William Fraser Tolmie - Early Career

Early Career

At the age of 20, Tolmie received a medical degree from the University of Glasgow, after which he joined the Hudson's Bay Company and soon sailed for the Pacific Northwest. In the spring of 1833 he arrived at Fort Vancouver. Soon after arriving he was sent to the proposed site for Fort Nisqually, at the southern end of Puget Sound near the Nisqually River delta. The route was via canoe up the Cowlitz River then overland by horse. Tolmie's journal provides the first detailed account of this route, today essentially that of Interstate 5.

Tolmie stayed at the newly built Fort Nisqually for seven months, until December 1833.

In June 1833 there was an earthquake at Fort Nisqually. Tolmie's journal entry about it is the first recorded eyewitness description of an earthquake in the Puget Sound region.

While at Nisqually he wrote in his journal about nearby Mount Rainier and his desire to see it more closely. In August 1833 he arranged a "botanizing excursion" to the mountain, with Lachalet, a Nisqually, and Nuckalkat, a Puyallup, as guides. Three other Native Americans joined the party. They traveled through the thick forests, following the general course of the Puyallup River to the Mowich River and into what is today the northwest part of Mount Rainier National Park. Wanting to reach the snow level, Tolmie chose the nearest snowy peak and climbed it with Lachalet and Nuckalkat. Tolmie Peak is named for this event, although it is not known exactly which peak was summited. During the expedition, Dr. Tolmie discovered a new species of saxifrage which is now known as Tolmie's Saxifrage (Saxifraga tolmiei). Due to this trip, Dr. Tolmie was the first European to explore the Puyallup River valley and Mount Rainier.

At the end of 1833, Tolmie went to the HBC post of Fort Simpson before returning to Europe. In 1834 and 1835 he served at the new HBC post of Fort McLoughlin.