George Mercer Dawson (1849-1901) conducts surveys in British Columbia to mark geological structures, evaluate mineral resources, assess the agricultural potential of land, and make recommendations for the paths of railways. Dawson’s work greatly contributes to the facilitation of non-Indigenous resource extraction and settlement. During a visit to Haida Gwaii in 1878, Dawson develops an interest in Haida culture which leads him to pursue ethnological work later in his life with Indigenous nations in BC. 

Zeller, Suzanne and Gale Avrith-Wakeam, “DAWSON, GEORGE MERCER,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 13, University of Toronto/Université Laval, (1994). Accessed March 14, 2021. http://biographi.ca/en/bio/dawson_george_mercer_13E.html.

Winslow-Spragge, Lois. No Ordinary Man: George Mercer Dawson 1849-1901, edited by Lockner, Bradley. Toronto: Dundurn, 1993.