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Title: Joseph William Spencer fonds.
Dates: 1874-1918.
Extent: 0.25 m of textual records.
Biographical sketch: Born in Ontario in 1851, Joseph William Winthrop Spencer graduated from McGill University in 1874 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and Mineralogy. He received an M.A. and Ph.D. from Gottengen University, graduating in 1877, as well as another M.A. from King's College University in Nova Scotia in 1880. Spencer was a member of the Geological Society of London, the Geological Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Upon leaving college, he assisted Dr. Robert Bell on the Canadian Geological Survey. Spencer was able to restore the outlines of the ancient Laurentian River and tributaries drowned beneath the lake waters or buried under drift deposits. He also discovered most of the changing physics of the Niagara River.
Custodial history: The fonds was acquired from Bernard Amtmann Incorporated, Montreal in 1960. The papers were then transferred to University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections with an accession of the President's Office in 1978.
Scope and content: The fonds contains handwritten and typed manuscripts, notes, sketches, tables, reprints, and published articles of J.W.W. Spencer's writings regarding the history of geology in Canada, the United States, and the West Indies. Of particular interest are Professor Spencer's geological findings in the Great Lakes and Niagara regions of southern Ontario and his notes on railway transportation in Canada.
Restrictions: Restrictions on publishing material in the fonds may apply.
Accruals: No further accruals are expected.
Finding aid: A printed finding aid is available in the Archives reading room.