Ellwood Wilson, Forester and Visionary: An Introspective Study

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
Ellwood Wilson, Forester and Visionary: An Introspective Study
Abstract
Born in Philadelphia, Ellwood Wilson (1872-1952) studied forestry engineering in Germany and in England before being appointed in 1907 Chief Forester engineer at the Laurentide Co paper-mill of Grand-Mère (Quebec). He initiated the St-Maurice Forest Protective Association, the first grouping of paper-mills intent in protecting the resource against forest fires. The need to have forest inventories brought Wilson to look towards aeronautics as a more effective and faster means than the long expeditions on the ground. The author analyzes photographs and personal papers of Wilson to highlight his contributions to Canadian aviation history. Two of Wilson’s initiatives shaped the course of Canadian commercial aviation: the establishment in 1919 of Canada’s first commercial bush flying operation for the Laurentide Paper Company of Grand-Mère, for use in forest fire detection, transportation and mapping, and the founding in 1922 of the Fairchild Aerial Surveys Company at Lac-à-la-Tortue.
Publication
C.A.H.A.: The Journal of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society
Volume
Vol. 42
Issue
no. 4
Pages
124-131
Date
2004
Language
en
Citation
Thiffault, Pierre. “Ellwood Wilson, Forester and Visionary: An Introspective Study.” C.A.H.A.: The Journal of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society Vol. 42, no. 4 (2004): 124–131.
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