A Look-Back at James Birnie’s life
So, in 1846, James Birnie retired, a disappointed man, after 28 years of working in the fur trade of the North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company. How did…
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 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 moreJohn Kirk Townsend
John Kirk Townsend was a naturalist who trekked west to the Columbia River, travelling in with Nathaniel Wyeth’s 1834 expedition. He spent two years in the Columbia district before traveling…
Read moreBirnie and the Missionaries
It seems that James Birnie was the first HBC man to greet the many missionaries who arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River. I have many stories in my…
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