Arthur Oliver Wheeler

Arthur Oliver Wheeler was born in Kilkenny (The Rocks, Maddoxtown) on 1st May 1860.

The Rocks

After attending school in Dublin and Galway he spent two years in Dulwich College in London from age fourteen. Emigrating to Canada with his family in 1876 he lived in the town of Colingwood, a port on Lake Huron, until he went to work for the Surveyor General of Canada, Dr Edouard Deville who was pioneering the use of photography as a means of land surveying. Wheeler was to be one of the pioneers in this work.

After qualifying as a surveyor in 1881 he spent some time working in the prairie provinces around Winnipeg and Saskatchewan. He enjoyed travelling by canoe and became an expert in handling the craft and was impressed by the vast lonely spaces of the region - the 'Great Lone Land' as portrayed by William Francis Butler.

In 1885 the North West Rebellion (Riel Rebellion) took place; an armed resistance movement by the Metis, and first nations of Cree and Assiniboine that was suppressed by the Canadian Militia. Wheeler had joined a special Surveyors Corp and was wounded in action.

from 'Wheeler'
by Esther Fraser

In 1888 he married Clara Macoun, the daughter of another Irish immigrant and their son Edward Oliver was born in 1890. The family moved west to Calgary where Arthur spent the next decade working as a surveyor. By this time the Canadian Pacific Railway had been completed and the company was encouraging mountaineers from Europe and the United States to use its services to reach the spectacular mountains of the Selkirks and Rocky ranges. Chalets were built at Glacier House, Swiss mountain guides were hired to assist aspiring climbers and in 1901 it even 'persuaded the great Edward Whymper to spend a season in the Rockies - the "Lion of the Matterhorn" would make headlines'.

Their meeting on a westbound train may have inspired Wheeler to use the services of experienced mountain guides in his survey work, carrying heavy photographic equipment on the high, glaciated summits in the Selkirk range. He was thrilled and excited by his first venture on to a glacier. The Swiss guides were employed for the higher climbs but by 1902 Wheeler had mastered the climbing techniques and of thirty five high camera stations only two required the assistance of the guides. He made a number of First Ascents, notably Mt Oliver (8,379ft) and Mt Wheeler (11.023ft). The first was named for his son, Oliver, who accompanied him on the climb and the latter he, without modesty, named for himself!

Mt Wheeler. Wikipedia

The purpose of the two year Selkirk survey was to provide accurate maps and information for the ever increasing number of climbers and explorers in the region. The Selkirk Range was his report of all that was known about every aspect of the range and was published in 1905 and by this time Wheeler was acquiring a distinct reputation among the climbing fraternity.

Through his meetings with some of the renowned visiting mountaineers (particularly Edward Whymper of Matterhorn fame) Wheeler became convinced of the value of a national mountaineering club. Others supported him in this; a countrywide campaign was launched and in 1906 the Alpine Club of Canada was founded. Arthur Wheeler was elected its first President, a position he held (under the title of Managing Director) until 1926. He also acted as editor of the club's Alpine Journal for the twenty years up to 1927. Although others were certainly involved in the club's foundation, it is claimed that "... without Wheeler, Canada would have had to wait a long time for an Alpine Club" In a publication to mark the centenary of the discovery of the Columbia Icefield it is recorded that "the people of Canada owe a special debt to A.O. Wheeler for the important role he played in expanding the boundaries of Jasper National Park to include a large part of the Columbia Icefield."

In the winter of 1907/8 Arthur visited Europe. He attended the Alpine Club's Jubilee celebration dinner in London and went on to make his only recorded climb in Swiss Alps. He also took the opportunity to visit the place of his birth and took a stroll on the banks of the River Nore at his childhood home. In the following years he disposed of his remaining property in Kilkenny thus severing the last direct link with this country and setting his roots firmly in Western Canada.

He continued his work with the Alpine Club of Canada for some years after his retirement. He died in 1945 in Banff, British Columbia, where he rests in Banff cemetery among the mountains he loved.