A Hunter of Peace is a reimagined and illustrated edition of Mary T. S. Schäffer’s 1911 travel memoir, Old Indian Trails of the Canadian Rockies. The book recounts Schäffer’s adventurous journeys through the uncharted wilderness of the Canadian Rockies in the early 1900s, guided by Indigenous knowledge and accompanied by a small team. As one of the first non-Indigenous women to explore and document these remote areas—most notably her rediscovery and mapping of Maligne Lake—Schäffer offers a rare and personal perspective on the landscape, culture, and colonial tensions of the time.
This edition contextualizes her work within the broader themes of gender, empire, and Indigenous-settler relations, highlighting her complex role as both a respectful observer and a participant in the colonial exploration of the West. Through vivid descriptions, photographs, and maps, A Hunter of Peace captures both the physical beauty of the Rockies and the cultural dynamics of early 20th-century exploration.
