J. Dewey Soper
Encyclopedia
Joseph Dewey Soper was a widely-traveled Canadian Arctic explorer, zoologist, ornithologist, and prolific author.
's Walden Pond
and the works of Ernest Thompson Seton
. He attended Alberta College and the University of Alberta
where he studied zoology. Soper was first published at age 20.
In 1920, W. E. Saunders invited Soper to a naturalist's meeting at Point Pelee, Lake Erie
where Soper met Dr. R. M. Anderson who went on to invite Soper to work as a naturalist on the Federal Government's East Arctic Expedition. Soper was commissioned to document the arctic
flora and fauna of Baffin Island
, Beechey Island
, Bylot Island
, Devon Island
, Ellesmere Island
, northern Greenland
, and areas of Labrador
.
1924-26 Arctic expedition
In 1924, the National Museum of Canada retained Soper for an expedition to Baffin Island. Soper headquartered at a Royal Canadian Mounted Police
base that was also a Hudson's Bay Company
post. During this trip, Soper explored Nettilling Lake
, Koukdjuak River
, Cumberland Gulf
to Foxe Basin
, Amadjuak Bay
on Hudson Strait
, Cape Dorset covering more than 4000 miles (6,437.4 km) by dog sled
, boat, and canoe.
1928-31 Arctic expedition
Soper's biggest accomplishment, with the help of local Inuit
, was the successful six-year, 30,000-mile (50,000 km) search on Baffin Island
for the Blue Goose
(C. c. caerulescens) nesting grounds on Bluegoose Plain near Bowman Bay
in the Foxe Basin in the spring of 1929. The find was featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
, earning Soper the nickname "Blue Goose Soper".(Martin, 1995)
Government service
Soper joined the government service in 1934, becoming the first Federal Chief Migratory Bird Officer for the Prairie Provinces in the Canadian Wildlife Service
. In 1948, he became the Chief Federal Wildlife Officer for Alberta
, Northwest Territories
and Yukon
.
By the end of his career, Soper conducted three Arctic expeditions and published over 130 research papers and articles. His personal records, notebooks, mammal and bird collections, and research materials were bequeath to the University of Alberta.
in 1927 where he met and married the first graduate nurse in the Eastern Arctic, Carolyn ("Carrie") Freeman. Soper took his wife on his travels, and sometimes his young son, Roland. Though Soper was a zoologist, ornithologist, and explorer, he also collected Inuit
art, including ivory figures and enjoyed hunting. When he died in 1982, he was survived by his wife, daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren.
Mammals
Physical geography
Early years
Soper was raised near Rockwood, Ontario where he developed an interest in wildlife and natural history. His mother wanted Soper to be a minister; his father wanted Soper to work on the farm. Soper spurned organized religion, and was influenced by Henry David ThoreauHenry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
's Walden Pond
Walden Pond
Walden Pond is a 31-metre-deep lake in Massachusetts . It is in area and around, located in Concord, Massachusetts, in the United States...
and the works of Ernest Thompson Seton
Ernest Thompson Seton
Ernest Thompson Seton was a Scots-Canadian who became a noted author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians, and one of the founding pioneers of the Boy Scouts of America . Seton also influenced Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting...
. He attended Alberta College and the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
where he studied zoology. Soper was first published at age 20.
Career
1923 Arctic expeditionIn 1920, W. E. Saunders invited Soper to a naturalist's meeting at Point Pelee, Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
where Soper met Dr. R. M. Anderson who went on to invite Soper to work as a naturalist on the Federal Government's East Arctic Expedition. Soper was commissioned to document the arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
flora and fauna of Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
, Beechey Island
Beechey Island
Beechey Island is an island located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut, Canada, in Wellington Channel. It is separated from the southwest corner of Devon Island by Barrow Strait...
, Bylot Island
Bylot Island
Bylot Island lies off the northern end of Baffin Island in Nunavut Territory, Canada. At it is ranked 71st largest island in the world and Canada's 17th largest island. It is also one of the largest uninhabited islands in the world. While there are no permanent settlements on this Canadian Arctic...
, Devon Island
Devon Island
Devon Island , claimed to be the largest uninhabited island on Earth, is located in Baffin Bay, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is one of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the second-largest of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canada's sixth largest island, and the 27th...
, Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
, northern Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, and areas of Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
.
1924-26 Arctic expedition
In 1924, the National Museum of Canada retained Soper for an expedition to Baffin Island. Soper headquartered at a Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
base that was also a Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
post. During this trip, Soper explored Nettilling Lake
Nettilling Lake
Nettilling Lake [nech'iling] is a cold freshwater lake located toward the south end of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. It is also the world's largest lake on an island, with an area of 5,542 km2 and a maximum length of 123 km. The lake is in the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak about...
, Koukdjuak River
Koukdjuak River
The Koukdjuak River begins at the outlet of Nettilling Lake and empties into the Arctic Ocean. It is the namesake of the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak located in the Foxe Basin on western Baffin Island, Nunavut , northern Canada....
, Cumberland Gulf
Cumberland Sound
Cumberland Sound is an Arctic waterway in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is a western arm of the Labrador Sea located between Baffin Island's Hall Peninsula and the Cumberland Peninsula...
to Foxe Basin
Foxe Basin
Not to be confused with Fox Bay, Falkland IslandsFoxe Basin is a shallow oceanic basin north of Hudson Bay, in Nunavut, Canada, located between Baffin Island and the Melville Peninsula...
, Amadjuak Bay
Amadjuak Lake
Amadjuak Lake is a lake in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. Along with Nettilling Lake, it is located in south-central Baffin Island's Great Plain of the Koukdjuak. It is south of Burwash Bay. The closest community is Iqaluit...
on Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait links the Atlantic Ocean to Hudson Bay in Canada. It lies between Baffin Island and the northern coast of Quebec, its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley and Resolution Island. It is long...
, Cape Dorset covering more than 4000 miles (6,437.4 km) by dog sled
Dog sled
A dog sled is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing.-History:...
, boat, and canoe.
1928-31 Arctic expedition
Soper's biggest accomplishment, with the help of local Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
, was the successful six-year, 30,000-mile (50,000 km) search on Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
for the Blue Goose
Snow Goose
The Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...
(C. c. caerulescens) nesting grounds on Bluegoose Plain near Bowman Bay
Bowman Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Bowman Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary on western Baffin Island within part of the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak in Northern Canada's territory of Nunavut...
in the Foxe Basin in the spring of 1929. The find was featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
, earning Soper the nickname "Blue Goose Soper".(Martin, 1995)
Government service
Soper joined the government service in 1934, becoming the first Federal Chief Migratory Bird Officer for the Prairie Provinces in the Canadian Wildlife Service
Canadian Wildlife Service
The Canadian Wildlife Service or CWS is a branch of the Department of the Environment, also known as Environment Canada, a department of the Government of Canada....
. In 1948, he became the Chief Federal Wildlife Officer for Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
and Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
.
By the end of his career, Soper conducted three Arctic expeditions and published over 130 research papers and articles. His personal records, notebooks, mammal and bird collections, and research materials were bequeath to the University of Alberta.
Personal life
Soper visited his sister in Wetaskiwin, AlbertaWetaskiwin, Alberta
Wetaskiwin is a small city in the province of Alberta, Canada. The city is located south of the provincial capital of Edmonton. The city name comes from the Cree word wītaskīwin-ispatinaw , meaning "the hills where peace was made"....
in 1927 where he met and married the first graduate nurse in the Eastern Arctic, Carolyn ("Carrie") Freeman. Soper took his wife on his travels, and sometimes his young son, Roland. Though Soper was a zoologist, ornithologist, and explorer, he also collected Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
art, including ivory figures and enjoyed hunting. When he died in 1982, he was survived by his wife, daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren.
Honors
- Soper RiverSoper RiverThe Soper River is a waterway in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Baffin Island.It flows over and then empties to the Soper Lake and Pleasant Inlet....
; Soper LakeSoper LakeSoper Lake is a large, irregularly-shaped lake in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located on Baffin Island's Meta Incognita Peninsula. The Inuit name references the lake's meromictic attribute, a mixture of fresh and salt water caused by a set of reversing falls and 9-10 meter tides in...
; Dewey Soper Migratory Bird SanctuaryDewey Soper Migratory Bird SanctuaryDewey Soper Migratory Bird Sanctuary, or Dewey Soper, is a migratory bird sanctuary in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in western Baffin Island, from Bowman Bay to the Koukdjuak River, and is named in honour of zoologist J. Dewey Soper. It is an area that was classified a wetland of...
(the 3150 sq mi (8,158.5 km²) of western Baffin Island from Bowman Bay to the Koukjuak River) were all named after Dr. Soper - J. Dewey Soper Award by the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists, awarded to Canadian biologists
Awards
- 1960, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, University of Alberta
- 1978, Commissioner's Award, Northwest Territories
- Douglas H. Pimlott Conservation Award, presented by the Canadian Nature Federation
Partial bibliography
Birds- —. Waterfowl and Other Ornithological Investigations in Yukon Territory, Canada, 1950. Wildlife management bulletin, no. 7. Ottawa: Issued under the authority of the Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources, 1954.
- —. The Birds of Riding Mountain National ParkRiding Mountain National ParkRiding Mountain National Park is a national park in Manitoba, Canada. The park sits atop the Manitoba Escarpment. Consisting of a protected area , the forested parkland stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding prairie farmland. The park is home to wolves, moose, elk, black bears, hundreds of...
, Manitoba, Canada. Ottawa: Dept. of Resources and Development, National Parks Branch, Canadian Wildlife Service, 1953. - —. The Birds of Prince Albert National ParkPrince Albert National ParkPrince Albert National Park covers in central Saskatchewan, Canada and is located north of Saskatoon. Though declared a national park March 24, 1927, it had its official opening ceremonies on August 10, 1928 performed by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. The park is open all year but...
, Saskatchewan. Ottawa: Canadian Wildlife Service, 1952. - —. The Birds of Elk Island National ParkElk Island National ParkElk Island National Park , is one of 43 national parks and park reserves administered by the Parks Canada Agency. This “island of conservation” is located 35 km east of Edmonton, Alberta along the Yellowhead Highway, which nearly bisects the park...
, Alberta, Canada. Ottawa: Canadian Wildlife Service, 1951. - —. Waterfowl and Related Investigations in the Peace-Athabasca DeltaPeace-Athabasca DeltaThe Peace–Athabasca Delta is a large freshwater, inland delta in northeastern Alberta located where the Peace and Athabasca Rivers join the Slave River at the western end of Lake Athabasca.-Conservation :...
Region of Alberta, 1949. Ottawa: Canadian Wildlife Service, 1951. - —. The Blue Goose
An Account of Its Breeding Ground, Migration, Eggs, Nests and General Habits . Ottawa: F.A. Acland, 1930.
Mammals
- —. The Mammals of Waterton Lakes National ParkWaterton Lakes National ParkWaterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, and borders Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Waterton was Canada's fourth national park, formed in 1895 and named after Waterton Lake, in turn after the Victorian naturalist and conservationist...
, Alberta. Ottawa: Environment CanadaEnvironment CanadaEnvironment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
, Wildlife Service, 1973. - —. The Mammals of Jasper National ParkJasper National ParkJasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, spanning 10,878 km² . It is located in the province of Alberta, north of Banff National Park and west of the City of Edmonton. The park includes the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls and...
, Alberta. Ottawa: Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 1970. - —. The Mammals of Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada. Ottawa: Canadian Wildlife Service, 1953.
- —. The Mammals of Elk Island National Park, Alberta, Canada. Ottawa: Canadian Wildlife Service, 1951.
- —. The Mammals of Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada. Ottawa: Canadian Wildlife Service, 1951.
- —, and Alice E. Wilson. A Faunal Investigation of Southern Baffin Island. Ottawa: F.A. Acland, printer to the King, 1928.
Physical geography
- —. Papers on the Canadian Eastern Arctic in Relation to the R.C.M.P., Eskimos, Wildlife, Exploratory Surveying and Other Matters of General Interest. Edmonton, Alta: The author], 1966.
- —. Wood Buffalo ParkWood Buffalo National ParkWood Buffalo National Park, located in northeastern Alberta and southern Northwest Territories, is the largest national park in Canada at . The park was established in 1922 to protect the world's largest herd of free roaming Wood Bison, currently estimated at more than 5,000...
Notes on the Physical Geography of the Park and Its Vicinity. Ottawa: The Dept, 1939. - —. The Lake HarbourKimmirut, NunavutKimmirut is a community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located on the shore of Hudson Strait on Baffin Island's Meta Incognita Peninsula. Kimmirut means "heel", and refers to a rocky outcrop in the inlet.It was at one time a Hudson's Bay Company trading post, and a Royal...
Region, Baffin Island. New York: American Geographical SocietyAmerican Geographical SocietyThe American Geographical Society is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world...
, 1936.
External links
- Local Distributiono f Eastern Canadian Arctic Birds, Soper, 1940
- Biography, University of Alberta- includes list of Field Books, Notebooks, Catalogues, Manuscripts, Reports, Photographs, Sketches, Correspondence
- Obituary
- Photos