Golden Square Mile in Montréal, Québec — Central Canada (French-Canadian)

Frank Dawson Adams

1859-1942

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 22, 2024

1. Frank Dawson Adams Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[Français] Géologue de grande réputation, Adams, né à Montréal, reçut sa formation à McGill et à Heidelberg. Il quitta la Commission géologique du Canada en 1889 pour enseigner la géologie à McGill et devint professeur titulaire en 1893. Il fut par la suite doyen de la faculté des sciences appliquées et vice-principal de l'université. Sa production scientifique le fit admettre à la Société royale du Canada en 1896 et à la Royal Society of London en 1907. Titulaire de la médaille Flavelle en 1937, il avait présidé en outre le Congrès géologique international (1913) et la Société géologique d'Amérique (1918). Il mourut à Montréal.

[English] Born in Montreal, educated at McGill and at Heidelberg, Adams came from the Geological Survey of Canada to McGill in 1889. Rising to the rank of Professor by 1893, he subsequently served as Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and as Vice-Principal of the University. The author of numerous scientific papers, he was elected F.R.S.C. in 1896, F.R.S. in 1907, and was awarded the Flavelle Medal in 1937. Among other offices he held the presidency of the Royal Society of Canada and of the International Geological Congress in 1913 and that of the Geological Society of America in 1918. He died at Montreal.

Erected 1950

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by Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada/Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Historic Sites and Monuments Board series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1859.

Location. 45° 30.265′ N, 73° 34.643′ W. Marker is in Montréal, Québec. It is in Golden Square Mile. It can be reached from McTavish Street 0.2 kilometers north of Rue Sherbrooke Ouest (Québec Route 138), on the right when traveling north. The marker is mounted at eye-level on the south/front facade of the Redpath Museum on the McGill University campus. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 859 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal QC H3A 2K6, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

and the Western World.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 22, 2024

2. Frank Dawson Adams Marker

The marker is mounted on the right side of the Redpath Museum south/front entrance.

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Right Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier (within shouting distance of this marker); École Polytechnique Massacre (within shouting distance of this marker); Second World War Commemorative Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); To the Memory of The Honourable James McGill (within shouting distance of this marker); Le Cercle Universitaire de McGill / McGill University Faculty Club (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); The International Labour Organization (ILO) / L'Organisation internationale du Travail (OIT) (about 120 meters away); So We Will Not Forget: / Puissions-nous ne jamais oublier : (about 150 meters away); Hochelaga (about 180 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montréal.

Also see . . . Frank Dawson Adams (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: At the age of sixteen he entered the Applied Science Program at McGill University, where he studied geology with John William Dawson (Principal of McGill since 1852) and Bernard Harrington (who had set up the Applied Science program). He graduated with first class honors in
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 22, 2024

3. Redpath Museum (south/front elevation)
Applied Science in 1878, then spent a year at the Yale Scientific School, where he studied German, French, and mineralogy.
In 1889 Adams was appointed Lecturer in Geology at McGill University. He was appointed Logan Professor of Geology after the retirement of John William Dawson in 1892 and held this position until his own retirement in 1924. Though he was working full-time at McGill, he continued to spend summers in the field.
He received many honors during his career, first becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1896, a Fellow of the Royal Society (of Great Britain) in 1907, an International member of the American Philosophical Society in 1916, a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1917, an International Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1920, and awarded the Flavelle Medal, which is given for outstanding contributions to biological science, in 1937. The Frank Dawson Adams Building at McGill University is named in his honor.
A plaque in his honor was erected on the Redpath Museum on the McGill campus in 1950.

(Submitted on March 25, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 22, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 97 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 25, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.