Major Hart River is named in honour of Major Edward Barton Hart. It was named by the Government of British Columbia on January 17, 1952.
Edward Barton Hart was born in Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland in December 1872. It is unclear as to when he immigrated to Canada but he did enlist in the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles and saw service in the Boer War with this regiment, attaining the rank of major by the end of the conflict. Returning to Canada at the end of June 1902 with the 2nd CMR, he joined the Royal North West Mounted Police and was notably involved with the RNWMP 1911 exploratory trip from Dease Lake to Fort Nelson, and up the Prophet River, in Northern British Columbia. By 1913 – 1914, Edward Barton Nelson was completing the first reconnaissance survey in the area of the Turnagain River and the river that would bear his name, in the Cassiar Land District. In January 1916, he once again answered the “call to arms” and enlisted in the 88th Battalion (Victoria Fusiliers), Canadian Expeditionary Forces, sailing for England in June 1916. He survived the battles of the First World War and returned to Canada, though little is known of him after his return.
