Martin Allerdale Grainger
Martin Allerdale Grainger was an influential figure born in 1874 in London, who later moved to Australia with his family. A bright student, he earned a scholarship to Cambridge University, graduating in mathematics in 1896. Seeking adventure, he ventured to the Klondike region of British Columbia, where he faced challenges that required him to take on various jobs for survival. Grainger's diverse experiences included fighting in the Boer War and working as a journalist, miner, and logger in Canada, during which he met Mabel Higgs, whom he later married. He is best known for his only literary work, "Woodsman of the West" (1908), the first serious novel set in British Columbia, which he wrote to fund his engagement. Grainger's career then shifted towards forestry, where he played a pivotal role in shaping British Columbia's forest policies, including the Forest Act of 1912. He became acting chief of forestry in 1917 and founded the Timberland Investigation and Management Company in 1922. His legacy also includes advocacy for land preservation, exemplified by the creation of Manning Park in 1941, shortly before his passing.
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Martin Allerdale Grainger
Writer
- Born: November 17, 1874
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: October 15, 1941
- Place of death: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Biography
Martin Allerdale Grainger was born in 1874 in London. Shortly after his birth, the family relocated to Australia. While in Australia, Grainger won a scholarship to attend Cambridge University, where he was an excellent student of mathematics. He graduated in 1896 and promptly left to do some exploring in the Klondike region of British Columbia. When he arrived, Grainger was quickly stranded and had to take on a number of different jobs to survive. He worked as a backpacker for the Hudson Bay Company and also looked after horses. He traveled to South Africa and fought in the Boer War before returning to Canada.
While in Canada, Grainger took jobs as a journalist, miner, and logger. It was during this time that he met and fell in love with Mabel Higgs, a friend of his sister’s from England. When Higgs returned to England, Grainger followed her, and the two soon became engaged. Martin Allerdale Grainger’s only literary work, Woodsman of the West (1908), was written in order to fund his engagement to Higgs and to pay for the pair’s return to British Columbia. The book, which was based on Grainger’s logging experiences, was the first serious novel set in British Columbia.
With his return to Canada, Grainger took up a position of secretary on a royal commission in 1910. Grainger’s job was to take an in-depth look at logging practices. Two years later, he wrote the Forest Act of 1912, which established British Columbia’s forest policies. In 1917 Grainger was awarded the position of acting chief of forestry, a position he held until 1920, when he started his own business. In 1922 he created the Timberland Investigation and Management Company; it later became U.S. Grainger Co., Ltd. During this time Grainger traveled throughout the area and became one of British Columbia’s earliest preservation advocates. The first step towards Grainger’s land-preservation goals was taken in 1941, when Manning Park was created. Granger died four months later.