Trailblazer
Duncan McEachran
Born in Campbeltown, Scotland, Duncan McEachran graduated from the Edinburgh Veterinary College in 1861. In 1862, he emigrated to Upper Canada where he helped set up the Upper Canada Veterinary School (later the Ontario Veterinary College). In 1867, he published the first veterinary textbook in Canada for farmers, The Canadian horse and his diseases. In 1866, he helped to found the Montreal Veterinary College, later to be known as Faculty of Veterinary Science of McGill University. McEachran became its first Dean.
In 1881, after going on horseback to the foot of the Rockies he joined with Senator Matthew Henry Cochrane in starting the Cochrane Ranche. After two years as vice-president and general manager he then accepted a more lucrative position as general manager of the Walrond Cattle Ranch Limited, which was owned by British businessman Sir John Walrond.
Dr. McEachran supervised the ranch managers from his base in Montreal. The head office of Walrond Cattle Ranch Limited remained in England until 1898, when the New Walrond Ranche Company Limited was formed, with McEachran becoming president and general manager. The enterprise ceased operations in 1908 after several years of financial losses. Its entire herd was purchased by stockbreeder Patrick Burns.
By the end of his career, McEachran had, through his efforts in the fields of education and the prevention and treatment of animal diseases, helped improve the health of the country’s herds and rid them almost entirely of contagious diseases.
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