Thomas Lowe Crosses the Equator
In 1841, Thomas Lowe sailed on the HBC ship Vancouver, on his way to the HBC’s Pacific coast headquarters, Fort Vancouver. He did not reach that post — but that…
Read moreJames Anderson’s Journey part 2
So, in our last post in this series (which we are just beginning) I left Chief Trader James Anderson A, making his way up the Mackenzie River from Fort Simpson…
Read moreWicked River
The Rivière Maligne, otherwise known as the Wicked River, earned its ferocious nick-name over the years. The Maligne was, of course, the Sturgeon-Weir River that led the early free-traders, the…
Read moreMeasles and Dysentery
I wrote about the 1847-1848 measles epidemic in my first book, The Pathfinder, in which I said: Measles began to sicken a few Dakelh around the fort [Fort Alexandria, Fraser…
Read moreBirchbark Canoes
From a book titled Canoe Crossings, I learned that what made birchbark canoes so special was that the grain of the bark that covered them was transverse rather than longitudinal.…
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