Ernest Albert Cleveland (May 12, 1874 – January 8, 1952) was a Canadian engineer and first commissioner of the Greater Vancouver Water District from 1926 to 1952. The

Cleveland Dam The Cleveland Dam is a concrete dam at the head of the Capilano River in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that holds back Capilano Lake, also known as Capilano reservoir. Part of the Capilano River Regional Park, it stores a portion of ...

in North Vancouver is dedicated in his honour.

Life

Ernest Albert Cleveland was born in

Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' (play), a 1996 drama by Joshua Sobol about Alma ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, on May 12, 1874. He came to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in 1890, where he worked as a federal surveyor. He worked as an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

after graduating from

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

. Cleveland and Cameron, an engineering and surveying firm, was opened by Cleveland. He was appointed the first chief commissioner of the Great Vancouver Water District. When he retired in 1940, his work was considered so important that special legislation was passed so he could keep working. He died on January 8, 1952, in North Vancouver,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. He is buried in Ocean View Burial Park in

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

. With Sydney Williams, Captain Phil Thompson, R. Parkinson (a surveyor), and a Mr. Knox of Duncan, he was in the second party to climb

Grouse Mountain Grouse Mountain is one of the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Ranges in the District Municipality of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. With a maximum elevation of over 1,200m (4,100ft) at its peak, the mountain is the site of a ...

, on October 12, 1894. On that trip they shot a blue grouse, giving the mountain its name. That party was the first to climb Dam Mountain: from the top of this mountain they could see the old waterworks dam on the Capilano River, hence the name. They then proceeded onto, and were the first to ascend Goat Mountain, where they shot two goats on the summit: "one of which was secured while the other took a tumble over the cliffs above Crown Pass after being wounded." He later named Mount Fromme.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland, Ernest 1874 births 1952 deaths Canadian engineers People from Albert County, New Brunswick