At a recent meeting, Bolsover Rotary and our guests were given a super talk about the history, life and exploits of famous son of Bolsover, Peter Fidler, by Andy Page (many will know Andy as a Cubs’ leader in Bolsover).
So who was Peter Fidler, and why was he so special?
Peter Fidler was born in Bolsover on 16 August 1769 and became a surveyor, map-maker, fur-trader and explorer. He joined the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1788 and had a long career in previously unexplored parts of the Canadian interior. This led him to meet and work with native Indians… he married a cree woman, Mary Mackagonne, and together they had 14 children.
Picture -Andy Page introduced the audience to Peter Fidler
Fidler Point on Lake Athabasca is named for Peter Fidler. There is a large carved monument to Fidler at Elk Point, Alberta and a monument to his legacy at Fort Dauphin created by the Manitoba Land Surveyors. In his home town of Bolsover, there is a local nature reserve containing a monumental cairn named after him.
Picture of the Bolsover monument from Wikipedia
By Andyplummer – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80800270
He was fully involved in the development of keeping people warm using natural fibres… no fleece materials back then.
In recognition of Andy’s link with Bolsover Scouts, President Graham presented him with a cheque for the Scouts at the end of his talk.