Macoun, John National Historic Person
Ottawa, Ontario
John Macoun, 1902
(© Topley Studio / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, Topley Studios fonds / PA-033784)
Address :
240 McLeod Street, Ottawa, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2011-07-19
Life Date:
1831 to 1920
Other Name(s):
-
Macoun, John
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2010-012
Importance:
First to survey, document and categorize the flora of the country in a systematic manner; leading figure in support of federal plans to populate and develop Canada's West
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 240 McLeod Street, Ottawa, Ontario
This field naturalist and botanist was the first to survey, document, and categorize Canadian flora in a systematic manner. After Confederation, he travelled west for the Canadian Pacific Railway with surveying parties and controversially concluded that a semi-arid prairie region, known as Palliser’s Triangle, could sustain ranching and wheat cultivation. He amassed a vast number of botanical specimens during his lifetime, which served as the foundation of Canada’s national collection. Through his publications and international exchanges of information and exemplars, he greatly enriched the emerging field of botany.