Frederick Whymper

In his youth, Whymper was a talented artist working to produce engravings for publication and having his landscapes on exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts in London from 1859 to 1861.

In 1864 he joined road builders in the area of Bute Inlet on the Pacific Coast, leaving shortly before the Chilcotin War.

In 1869, he went back to the United States, by way of New York City to San Francisco and worked on the staff of the newspaper Alta California.

City directories describe him as an artist and mining engineer, and in 1871 he was a founding member of the San Francisco Art Association.

Mount Whymper, north of Lake Cowichan in British Columbia, is named in honour of the early explorer, artist and writer.