Ocean in 1793

This map faces page 1 in the original version of Mackenzie’s Journals [1]

In 1793 Alexander Mackenzie [1764–1820] lead the first expedition of European descendants to cross the American continent north of Mexico.

He crossed the Continental Divide through a pass that remains unnamed, although a park has been created in its surroundings. The only name honouring Mackenzie in the Spiral Road region is Mount Sir Alexander, a mountain he never saw.

On the map of Mackenzie’s route across the Divide, the only original name that survives is Bad River, which appears next to his note, “Canoe Wreck’d.”

“Bad River” was superseded with the name “James Creek” by the Geographic Board of Canada in 1924; however, in 1976 to accommodate local usage, which dates to the earliest days of exploration in the northern Rocky Mountains, the name “Bad River (James Creek)” was established.