William Dempster
| William Dempster | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
21 October 1876 Wales, United Kingdom |
| Died | 25 October 1964 (aged 88) Victoria, British Columbia |
| Resting place | Burnaby, British Columbia |
| Police career | |
| Department |
North-West Mounted Police, Royal Canadian Mounted Police |
| Country | Canada |
| Years of service | 1897 - 1934 |
| Rank | Inspector |
| Memorials | Dempster Highway |
William John Duncan "Jack" Dempster was a member of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) in the Yukon Territory during the early 20th century. He gained notice for his involvement in finding the Lost Patrol, three NWMP officers and an ex-MWMP officer/guide who disappeared on the trail between Fort McPherson and Dawson City in the winter of 1910-11.
The Dempster Highway in northern Canada is named for him.
Dempster was born in Wales on October 21, 1876. He emigrated to Canada as a young man. In 1897, he joined the North-West Mounted Police and was posted to the Yukon the following year.
He served in various communities in the north for the next ten years. In 1907, he began participating in the annual mid-winter dog sled mail patrols between the NWMP detachments in Dawson City and Fort McPherson, a trip of 800 kilometres (500 mi) through the wilderness.
In the winter of 1910-11, the mail patrol was commanded by Inspector Francis Joseph Fitzgerald. The patrol included Fitzgerald, Constables George Kinney and Richard Taylor, and former constable Samuel Carter as guide. They left Fort McPherson on December 21, 1910. The time required for the trip depended heavily on the weather; previous patrols had taken as few as 14 days and as many as 56 for the one-way journey. Fitzgerald took enough supplies for 30 days and may have been seeking to set a new record for the trip.
Weather conditions on the trail were poor, with heavy snow and low temperatures. Carter, who had only traveled the route in the opposite direction, was not able find the path through the Richardson Mountains. In late December, the patrol encountered local Kutchin families but Fitzgerald did not choose to hire one as a guide. Conditions worsened after January 3, with temperatures averaging −46 °C (−51 °F) and strong winds. On January 12, with only nine days food remaining, they were still lost. Fitzgerald was determined to continue, and it was not until January 18 that they turned back to Fort McPherson.
When the patrol failed to arrive in Dawson City by late February 1911, Corporal Dempster was dispatched with Constables J.F. Fyfe and F. Turner and First Nations guide Charlie Steward to find and rescue them. They departed Dawson on February 28. Dempster was initially confident of finding the patrol, given Fitzgerald's experience in the north.
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Wikipedia