Leather Pass
As a fur trade descendant, I have always called the northern pass through the mountains “Leather Pass.” Today this is officially known as the Yellowhead, which comes from its original…
Read more“Eatables”
As George Traill Allan made his way down the Jasper Valley, at the head of the outgoing York Factory Express party, he wrote these words in his journal: About 8…
Read moreTwo Canoes: the Athabasca River
In 1823, John Work and Peter Skene Ogden traveled west to the Columbia District by the Athabasca River and Fort Assiniboine. Thus far, they are not paddling (or in this…
Read moreTracking: Using the Lines, and Using the Poles
“Rowing.” “Tracking.” “Portage.” “Tracking Lines.” “Lining the Boats.” “Tracking the Boats.” “Use the Poles.” I use these words and phrases all the time, both in my tweets, and in my…
Read moreGrand Coulee
In 1848 Thomas Lowe’s York Factory Express went out by the Grand Coulee. No other express had taken that out of the way route, as far as I am aware,…
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