Historical Sketch
This observatory is a branch of the Department of the Interior of the Federal Government, the department which has charge of the administration of the western lands of the Dominion. In the colonization of these lands, one of the obvious first needs was a survey of the boundaries and subdivision into townships and sections. This need led to the organization of a surveys branch of the department and out of the necessity of accurate astronomical observations to delimit the boundaries and define the position of the base lines for subdivision work arose the astronomical branch. The first Chief Astronomer of Canada, the late Dr. W. F. King, was a man of sterling integrity and remarkable ability and to his genius must be ascribed in large degree the present development of astronomy in Canada. As Chief Astronomer and H. M. Commissioner of International Boundaries, he early realized the need of an observatory for an initial meridian, for housing and standardizing the instruments, and for some astronomical research. He was successful in having the fine Dominion Observatory erected on the Experimental Farm, Ottawa, in 1905 which housed the Astronomical Branch, the staff of the International Boundary Surveys and later the Geodetic Survey of Canada, of which he was the first superintendent.
The Dominion Observatory was equipped with a 15-inch refractor provided with micrometer, photometer, solar and stellar cameras, and spectrograph. The writer was entrusted with the work with this telescope and the spectroscopic work especially was energetically developed and helped, with the other activities of the institution, to bring gratifying recognition from the scientific world. The need of a larger aperture for extending this part of the work was soon realized by the writer and was brought to the attention of the Government. After some delays, owing to various circumstances, it was finally decided early in 1913 to provide a large reflector for extending the work. Enquiries were at once made, specifications prepared and estimates obtained from prospective makers of the instrument. Contracts were finally awarded in October 1913 to the John A. Brashear Co. of Pittsburgh for the optical parts and to the Warner & Swasey Co. of Cleveland for the mechanical parts of a 72-inch reflecting telescope.