Memorable Manitobans: Christopher Vickers (1901-1994)

Editor, writer, naturalist, anthropologist, archaeologist, historian, ecologist.

Born at Edinburgh, Scotland on 18 June 1901, he came to Canada with his parents and brother to settle in the Greenway area in 1910. After completing grade 11 at Baldur, his hopes of attending university were dashed when his father became ill and he was forced to return to work the family farm. In 1924, he married Nettie Parsonage and farmed at Baldur until 1928, when they moved into town. Soon after, he was sent by the Manitoba Wheat Pool to work for the Nebraska Wheat Pool in Omaha where he first came in contact with archaeologists, piquing a childhood interest and leading to a lifelong passion for the subject.

He returned to Baldur in 1931, where he worked as secretary of the local school district and municipal land assessor. This gave him the opportunity to search for archaeological materials while visiting area farms. From 1941 to 1951, he excavated thirteen sites in the vicinities of Rock and Pelican Lakes with the help of his wife, son and three daughters. Working under the auspices of, and receiving financial assistance from, the Manitoba Historical Society, he catalogued the materials he found, wrote annual reports, and numerous papers for the professional and popular media.

In September 1952, he accepted a position as Provincial Editor for the Winnipeg Free Press, necessitating a move to Winnipeg,where he continued to promote field of archaeology while managing a network of 400 stringers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and northwest Ontario. He was responsible for preparing three annual crop reports covering the whole of western Canada, for which he traveled extensively. For nine years, he wrote a book review column entitled “By The Way”. He retired from the newspaper in February 1968.

Sometimes described as the “Father of Manitoba Archaeology”, Vickers was the first President of the Manitoba Archaeological Society, formed in 1961. A major part of his personal artifact collection was donated to the Department of Anthropology at the University of Manitoba. In 1970, he was awarded a Manitoba Centennial Medal by the Manitoba Historical Society.

Vickers died at Winnipeg on 9 September 1994.

His articles for the Manitoba Historical Society:

Archaeology in the Rock and Pelican Lake Area of Southern Manitoba
MHS Transactions, Series 3, 1944-45 Season

Aboriginal Backgrounds in Southern Manitoba
MHS Transactions, Series 3, 1945-46 Season

The Assiniboines of Manitoba
MHS Transactions, Series 3, 1951-52 Season

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Sourisford Linear Burial Mounds (RM of Arthur)

Sources:

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 13 September 1994, page C7.

This profile was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Profile revised: 29 March 2013

A collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Send corrections and additions to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Suggest a Memorable Manitoban  |  Sources  |  Acknowledgements Support the MHS and