Ernest Ward Walker

(1875.12.26 - 1910.07.21)
SPS, DLS, SLS
Commission #008
(1910.05.09)

Ernest Ward Walker was born to Charles and Rachel Walker in Cayuga, Ontario on December 26, 1875.

“Comes from North Cayuga, County of Haldimand, where he received his Public and High School education, passing his Junior Leaving in 1898. Subsequently he took the Model School course in the Caledonia School, and after training the young ideas of North Cayuga for two years gave up the birch for a course in the S.P.S. In 1901 he registered in Civil Engineering, and has secured honors in both the first and second year examinations. E.W. is of a retiring nature, but always ready for a practical joke in the drafting room.”

Obtaining his ‘Junior Leaving’ refers to a basic teaching certificate like Saskatchewan had many years ago. You didn’t need a degree to teach. To get into the Model School course a candidate needed certain qualifications and a ‘Junior Leaving’ was one of those. This supports the information in the 1901 census that states Ernest was a school teacher.

Ernest completed his S.P.S. course and went onto post-graduate studies and in 1905 obtained his degree with honours as well as ‘Fellow in Hydraulics’.

After graduating, he came to Regina and was “Assistant to Mr. H. S. Carpenter on surveys in Regina District. On March 27, 1907 he obtained his Commission as Dominion Land Surveyor and the 1st of May in same year was appointed District Surveyor and Engineer for the Regina Public Works District …”

Research shows that from 1908-1910, Ernest is shown as being a civil engineer/surveyor with Public Works of the Provincial Government.

In early 1910, Ernest travelled to Peterborough, Ontario and on January 6, 1910 married Lulu Rosetta Huyck.

Ernest received his SLS commission on May 9, 1910. He only has a couple of plans in the DLS system and did no township survey work in the province.

At this point in time, we are not sure of the reasons why, but on July 21, 1910 Ernest passed away. We do know that on the 18th of July Ernest signed his will. We also know that his executors were his wife and Melville Bell Weekes, SLS. What makes this story even more tragic is that Ernest’s wife was pregnant at the time. On October 14, 1910, Ernest Ward Walker Jr. was born in Winnipeg only to pass away 9 months later and sadly Lulu, from a possible spinal disease, passed away on October 17, 1913. 

Prepared by M. L. J. Waschuk, SLS, P. Surv., 2018

Sources: Library and Archives Canada; NRCan; Archive.org; Ancestry.com; NewspaperArchives.com; University of Toronto Publications; SLSA; Peel’s Prairie Provinces-University of Alberta; Vital Stats-Manitoba; Vital Stats-Saskatchewan; Family Search.org; Technical: Carl Shiels.