Mapping the Frontier : Charles Wilson’s Diary of the Survey of the 49th Parallel, 1858-1862, While Secretary of the British Boundary Commission

Hardcover with dust jacket, 182 pages, 5.5x10.5 in - 14x21.5 cm, B&W illustrations and photographs.

Top edge and pages moderately tanned. Front free endpaper, title page, and p.5 stamped by previous owner. Cover wrapped in Brodart, wrappers taped to boards by previous owner.

In 1858, the British Boundary Commission (alongside an American team) began surveying the 49th parallel to demarcate the United States from what would become British Columbia. The survey party included Charles Wilson, a young member of the Royal Engineers, who kept a journal of his experiences. With a sense of adventure and good-natured humor, Wilson’s journal describes the activities and challenges of the surveyors: his stories range from the mundane (breaking camp in the morning) to the humorous (poking fun at an American companion’s table etiquette) to the perilous (encountering poisonous snakes and spiders). Since he spent time in urban centres, smaller outposts, and the wilderness, Wilson’s journal includes descriptions of the lives of fur traders, First Nations groups, and early settlers.