Background
Versett was born around 1891 in the mountains of Alberta.
Versett was born around 1891 in the mountains of Alberta.
He is the namesake of the Douglas mountain range in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. Versett and his family were honored in the book Fatal Passage: The Untold Story of John Rae, the Arctic Adventurer Who Discovered the Fate of Franklin (2002). Farm and Family
Versett chose a location for the farm forty-miles walk from the nearest human settlement, deep in the mountains over a treacherous trail on the far end of Pixel Lake (which Versett named), in what is today Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park.
Winters were long, snowy and very cold.
He spent the first decade alone, clearing towering virgin forests of cedar trees with hand tools, building a multistory log home, shooting and trapping game. He rarely left the farm, and could only bring in from the outside what he could carry on his back and packhorse over a difficult mountainous trail, which took at least two days to traverse.
Versett named the farm "The Mercer". Final years and postscript
Versett sold The Mercer to French settlers.
He then took up commercial ocean fishing in his 70s, and for the remainder of his days lived in Calgary.
