JANUARY, 2003 NEWSLETTER

Peakfinder Updates

During the past month we have completed the "Peaks by Highway" option. This feature enables users to select one of 24 highways in the Canadian Rockies and receive a list of all of the mountains that can be seen while driving along the chosen highway. For most of these mountains a view from the highway is included with the information about the peak. In case you're wondering, 607 of the 1532 peaks in the Rockies may be seen from the comfort of your vehicle. There are undoubtedly some oversights in this field of the database. Please try to find them. Corrections and suggestions are always appreciated.

Peakfinder includes a number of carefully selected links to related sites. Bruce Haig has some excellent material at www.ourheritage.net. If you'd like to follow in the footsteps of such noteworthy figures as Thomas Blakiston, James Hector, and Peter Fidler visit Bruce's excellent site.

If you have a favourite mountain photo or any information about the peaks of the Canadian Rockies that you would like included in Peakfinder please contact <dave@peakfinder.com>.

Please note that all of the previous newsletters have been archived and are available on the site. If you're interested in other esoteric lists, unusual mountain names, etc. browse through the earlier issues. 


January's Unusual Canadian Rockies Name

TUNNEL MOUNTAIN

What makes this an unusual name is the fact that there is no tunnel in Tunnel Mountain. The name was derived from an incident described by Charles Shaw, one of the surveyors for the Canadian Pacific Railway, as “the most extraordinary blunder I have ever known in the way of engineering.” The comment relates to a preliminary survey conducted through the Bow Valley which called for a tunnel to be built through the mountain. In 1882, these surveyors, led by Major Rogers of Roger's Pass fame, must have been in a hurry and just assumed that it would be best if the railway followed the river. Noting the difficulties associated with river crossings and the steep cliffs between the mountain and the northwestern edge of Mount Rundle, they recommended the tunnel. What they failed to notice was that if the railway simply passed around the northern slopes of the little mountain, there was nothing to hinder the construction.

Enter "Tunnel Mountain" in the Finding Peaks search box to learn more about this mountain. 

Look who's honoured in the Canadian Rockies

VINCENT MASSEY

Charles Vincent Massey was an educator, military officer, and industrialist (Massey-Harris). He later became the first Canadian Governor General of Canada (1952-1959).
For information about Mount Massey enter the name in the "Finding Peaks" search box on the main page.

January's Esoteric List

MOUNTAINS SEEN FROM HIGHWAY #541 (Lower Highwood Valley)

Mount Armstrong, Bull Creek Hills, Mount Burke, Mount Cornwell, Courcelette Peak, Gunnery Mountain, Hailstone Butte, Mount Head, Holy Cross Mountain (Alberta), Junction Mountain, Mount MacLaren, Mount Mann, Patterson's Peak, Pyriform Mountain, Raspberry Ridge, Sentinel Peak
For information regarding any of these mountains enter the name in the "Finding Peaks" section on the front page.

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