Anderson to Clinton Colden Lake
Image of a birchbark canoe on a Canadian River, from Glenbow Archives, image na-843-14, used with their permission
Chief Trader James Anderson, his clerk James Green Stewart, and his small party of men, have made their way south from the Arctic Ocean, hoping to reach Great Slave Lake by paddling through Clinton Colden Lake and Artillery Lake — the route used ten years earlier by the Englishman, George Back. At the moment, Anderson’s men are approaching Musk Ox Lake, at the headwaters of the Great Fish River. The year is 1855, and these men have overcome many difficulties and dangers in their journey north to the Arctic Sea. Now they are returning home. Winter is approaching, and the men are eager to return to the relative comfort of Fort Resolution, on Great Slave Lake. On Wednesday, August 29, 1855, Anderson wrote in his journal:
Left at the usual hour. Just below Musk Ox Rapid a small band of deer was seen, one of which, a fat buck, was shot by Mustegan. Musk Ox Rapid was very shoal; its ascent by the canoes light, and the carriage of the pieces occupied upwards of six hours.
Clinton Colden Lake lies miles to the south of their present location. (Remember that they are travelling south from the Arctic sea.) The men brought up the canoes light and carried the goods across the portage. And in the paragraph below, you might remember that “ungummed” means that the pitch and grease coating on the birchbark canoes has been worn off, making the canoes much less waterproof.
The canoes were completely ungummed and it took 2 hours to repair them. Encamped at dusk at the head of Musk Ox Lake. It took 1 hour 35 mins. to make the traverse, hard paddling. The day was the first day without rain (and beautifully clear), that we have had since leaving Point Ogle (Adelaide Peninsula, on the shores of the Arctic Sea). As the men have behaved so well, and as we have hard work still before them, I have promised them each five pounds in addition to their wages, and moreover, that should their conduct be good, and if they exert themselves on their way to Red River and Norway House, [so] that should they arrive before the expiration of their year’s time, that they shall receive their whole wages as for the entire year, thus changing their terms from the year to the trip. John Fidler and Paulet [Papanakies] are to get five pounds extra for acting as steersman.
As you may know, this book, working Title: Three Journeys North to the Arctic Sea, will be published in January 2027.
On the next day Anderson wrote that it was “another fine day. The men worked splendidly. The river from the lake above Musk Ox Lake is nearly dry, and it was therefore a continuous portage interrupted only by a small pond and lake. We reached the little lake close to Sussex Lake and see Lake Aylmer close to us.” Aylmer Lake will lead this party of men to Clinton Colden Lake. “There is still a little ice on the borders of this lake, the one we are at now. One of the men laid up with a sore foot.” There were no shoes in the fur trade; these men might still have been wearing the Inuit shoes Anderson traded for at Franklin Lake, but otherwise they wore layers of moccasins over an under-wrapping of a thick, densely woven cloth called Strouds or Duffle. Think “duffle-coat,” for duffle: or in the case of Strouds, think pea jackets.
A previous visitor to the Barren Grounds, the English explorer Commander George Back, described in his Narrative the country around Sussex and Aylmer Lakes, lakes that he had visited in mid-September 1834 — only a few weeks later in the year.
The whole of the country north and east of Great Slave Lake had been deluged with rain, and blighted by frost and snow. The same thing seems to have happened last winter, which was unusually mild to the southward, and even in the McKenzie [Mackenzie District], as compared with what we found it… For two days the weather was so stormy, with sleet, snow, and sharp frost, that we could not move. The small lakes became solid enough to bear, and the men were occupied in fetching some meat that the Indians had killed.
James Anderson’s journal continues: “August 1855. Lake Aylmer. Friday 31st. Made 2 short portages and passed 2 ponds of water and then a third portage brought us to Lake Aylmer at 6pm. The canoes were thoroughly gummed and we embarked at 7. We had to contend with a strong head wind all day, which retarded our progress much. The weather was bad also, foggy in the morning and rain afterwards… A slight deviation was made by entering a bay running to the South East which is not noticed in Back’s map; we lost by this about 1 1/2 hours. Encamped at dusk near the Narrows leading to Clinton Colden Lake. We have now lost the willows and are reduced to burning heath.”
They are very definitely still in the Barren Grounds. Anderson has decided to make his way home to Great Slave Lake by the same Artillery Lake route that George Back had used on his return in both 1833 and 1834. Going out, Anderson had chosen not to take Back’s Artillery Lake route, but now he hoped to return to return to Great Slave Lake by a less difficult route, by Clinton Colden and Artillery Lakes. In 1833, Back had named Clinton Colden Lake:
Two large lakes by which we had come were only separated by the strait of the Sand Hill, and considering the first as extending from that strait, not to the river, but merely to the first narrow to the south, it will embrace a direct distance of twenty-nine miles, and an estimated breadth, east and west, of nearly thirty. This I have named Clinton Colden Lake.
Anderson’s 1855 journal continues: “Saturday, September 1st. A beautiful day, most of which was wasted in finding our road and I am not quite sure if we are, as I suppose, encamped at the straits leading to Clinton Colden Lake.” Anderson and his men are still trying to find their way out of Lake Aylmer. “Back’s map makes it appear that the Strait was bounded by the Southern shore, whereas a deep bay running East and South east intervenes between the Strait and the South shore. The map is utterly useless for such a lake as this.” The map Anderson was using as a guide up the river was George Back’s tiny (and clearly, inaccurate) map, found in his published book, Narrative of the Arctic Land Expedition to the Mouth of the Great Fish River and along the Shores of the Arctic Ocean in the years 1833, 1834, and 1835.
On September 2, 1855, Anderson’s journal reads:
Blowing a gale from the North and North east. We were compelled to pull down the tent during the night to prevent it being carried away. The wind abated about 3 pm but we did not leave as I had sent off [Thomas] Mustagen to see if this was the right strait. He returned late with the information that it was. Immense flocks of Canada geese passing all last night and today. The men arranged all their little affairs and dried the contents of their bags. Mustagen killed another buck. Froze sharply.
The geese were flying south, as they did every year, to avoid the coming winter. George Back’s entry in his book does not give a lot of information on the route he took from Lake Aylmer to Clinton Colden, so its easy to see how Anderson’s party got lost. “September 20 [1834],” Back wrote: “was a bitter frosty morning, with snow; but the wind had abated, and we set forward, leaving Mr. McLeod to follow at his leisure… Having crossed Lake Aylmer without the occurrence of any thing remarkable, we got into Clinton Colden Lake, and found the hills covered to the depths of two inches with snow.”
James Anderson’s journal reads: “Monday 3rd [September]. Reached Clinton Colden Lake at breakfast (7 am). Snow in the morning. Froze sharply. The wind was blowing a gale from the E.S.E. which rendered it impossible to take the Traverse to the first point.” The next day, Anderson wrote:
Tuesday 4th. Detained by the gale till 6 pm. It then subsided a little and we took the Traverse; shipped much water and our rickety canoes were sadly strained. Encamped at 11 pm at the 1st large island. Ignace killed a buck.
Wednesday 5th. Started at 2 1/2 am, having just laid down on the beach till we could see. Fog till after breakfast. The whole day has been spent in looking for the River. Back’s small map is a snare and delusion. We are encamped for what we suppose (for the third time) to be the Straits.
Anderson’s men are looking for the river that Back travelled in both 1833 and 1834, that led from Clinton Colden Lake to Artillery Lake. Again, Back’s Narrative contained little information that would help anyone who was following his path. George Back wrote:
Towards evening we got to the first rapid in the little river, and were visited by some Yellow Knives, whom we expected to find thereabout… After running another rapid, we collected more meat at a second encampment, to which the occupants of the former also, including the old man, had followed us.
At night we encamped at the first pines on the western shore of Artillery Lake.
Notice the pines: Back has travelled from the Barren Grounds to a place where pine trees grow. He has reached Artillery Lake, but Anderson is still searching for the Straits. “Thursday 6th. Detained by dense fog till 9 am. We then left tho’ the fog was still thick. This compelled us to round several extensive bays. We at length fell on a strait with some current in it and encamped at dusk near the Rapids leading to Artillery Lake. I trust never to be guided by such a map as I have again. Many deer seen, bucks — three very fat ones were killed, 2 by John Fidler and 1 by Ignace [Montour]. Traces of Indians were seen.” The journal continued the next day.
Friday 7th [September]. Ran the 2 first Rapids, but lowered down part of the 3rd, the water being so low that there was a small fall. Saw very small pines above the 2nd Rapid, and afterwards they increased in size till about half way in Artillery Lake they became of respectable size. A good many deer seen about the Rapids, but not many in this Lake: the majority of those seen today, does with young. We had strong head wind till about 2 pm, after which we carried sail with the paddle for about 1 1/2 hours and it then fell calm. Last night the Aurora Borealis almost everywhere in irregular patches.
This is important: Anderson’s party saw the Aurora Borealis for the first time since they had left the Arctic Ocean, and the reason for that sighting is that they were now far enough south for the night sky to be dark. On the Ocean they had endless daylight, but not here. But what that actually means to this story is that, as reported in this earlier post, Paulet Papanakies could not have had the Northern Lights flashing over his shoulder. https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/story-of-a-ship When the sky is light, the Northern Lights are not visible.
Anderson’s story continues, with the beginning of another story.
We encamped at dark opposite what I suppose to be the island called the Rat Lodge.
In his Narrative, George Back had recorded the story of the Rat’s Lodge, and also that of the Beaver Lodge across the lake, as it was told to him by his guide, Maufelly:
The eastern shore, though dimmed by a blue mist or haze, was occasionally visible, and the country began to assume a more wooded and inhabitable look. When we got to a long and rounded mound, about half a mile from the western side, I observed that both the Indians assumed a look of superstitious awe, and maintained a determined silence. I inquired the reason of this reverential demeanor; when Maufelly, after some hesitation, with a face of great seriousness, informed us, that the small island we were passing was called the Rat’s Lodge, from an enormous muskrat which once inhabited it. “But what you see there,” said he, pointing to a small rock on the opposite shore, with a conical summit, “that is the Beaver’s Lodge, and lucky shall we be if we are not visited with a gale of wind or something worse.
Oh, spooky! We will continue with the story of Artillery Lake’s “Rat’s Lodge” in the next post. You will enjoy the story. When written, it will appear here: https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/whatever-i-call-it/
To return to the beginning of Anderson’s return journey to Great Slave Lake, start here: https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/journey-home/
If you want to read the entire story of Anderson’s journey north to the Arctic Sea, begin here: https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/james-andersons-journey/
Copyright, Nancy Marguerite Anderson, 2026. All rights reserved.