Joseph William Spencer fonds, 1851-1921

MSS 30

25 cm of textual material

Born in Ontario in 1851, Spencer graduated from McGill University in 1874 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and Mineralogy. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Gottengen University graduating in 1877 as well as another M.A. from King's College University in Nova Scotia in 1880. Spencer was a member of the Geological Society of London, the Geological Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. On leaving college he assisted Dr. Robert Bell on the Canadian Geological Survey. Spencer was able to restore the outlines of the ancient Laurentian River and tributaries drowned beneath the lake waters or buried under drift deposits. He also discovered most of the changing physics of the Niagara River.

The collection, containing material ranging in date from 1874 to 1918, contains handwritten and typed manuscripts, notes, sketches, tables, reprints, and published articles of Spencer's writings regarding the history of geology in Canada, the United States and the West Indies. Of particular interest are Professor Spencer's geological findings in the Great Lakes and Niagara regions of southern Ontario and his notes on railway transportation in Canada.

Acquired from Bernard Amtmann Incorporated, Montreal, 1960. Accessioned with the papers of the President's Office of the University of Manitoba in 1978

Open to all researchers. Restrictions on publications

No further accruals are expected

Finding aid available