Joseph Hunter (May 7, 1839 – April 8, 1935) was a Scottish-born surveyor, civil engineer and political figure in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. He represented

Cariboo The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia, Canada, centered on a plateau stretching from Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the Caribou (North America), caribou that were once abundant in the reg ...

from 1871 to 1875 and from 1900 to 1903 and Comox from 1890 to 1898 in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1898 and 1903 provincial elections. Hunter was born in Milton of Murtle near

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

in 1839 and educated at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

. He came to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

in 1864. From 1872 to 1874, he worked performing surveys for the future

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

including one route across what is now

Wells Gray Provincial Park Wells Gray Provincial Park is a large wilderness park located in east-central British Columbia, Canada. The park protects most of the southern, and highest, regions of the Cariboo Mountains and covers 5,415 square kilometres (541,516 hectares or ...

. He discovered and named the

Murtle River The Murtle River is a river in east-central British Columbia, Canada. It rises from a large unnamed glacier in the Cariboo Mountains at an elevation of and flows southwest for to the head of gigantic Murtle Lake. The river also drains Murtle Lake ...

and

Murtle Lake Murtle Lake is a lava dammed lake located in Wells Gray Provincial Park, east-central British Columbia, Canada. It is fed primarily by the Murtle River which rises from a large unnamed glacier in the Cariboo Mountains at an elevation of and fl ...

for his birthplace.Neave, Roland (2023). ''Exploring Wells Gray Park'', 7th edition. Wells Gray Tours, Kamloops, BC. . In 1875, Hunter was employed by the Canadian government to establish a boundary between the province of British Columbia and the state of Alaska on the

Stikine River The Stikine River ( ) is a major river in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States. It drains a large, remote upland area known as the Stikine Country east of the Coast Mountains. Flowing west and ...

. In 1883, he became chief engineer for the

Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway The Island Corridor, previously the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway (E&N Railway), is a railway operation on Vancouver Island. It is owned by the Island Corridor Foundation, a registered charity. The railway line is in length from Victoria to ...

; in 1886, he also became general superintendent for that railway. In 1878, Hunter married Frances Ellen, the daughter of John Robson. He died in 1935, aged 94.

References

1839 births 1935 deaths Politicians from Aberdeen Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia Independent MLAs in British Columbia 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia {{Independent-BritishColumbia-MLA-stub