Mervin Vavasour facts for kids

Mervin Vavasour (born 1821, died March 27, 1866) was an important member of the Royal Engineers. This was a special group of engineers in the British Army.

Mervin Vavasour's Early Life

Mervin Vavasour was likely born in 1821 at Fort George, in what was then called Upper Canada. His father, Captain Henry William Vavasour, was also a Royal Engineer. His mother was Louisa Dunbar.

In February 1837, Mervin joined the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich, England. He became a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on March 19, 1839. Later, he was sent to Montreal, arriving there in September 1841. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1842.

The Oregon Mission

Fort Victoria Plan

In 1845 and 1846, Lieutenant Vavasour went on a special mission. He traveled with another officer, Henry Warre. Their job was to secretly check if the British Army could fight in the Columbia District. This area is now known as the Oregon Country in the United States.

Why the Mission Happened

This mission was part of a big disagreement called the Oregon Question. Both Britain and the United States claimed control over this land in North America. The U.S. President, James K. Polk, wanted to expand American control to the west coast.

Vavasour and Warre pretended to be regular travelers. They said they were exploring for fun and science. But secretly, they were evaluating the land and the forts of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). This company controlled much of the fur trade in the area. They sent all this secret information back to London in 1846.

Challenges for the British Army

Fort Edmonton Plan

Even though there was a lot of talk about war, neither Britain nor the U.S. wanted to fight. They had already fought two wars in the past 70 years. So, they settled the dispute through diplomacy, which means talking things out. Britain gave up its claims to lands near the lower Columbia River and Puget Sound.

Vavasour's report showed that the British Army would face many problems if they tried to fight there.

• The HBC forts were not ready for military use.
• Many American settlers were already moving into the territory using the Oregon Trail.
• The Rocky Mountains made it very hard to get supplies to British troops.

Later Career and Retirement

After his mission, Vavasour sailed back to England in October 1846. He worked in the British Isles and was promoted to 2nd captain in 1849. From 1851 to 1852, he was sent to the West Indies. He retired from full-time service in 1853.

Vavasour's Legacy

Vavasour published his notes and the drawings made by Warre in a book called Sketches in North America and the Oregon Territory (1849). This book contains some of the first European drawings of the Rocky Mountains. It also includes important records, like a detailed plan of Fort Edmonton from 1846. This plan helped guide the rebuilding of the fort as Fort Edmonton Park in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in the 1960s.

A mountain in Alberta, Canada, was named Mount Vavasour in his honor in 1918. It is located south of Mount Warre, which was named after his fellow explorer, Henry Warre. There is also a street named Vavasour Street in Savona, British Columbia.