Greasepole 1983

Welcome to the world of the Queen's Engineer...

...a realm of strange custom and bizarre Ritual... or so believe those uninitiated. To those within our ranks, the rituals quickly become an integral part of our collective experience.

Along with our gold-topped tams and purple pride, Queen's has a unique means of testing the worthiness of the incoming freshman class.

The LegendWeb content was created by McKay Savage, Sci '99, who writes: Thanks to all those that helped me in my research and writing. When things came down to the wire, I couldn't have done it without your help: Prof. George Richardson, Gen Okita, Philippe Lavoie, Naomi Brunemeyer, the nice people down at Queen's Archives, Greg McKellar, and Nancy Reid.

Stealing the goalposts from U of T, 1955

Greasy History

It started with a stolen goalpost. The rest is Engineering history.
Greasepole ascent, 1986

Historical Ascents

Every year has a story. Some took 17 minutes. One took two days.
The Iron Ring ceremony, 2005

Elements of Tradition

Iron rings, purple dye, golden jackets, and a tam with a very tall tale.
Sci '99 Year Crest

Engineering Crests

A crown, a maple leaf, and a Q. Every year makes it their own.
Greasepole, Sci '95

Reflections

Why do we climb? McKay Savage, Sci '99, on grit, tradition, and what it all means.