George Joshua "Joshua" Umbach

Other Events:

• Honoured: , British Columbia, Canada; Umbach Peak named in his honour
• Name: Joshua Elder Umbach
• Name: Joshua Umbach
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-115374
• Residence: 1891, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Methodist
• Occupation: 1901, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada; Student
• Residence: 1913, Victoria, British Columbia

Notes:

Went to British Columbia from Ottawa in 1911. died while on the ferry from Vancouver 2 Feb 1930. Was surveyor general for the Province of British Columbia when he died.

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Joshua Elder Umbach (1879 \endash 1930) was born 24 September 1879 on a farm near Elmira, Ontario. He obtained a teacher's certificate, and taught for two years, then entered the "School of Practical Science" in Toronto, graduating in 1903. After serving several months with the Canadian Pacific Railway, he accepted a position in the Topographic Survey Branch in Ottawa. Here he worked until 1911, at which time he transferred to Victoria as a draftsman under the then surveyor-general George H. Dawson. During his regime in Victoria, he introduced a comprehensive scheme of triangulation control surveys to bring order to the previously disjoint surveys that had been done. He developed a systematic topographic survey by the photo-topographical method introduced by his former chief, the late Dr. Deville. After George Dawson retired, Joshua Umbach became the Surveyor-general of the Province of B.C. Umbach died suddenly of a heart attack on 2 February 1930 (obituary in the Daily Colonist February 3, 1930, p.5.) Umbach Peak is named in his honour.

2022. Alpine Club Of Canada Vancouver Island Section. https://accvi.ca/history-of-acc-vi-introduction/biographies/#umbach.