Ben Nevis the summit only to find "fragments of earthen and glass ware, chicken bones, corks, and bits of paper". It was not until 1847 that Ben Nevis was confirmed by the Ordnance Survey as the highest mountain in Britain and Ireland, ahead of its rival Ben Macdhui. The summit observatory was built in the summer of 1883, and would remain in operation for 21 years. The first path to the summit was built at the same time as the observatory and was designed to allow ponies to carry up supplies, with a maximum gradient of one in five. The opening of
Ben Nevis Township District. Other map sources: Ben Nevis Township Ben Nevis Township is an unincorporated geographic township in the Unorganized North part of Cochrane District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The township is named for Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. Sullivan Lake and Little Misema Lake, the sources of the Misema River and Little Misema River respectively, are located in the township, as is Pushkin Lake, further along the Misema River. Also located in the township are the Pushkin Hills, part of the Blake River Megacaldera Complex. The southern border of the township forms part of the border between