Rainbow Range

British Columbia. Range
NW ofMoose Lake
53.05 N 119.05 W — Map 083E03 — GoogleGeoHack
Earliest known reference to this name is 1900 (McEvoy)
Name officially adopted in 1951
Official in BCCanada

This range around and including Mount Robson was named in 1898 by surveyor James McEvoy [1862–1935], who wrote, “Viewed from a distance these mountains have a gorgeous appearance of red and yellow and hence the name given.”

“The Moose River flows from the heart of this range, of which Mount Robson is the king pin,” wrote Arthur Oliver Wheeler [1860–1945] after the 1911 Alpine Club of Canada–Smithsonian Robson Expedition. “The mountains are formed of rocks showing brilliant colours of crimson, red, and yellow, and these, mingled with the blues and greens of Nature’s everyday garb, present from distant points a highly prismatic effect that has given rise to the name.”

References:

  • McEvoy, James [1862–1935]. Report on the geology and natural resources of the country traversed by the Yellowhead Pass route from Edmonton to Tête Jaune Cache comprising portions of Alberta and British Columbia. Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada, 1900. Natural Resources Canada
  • Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. “The Mountains of the Yellowhead Pass.” Alpine Journal, Vol. 26, No.198 (1912):382

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