James 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 moreThomas Lowe and the York Factory Express
Thomas Lowe worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company from 1842 to his retirement in 1849, and he kept journals of his experiences in the Columbia district the entire time he…
Read moreLillooet Lake to Fort Langley
We begin again with Alexander Caulfield Anderson’s journal of his exploration/expedition from Kamloops to Fort Langley, by what later became the Harrison-Lillooet Trail. The year is 1846, and his party…
Read moreTwo Canoes to Kamloops
In our twenty-seventh post in this series, I will bring Governor George Simpson and his party down the North Thompson River to the post at Kamloops — and beyond! So…
Read moreTwo Canoes: Governor Simpson reaches the Fraser River
Governor Simpson has arrived at Fort St. James, and the first complaint he and his men have is about the provisions — or lack of them. As Archibald McDonald wrote…
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