The Frontier World of Edgar Dewdney

Barry M. Gough is a professor of history at Wilfrid Laurier University
and the author of The Northwest Coast: British Navigation, Trade, and
Discoveries to 1812 and First Across the Continent: Sir Alexander
Mackenzie.

This book is the first full-length biography of the prominent B.C.
politician and statesman Edgar Dewdney (1835–1916). Dewdney was an
Englishman trained in Cardiff as a civil engineer who achieved wealth
and fame as a surveyor of lands in British Columbia. In 1872, he became
the MP for Yale in the Dominion Parliament. A loyal Tory with an
extensive knowledge of Indian affairs, he later served as lieutenant
governor of the North-West Territories and as minister of the interior.
Throughout his years of public service, he brought considerable skills
and energy to the task of empire building.

This biography is marred by the biographer’s lack of empathy for his
subject and failure to address the inner workings of the man. At times,
Titley seems apologetic about Dewdney and even, in his last chapter,
seeks to diminish the importance of the frontier in Canadian and North
American development. Although the concept of frontier is clearly in a
state of transition, this book does not leave us with a new model for
future frontier studies. Nevertheless, Titley provides a solid account
of Dewdney’s career, and his book boasts a fine index.