Memorable Manitobans: Joseph Burr Tyrrell (1858-1957)

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Joseph Burr Tyrrell
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Geologist, explorer, surveyor, historian.

Born in Ontario on 1 November 1858, son of William Tyrrell (1916-1904) and Elizabeth Burr (1825-1906), he joined the staff of the Canadian Geological Survey in 1881 and between then and 1898, when he left to become a full time mining engineer in Toronto, he carried out explorations and surveys throughout northern Canada: north Alberta 1884-1887, northwest Manitoba 1887-1889, north Lake Winnipeg 1890-1891, North West Territories, Hudson Bay, and Manitoba northwest of Lake Winnipeg 1891-1896. Numerous photographs were taken in the course of these expeditions.

Tyrrell published numerous reports and papers on his explorations and on geological, mining, and historical subjects. He endowed a fund to permit British geologists to make field trips to Canada, and established the J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal of the Royal Society of Canada to be presented for the best work of Canadian history.

He died in Ontario on 26 August 1957. He is commemorated by the Tyrrell siding on the Wekusko Subdivision of the Hudson Bay Railway.

See also:

Joseph Burr Tyrrell - Nov. 1, 1858 - Aug. 26, 1957 by Barbara Johnstone
Manitoba Pageant,Volume 3, Number 1, September 1957

Sources:

Joseph Burr Tyrrell, FindAGrave.

We thank Ed Krahn for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 25 August 2023

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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