Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt was a provisioning post, constructed in 1829-31, 217 miles downriver from Edmonton House. Before this post was built, the men of the outgoing Saskatchewan Brigades (which included…
Read moreJames Birnie Retires
James Birnie was a big man; a broad-shouldered and deep-chested man who stood six feet tall, according to Irene Martin, who wrote the book Beach of Heaven. He spoke in…
Read moreCumberland House
There is little mention of the York Factory Express and Saskatchewan Brigades passing through Cumberland House in the post journals in the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives. Nevertheless, there is lots…
Read moreSaskatchewan River
As the York Factory Express men rushed down the flooding Saskatchewan River in their boats and canoes, they passed historic posts almost without noticing them. On their way upriver, they…
Read moreDescending the Hayes River
The York Factory Express left Fort Vancouver, 100 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River, in late March, and by mid-June were at Norway House, on Playgreen Lake. Their…
Read more