Valley Gazetteer

Valley gazetteer

Morfee Mountain

Arthur Lawrence MORFEE was born in London, Eng. On 27 May 1897 and immigrated to Canada around 1913, moving to London, ON.   After serving Canada during WW1 he became interested in aerial photography.  One way to learn was to join the fledgling RCAF and learn not only the photography but he also became a pilot. 

In the early 1930s a third aerial mapping detachment from the RCAF base at Jericho Beach in Vancouver was posted to Summit Lake with Flight Leader A. L. Morfee in charge.  He flew up the trench and area as far north as Finlay Forks.  That is who Morfee Mountain, Lake, and creek are named after.

Parsnip River

The river is named after a plant that grows profusely along it’s banks.  The Cow PARSNIP or Heracleum Maximum.  It is the only member of the genus Heracleum native to North America.

Cow parsnip is a tall herbaceous perennial plant that can reach heights of over 2 meters (7 feet).  The thick flower stems, coming into season in the early summer, can be peeled and eaten cooked when young.  The plant contains furanocoumarins and some of these are known to have antimicrobial properties and are responsible for a rash producing burn like blisters.