Category Archives: Place

Eremite Mountain

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Alberta. Mountain
ead of Eremite Creek
52.6325 N 118.2453 W — Map 083D09 — Google — GeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1935
Official in Canada
This mountain appears on:
Boundary Commission Sheet 28 (surveyed in 1921)

The descriptive name for this mountain was applied in 1916 by surveyor Morrison Parsons Bridgland [1878–1948]. The remote position of this mountain reminds one of an eremite, a hermit. The other features take their names from this mountain.

References:

  • Karamitsanis, Aphrodite [1961–]. Place names of Alberta. Volume 1: Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1991
Also see:

Wates-Gibson Hut

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Alberta. Backcountry hut
Tonquin Valley near headwaters of Astoria River
52.6633 N 118.2567 W Google — GeoHack
Not currently an official name.
Cyril G. Wates.

Cyril G. Wates. Canadian Alpine Journal, Vol 29, No. 2, p. 277

The hut is named for Cyril G. Wates [1883–1946] and E. Rex Gibson [1892–1957].

Three successive huts have stood in the Eremite Creek valley of Jasper National Park, providing access to numerous hikes, climbs, and ski trips in the Eremite and Tonquin valleys. The present Wates-Gibson-Memorial Hut, built in 1967, is the third: the original Memorial Cabin was built in 1930, and replaced in 1947 by the Wates-Memorial Hut.

This third version of the Wates-Gibson Hut was built in 1959 after two previous structures in different locations were found to be inadequate.

As of 2023, there is a seasonal closure in place for mountain caribou conservation. No access to this backcountry area is permitted between November 1 and May 15.

References:

  • Bulyea, H. E. “A trip to the Geikie valley.” Canadian Alpine Journal, Vol. 13 (1923):140
  • Wates, Cyril G. [1883–1946], and Gibson, E. Rex [1892–1957]. “The Ramparts in 1927.” Canadian Alpine Journal, Vol. 16 (1927):85-95
  • Kariel, Herbert G. [1927–], and Kariel, Patricia E. Alpine huts in the Rockies, Selkirks and Purcells. Banff, Alberta: Alpine Club of Canada, 1986
  • Hayes, Scott. “End of an era as outfitters leave Tonquin Valley.” Jasper Fitzhugh, December 21 (2022). Jasper Fitzhugh
  • Hayes, Scott. “Eco groups support ‘difficult decision’ to buy out Tonquin Valley leases.” Jasper Fitzhugh, January 11 (2023). Jasper Fitzhugh

Tonquin Valley

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Alberta. Valley: Athabasca River drainage
Leads to Tonquin Pass and Amethyst Lakes from the Athabasca River side of the Continental Divide
52.7181 N 118.2678 W — Map 083D09 — Google — GeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1935
Topo map from Canadian Geographical Names
This valley appears on:
Boundary Commission Sheet 28 (surveyed in 1921)

As of 2023, here is a seasonal closure in place for caribou conservation. No access to this backcountry area is permitted between November 1 and May 15.

Also see:

Amethyst Lakes

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Alberta. Lakes: Athabasca River drainage
Headwaters of Astoria River
52.7 N 118.2769 W — Map 083D09 — Google — GeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1935
Official in Canada
This lakes appears on:
Boundary Commission Sheet 28 (surveyed in 1921)
Anethyst Lake. A. Y. Jackson, 1927

Anethyst Lake. A. Y. Jackson, 1927
Jasper National Park, Canadian National Railways

Richard William Cautley [1873–1953] in his report on the Alberta-British Columbia Boundary Commission survey notes that “the Amethyst Lakes, both a beautiful blue, add colour to the scene.”

References:

  • Cautley, Richard William [1873–1953], and Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Report of the Commission appointed to delimit the boundary between the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Part II. 1917 to 1921. From Kicking Horse Pass to Yellowhead Pass.. Ottawa: Office of the Surveyor General, 1924. Whyte Museum
  • Holmgren, Eric J., and Holmgren, Patricia M. Over 2,000 place names of Alberta. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Modern Press, 1973. Internet Archive

Moat Lake

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Alberta. Lake: Athabasca River drainage
Head of Moat Creek near Tonquin Hill
52.7233 N 118.3081 W — Map 083D09 — Google — GeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1978
Official in Canada
This lake appears on:
Boundary Commission Sheet 28 (surveyed in 1921)

Referenced by Cyril G. Wates [1883–1946] in 1923.

James Monroe Thorington [1895–1989] visited the region in 1924:

Moat Lake is finely situated in the eastern hollow of Tonquin Pass and sends a stream to join with a northern outflow from Amethyst Lakes; and, in an expanse of willow-covered, marshy ground, drains both to Meadow and Maccarib Creeks.

References:

  • Wates, Cyril G. [1883–1946]. “Mount Geikie.” Canadian Alpine Journal, Vol. 13 (1923):47-53
  • Thorington, James Monroe [1895–1989]. The Glittering Mountains of Canada. A record of exploration and pioneering ascents in the Canadian Rockies 1914-1924. Philadelphia: John W. Lea, 1925, p. 213. Internet Archive
Also see:

Meadow Creek

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Alberta. Creek: Athabasca River drainage
Flows N into Miette River
52.8672 N 118.2492 W — Map 083D16 — Google — GeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1978
Topo map from Canadian Geographical Names
This creek appears on:
Boundary Commission Sheet 28 (surveyed in 1921)
Boundary Commission Sheet 29 (surveyed in 1917)

The name was “suggested by the Topographical Survey due to its proximity to the Meadows Fire Ranger Station” — the Alberta-British Columbia Boundary Commission surveyors.

References:

  • Karamitsanis, Aphrodite [1961–]. Place names of Alberta. Volume 1: Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1991. Internet Archive