The northern horizons of Guy Blanchet : intrepid surveyor, 1884-1966

The working life of the distinguished surveyor Guy Blanchet reflects the story of northern Canada in the first half of the twentieth century. Beginning his career in the boreal forests of Alberta and Saskatchewan, using pack horses and dog teams, Blanchet went north to map large areas of the Barrens by canoe, and soon became caught up in pioneer northern aviation. His story encompasses the Great Depression and the Second World War, which in turn led to his work finding the routes for oil pipelines. His life was rich in contacts with First Nations people, and his friendships included most of the well-known northern travellers of the time. While Blanchet did not seek adventure, adventure often found him and he had many narrow escapes. While Blanchet published a number of articles about his experiences, this is the first time his fascinating life story has been told in book form. "From 1921 to 1925 he carried out exploratory surveys in the Mackenzie and Keewatin districts of the Northwest Territories. His work was centered in the Great Slave Lake area and northward, which he traversed by canoe and on foot, encompassing over 300 OOO square km from Hay River on the west to the Dubawnt River on the east, the 60th parallel on the south to the Coppermine River on the north. Until then, the easterly shoreline of Great Slave Lake had appeared on maps much as Capt. George Back had placed it in the early 19th century Guy Blanchet mapped large areas of the Barrens by canoe and soon became caught up in pioneer northern aviation. He did not seek adventure, but it often found him