Maclean's July 1, 1998 edition profiled "The 100 Most Important Canadians in History" selected from reader nominations and expert panels. Sir William Logan ranked sixth overall, and he headed the "top ten" list of important scientists. Logan was described as "a pioneering geologist whose surveys made it possible to tap Canada's treasury of minerals".

Two other scientists whose careers were linked with the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) were on the list of ten most important scientists:

• Sir John Dawson, principal of McGill University, did consulting work for the Geological Survey. He was also the father of GSC's third director, the famed George Dawson, who explored the Yukon ten years before the Gold Rush.
• Diamond Jenness carried out the groundbreaking work that made him Canada's premier anthropologist as an employee of the Geological Survey of Canada, which as part of its early mandate included Canada's national museums.