William Fraser Tolmie ( "Dr. Tolmie") (February 3, 1812 – December 8, 1886) was a surgeon, fur trader, scientist, and politician. He was born in Inverness, Scotland, in 1812, and by 1833 moved to the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

in the service of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

(HBC). He served for two years, 1832-33 at

Fort McLoughlin Fort McLoughlin was a fur trading post established in 1833 by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) on Campbell Island in present-day British Columbia, Canada. At the time the Hudson's Bay Company performed quasi-governmental duties on behalf of the Br ...

. He served at

Fort Nisqually Fort Nisqually was an important fur trading and farming post of the Hudson's Bay Company in the Puget Sound area, part of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department. It was located in what is now DuPont, Washington. Today it is a living h ...

, an HBC post at the southern end of

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

, from 1843 to 1859. In 1859 he moved to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, British Columbia, where he continued serving the HBC as well as becoming active in politics. His written works include ''Comparative Vocabulary of the Indian Tribes of British Columbia'' (1884), and his journals, published in 1963 as ''The Journals of William Fraser Tolmie''.

Early career

At the age of 20, having spent 3 years attending medical classes at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, Tolmie qualified as a Licentiate of the

Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, is an institute of physicians and surgeons in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by Peter Lowe after receiving a royal charter by James VI in 1599, as the Glasgow Faculty, it originally exist ...

, after which he joined the Hudson's Bay Company and soon sailed for the

.William Fraser Tolmie
Leschi: Justice in Our Time. In the spring of 1833 he arrived at

Fort Vancouver Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading post that was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was located on the northern bank of th ...

. Soon after arriving he was sent to the proposed site for Fort Nisqually, at the southern end of Puget Sound near the

Nisqually River The Nisqually River is a river in west central Washington in the United States, approximately long. It drains part of the Cascade Range southeast of Tacoma, including the southern slope of Mount Rainier, and empties into the southern end of Pu ...

delta. The route was via canoe up the

Cowlitz River The Cowlitz River is a river in the state of Washington in the United States, a tributary of the Columbia River. Its tributaries drain a large region including the slopes of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens. The Cowlitz has a d ...

then overland by horse. Tolmie's journal provides the first detailed account of this route, today essentially that of

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...

. Tolmie stayed at the newly built Fort Nisqually for seven months, until December 1833. In June 1833 there was an earthquake at Fort Nisqually. Tolmie's journal entry about it is the first recorded eyewitness description of an earthquake in the Puget Sound region. While at Nisqually he wrote in his journal about nearby Mount Rainier and his desire to see it more closely. In August 1833 he arranged a "botanizing excursion" to the mountain, with Lachalet, a Nisqually, and Nuckalkat, a Puyallup, as guides. Three other Native Americans joined the party. They traveled through the thick forests, following the general course of the

Puyallup River The Puyallup River ( ) is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. About long, it is formed by glaciers on the west side of Mount Rainier. It flows generally northwest, emptying into Commencement Bay, part of Puget Sound. The river and its tribu ...

to the

Mowich River The Mowich River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Its drainage basin, watershed drains a portion of the western side of Mount Rainier, part of the Cascade Range. The river has two main Source (river or stream), headw ...

and into what is today the northwest part of

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is an American national park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. The park was established on March 2, 1899, as the fourth national park in the United States, preservi ...

. Wanting to reach the snow level, Tolmie chose the nearest snowy peak and climbed it with Lachalet and Nuckalkat. Tolmie Peak is named for this event, although it is not known exactly which peak was summited. During the expedition, Dr. Tolmie discovered a new species of plant which is now known as Tolmie's saxifrage ('' Micranthes tolmiei''). Due to this trip, Dr. Tolmie was the first European to explore the Puyallup River valley and Mount Rainier. Dr. Tolmie wanted to improve the area's relationship with the native Indians and couldn't agree with the prevailing point of view to convert the natives to Christianity. As a result of this crisis of conscience, he took a leave of absence to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, where he did postgraduate courses for two years. When he returned, he was appointed superintendent of the Puget Sound Agriculture Company's farm, a subsidiary of the

Hudson Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

. At the end of 1833, Tolmie went to the HBC post of

Fort Simpson Fort Simpson (Slavey language: ''Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́'' "place where rivers come together") is a village, the only one in the entire territory, in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located on an ...

before returning to Europe. In 1834 and 1835 he served at the new HBC post of

Fort McLoughlin

Dr. Tolmie served at

, adjacent to

Old Bella Bella Old Bella Bella, also known as Old Towns or Qlts, was the name for the Heiltsuk village that grew up around the Hudson's Bay Company's historic Fort McLoughlin, at McLoughlin Bay on Campbell Island. The village relocated to the present site of ...

during the early operation of the fort. Descriptions of his time at the fort include insights to

Heiltsuk The Heiltsuk or Haíɫzaqv , sometimes historically referred to as ''Bella Bella'', are an Indigenous people of the Central Coast region in British Columbia, centred on the island community of Bella Bella. The government of the Heiltsuk people ...

and other First Nations at the time, including attendance at a potlatch among the Heiltsuk. In 1835, Dr. Tolmie spent 10 days with area natives, and with their help, discovered high-quality coal which, before the opening of mines soon after, needed to be imported from Britain.

Commander of Fort Nisqually

In 1843 Dr. Tolmie returned to

(also called "Nisqually House" and "Nisqually Station"). When he returned in 1843 he decided to relocate the fort closer to the Edmond Marsh and Sequalitchew creek in order to have better access to fresh water. He served at Nisqually from 1843 to 1859. In 1847 he was promoted to Chief Trader, and in 1855 to Chief Factor. He worked to achieve good relationships with the region's Native Americans and the growing number of United States settlers. While employed at

, Dr. Tolmie continued his study of botany. Many of the medicinal plants and other specimens he was taught about by locals as well as discovered in his own right were sent to William. J. Hooker, director of the

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its living collections include some of the ...

. Dr. Tolmie also studied phrenology, a pseudoscientific study of the skull. In 1846 Tolmie served as a legislator in the

Provisional Legislature of Oregon The Provisional Legislature of Oregon was the single-chamber legislative body of the Provisional Government of Oregon. It served the Oregon Country of the Pacific Northwest of North America from 1843 until early 1849 at a time when no country had ...

representing Lewis County and HBC interests.Oregon Legislative Assembly 1845-1849 Sessions, (2nd Provisional) 1846 Regular Session
/ref>Gray, William H. A History of Oregon, 1792-1849, Drawn from personal observation and authentic information. Harris & Holman: Portland, OR. 1870.

Further Interactions with Native Americans

In 1857, Dr. Tolmie supported

Chief Leschi Chief Leschi (; 1808 – February 19, 1858) was a chief of the Nisqually Indian Tribe of southern Puget Sound, Washington, primarily in the area of the Nisqually River. Following outbreaks of violence and the Yakima Wars (1855–1858), as a l ...

, who was being tried for murders related to the

Puget Sound War The Puget Sound War was an armed conflict that took place in the Puget Sound area of the state of Washington in 1855–56, between the United States military, local militias and members of the Native American tribes of the Nisqually, Muckl ...

of 1855-1856. Tolmie visited the sites where Leschi was alleged to have been, measured distances, and determined it was impossible for Leschi to have made the trip to the murder site in the time required. Nonetheless, Leschi was executed in 1858. Later, the trial was judged to have been unlawfully conducted, the execution wrong, and Leschi innocent. Dr. Tolmie was credited with saving the American

settlement from a war among the natives. In a testimonial letter, William W. Miller, superintendent of Indian affairs for Washington Territory, wrote: "We are indebted to him for saving life and property, and for his influence on the Indians of Puget Sound. In our Indian wars of 1855/56, he laboured successfully to divert the horrors." Another testimonial, printed in the ''Victoria Daily Standard'' stated, "Dr. Tolmie did much to mollify savage dispositions by his able management of the Indians some quarter of a century, thus paving the way for peaceful occupation of the west." In 1884, Dr. Tolmie collaborated with G.M. Dawson in the research and production of an exhaustive vocabulary of Pacific coast Indian dialects. In 1885, Dr. Tolmie Published ''Utilization of the Indians of British Columbia.'' It stands as a work of advocacy towards the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. In it he condemned the national government for its neglect of an entire group of people.

Vancouver Island

In 1859 the Hudson's Bay Company transferred Tolmie to Fort Victoria on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

. He served on the HBC Board of Management from 1861 to 1870, retiring from the company in 1871. In addition to working for the HBC, Tolmie became active in politics. He was a member of the

Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island The Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island, sometimes House of Assembly of Vancouver Island, was the colonial parliamentary body that was elected to represent voters in the Colony of Vancouver Island. It was created in 1856 after a series of ...

from 1860 to 1866 and a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1874 to 1878. He continued to study indigenous languages until his death on December 8, 1886.

Family

In 1850, Tolmie married Jane Work when she was 23 years old, and he 38. She was a daughter of John Work and Josette Legacée, a

Metis Metis or Métis may refer to: Ethnic groups * Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and America whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peoples and early European settlers, prima ...

whose mother was from the

Spokane tribe The Spokan or Spokane people are a Native American Plateau tribe who inhabit the eastern portion of present-day Washington state and parts of northern Idaho in the United States of America. The current Spokane Indian Reservation is located in ...

. They had twelve children, seven boys and five girls. They lived first at Fort Nisqually, then at Victoria, where their farm home adjoined the Work family's Hillside Farm. The Work and Tolmie cousins grew up together. Tolmie's son,

Simon Fraser Tolmie Simon Fraser Tolmie, (January 25, 1867 – October 13, 1937) was a veterinarian, farmer, politician, and the 21st premier of British Columbia, Canada. Early life Tolmie had a pioneer lineage, which aided him in his political aspirations ...

, was the twenty-first

Premier of British Columbia Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Legacy

William Fraser Tolmie's name is associated with Tolmie Peak near Mount Rainier and Tolmie's saxifrage (''Micranthes tolmiei''), which he discovered there. Tolmie State Park in Washington is named for him, as are

Mount Tolmie Mount Tolmie, elevation , is a hill and surrounding neighbourhood in Saanich, Greater Victoria, British Columbia. It is located on the ancestral lands of the Saanich and Songhees people. The majority of the mountain forms Mount Tolmie Park, a ...

Tolmie Channel The Inside Passage (french: Passage Intérieur) is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland. The route extends from southeaster ...

, and

Tolmie Point Tolmie is a surname of Scottish origin. People * Donald Tolmie (1923–2009), Canadian politician * Fraser Tolmie, 21st-century Canadian politician * Frances Tolmie (1840–1926), Scottish folklorist from Isle of Skye * J. C. Tolmie (James Cra ...

in British Columbia. Tolmie Street in

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 ...

is also named for him. Other plants bearing his name include Tolmie's star-tulip (''Calochortus tolmiei'') and Tolmie's onion (''Allium tolmiei''). The scientific name of

MacGillivray's warbler MacGillivray's warbler (''Geothlypis tolmiei'') is a species of New World warbler. These birds are sluggish and heavy warblers, preferring to spend most of their time on, or near the ground, except when singing. left, A MacGillivray's warbler p ...

is also named for him: ''Oporornis tolmiei''.MacGillivray's Warbler
Birds of the Rocky Mountains

Notes

References

"Tolmie, William Fraser".
The Canadian Encyclopedia.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
* *
Works by William Fraser Tolmie
at

The Online Books Page The Online Books Page is an index of e-text books available on the Internet. It is edited by John Mark Ockerbloom and is hosted by the library of the University of Pennsylvania. The Online Books Page lists over 2 million books and has several feat ...

''Comparative vocabularies of the Indian tribes of British Columbia with a map illustrating distribution''
Principal Author: Tolmie, W. Fraser (William Fraser), 1812–1886, Author: Dawson, George M., 1849–1901, Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada, Montreal : Dawson, 1884. "Published by the authority of Parliament." {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolmie, William Frazer 1812 births 1886 deaths People of North-Western Territory Hudson's Bay Company people Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia Canadian fur traders Chief factors Explorers of Canada Canadian explorers Canadian naturalists Members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Canadian diarists Linguistics writers Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon Mount Rainier 19th-century Canadian physicians 19th-century diarists