Michel Kaonassé
I fell into Michel Kaonassé’s story long before I knew how important it would be in my York Factory Express book. Kaonassé worked at Fort Alexandria under my great-grandfather Alexander…
Read moreFort Yukon
In 1847, HBC trader Alexander Hunter Murray built Fort Yukon on the Yukon River, just inside the boundaries of what was then Russian Territory, on the instructions of Chief Factor…
Read moreMurder at Pillar Rock
James Birnie played a role in the punishment of the murderers of the HBC fisherman at Pillar Rock in August 1840. This is the story that I promised you a…
Read moreSalmon Processing at Fort George and elsewhere in the HBC
James Birnie continued his work at Fort George, and part of his work at that place was overseeing the processing of the salmon that they caught in the Columbia River,…
Read moreShipwrecks on the Columbia River
The mouth of the Columbia River was crisscrossed with dangerous sandbars, and shipwrecks were relatively common. On many occasions, James Birnie was there to help in the rescue of the…
Read more