Historic Posts in the West

Image of a birchbark canoe on a Canadian River, from Glenbow Archive, image na-843-14, used with their permission

So lets do a fun post about the Historic Posts in the West: that is, posts on the West side of the Rocky Mountains. The Peel’s River post (Fort McPherson) on the Mackenzie River is probably the most northerly post in this part of the world, but it’s still on the east side of the Richardson Range, which is the extension of the Rocky Mountains in the north. But just across the mountain range is La Pierre’s House. This is what Historic Forts and Trading Posts has to say of LaPierre’s House, on the Porcupine. Well, on an tributary of the Porcupine River, at least.  

Hudson’s Bay Co. post on right bank of Bell River, tributary of the Porcupine River, Yukon. Situated a few miles upstream from Fort McPherson. It was built by the Hudson’s Bay Co in 1847 and abandoned in 1890. Shown in Arrowsmith Map, 1857.

Well…Fort McPherson was on the Peel River, on the east side of the Richardson Range: LaPierre’s House was on what they seemed to call the Mad River, but was the Bell, on the west side of the Richardson Range. You could walk between the two posts, but the rivers they were on did not connect in any way. That does, however, make LaPierre’s House a historic post in the West.

Next: I noticed there were two fur trade posts north of LaPierre’s House, on the Arctic Ocean. They are the Hershel Island Post, and Shingle Point Post.

Hershel Island Post. Recent post of the Hudson’s Bay Co. at eastern extremity of Hershel Island. Established about 1920. (The book was published in 1930.)

Shingle Point Post. Post of Hudson’s Bay Co on Mackenzie Bay recently established.

So now we proceed south along the Porcupine River, to find a few more historic posts in the West. There are a few HBC posts there. First we come to Rampart House — and I found a beautiful photo of that post in, I think, Library and Archives Canada. Ramparts is a Scottish word, it seems, and it refers to high banks that crowd a river into a narrow stream. There are lots of ramparts in the north — on the Mackenzie River, the Porcupine, and the Yukon. 

Rampart House. Hudson’s Bay Co. post on Porcupine River, east of the international boundary line. Originally built by Hudson’s Bay Co. (about 1860) farther west in Alaska Territory and in 1869 moved to British territory. It was abandoned about 1870.

Yes, Fort Yukon, which was first built in Russian American Company territory, by the HBC. When asked to move after the Americans took the area over, the HBC men rebuilt their post up the Porcupine River, in British Territory. Right on the boundary line, in fact. And here it is!

Fort Yukon. Hudson’s Bay Co. fort at junction of Porcupine and Yukon Rivers. Built 1847 by Alexander Hunter Murray. It was operated for 22 years until 1869 when Alaska was purchased by the United States. 

Downriver from Fort Yukon was this post, which I am absolutely unfamiliar with. Fort Reliance! That’s in the wrong location: but there are two Fort Reliances, and this is Fort Reliance (2), which probably stood on the Yukon River during the Klondike gold rush.

 Fort Reliance. Hudson’s Bay Co. post on the right bank of the Pelly or Yukon River, 64 degrees, 20′ N., just north of Dawson City. This fort was probably superseded by Dawson. 

Now we come to the historic post in the west that familiar to us, if you read all my blogposts. Fort Selkirk!

Fort Selkirk. Hudson’s Bay Co. fort built by Robert Campbell in summer of 1848 on the Pelly (Yukon) River at mouth of Lewes River about 300 miles from Fort Halkett (on the Liard River, close to Frances Lake, BC.) It was first built on a point of land between the two rivers, but on account of flooding due to ice jams in the spring of 1852 it was moved across the river and a short distance below mouth of Lewes River where its ruins are now (in 1830) visible. Indians from Chilkat and Chilkoot Inlets surprised Campbell when alone and pillaged and burnt the fort, August 1, 1852.

Well, that’s not exactly true. Robert Campbell was not alone: he was careless. The fort was definitely pillaged but not burnt. And the date is wrong too: it was August 21, 1852.

Interestingly, just west of Fort Selkirk is another post which seems to be in the middle of nowhere — and it is! I looked it up. Its Copper Fort, a “Hudson’s Bay Co. fort on Atna or Copper River, Alaska, at mouth of Chitlyna River (Chitina). Probably site of present town Chitina. On American territory. It apparently existed in 1854, and I have never heard of it!!! What happened there, I wonder? Why is it there? How did it get there?

So, to continue speaking of historic posts in the west that I do know something about: further east from Fort Selkirk, and along the Pelly River, is Pelly Banks. 

Fort Pelly Banks. Hudson’s Bay Co. post near source of the Pelly River, Yukon Territory. Built in 1842 by Robert Campbell and named from the bank where he first saw the Pelly River in 1840. It was accidentally burned in 1849 and the site abandoned in 1850. 

Yes, Pelly Banks has quite an interesting story, but I won’t tell you that now: you will read it in the “Journeys” book when it is published. A few miles to the south of Pelly Banks is Fort Frances, on Frances Lake. This historic post is on the east side of the Rocky Mountains — That reasonably gentle climb up from the Pelly River and past the Pelly Banks post brings the walker to the top of the mountain range that is the extension of the Rocky Mountains. You would think you would notice you were climbing over a mountain range, but not here. 

Now, there is a huge mass of posts on the upper Liard River near the Dease River, and on Dease Lake, in BC. Dease Lake is definitely west of the Rocky Mountains. So here’s what I am going to do. Seeing as Frances Lake’s history is so tied in with the Liard River and all these posts on the Dease and the Liard, I am going to give you its history, as well as the history of all these other historic posts that are west of the Rocky Mountains. So, here’s Frances Lake:

Frances Lake. Hudson’s Bay Co. fort at south end of Frances Lake near source of Frances River, a branch of the Dease River, Yukon. [This is confusing but I see what he is saying: Dease River itself is in BC, but the branch of the Dease River [Frances River] that Campbell followed is mostly in the Yukon.] Situated on a peninsula between the east and west arms of the lake. It was built in 1841 by Robert Campbell’s men and first called Glenlyon House, then Frances Lake House, then Fort Frances. It was abandoned in 1851, and the site was reopened about 1880. [It was named to honor Governor Simpson’s wife, Frances Simpson.]

Lower Post. Hudson’s Bay Co. post at confluence of Dease and Frances Rivers forming the Liard. It was a small outpost attached to Fort Frances, upstream about 60 miles [sixty miles of whirlpools, rapids and canyons that passed through the Rocky Mountains. Frances Lake was on the east side of the Rockies, but everyone approached it from the west.]

Now we are heading up the Dease River toward Dease Lake, and then over the hill and on to a series of historic posts that seem to be on the Stikine River! Its not a particularly rugged height of land, by the way: both John McLeod [later of Oregon Territory], and Robert Campbell, walked over the height of land and into the headwaters of the Stikine River. John McLeod met no one; Robert Campbell met Shakes, who tried to kill him. 

Fort Drew. Hudson’s Bay Co post in British Columbia about 130 degrees W. It was situated west of Fort Halkett and in shown on map in Willson’s “Great Company.” On Dease River at mouth of Carribeau (French Creek) River. [This post seems to stand in the exact same position as the post below, according to the map.]

Sylvester’s Lower Post. A Hudson’s Bay Co. post on left bank of Liard River above the mouth of Dease River, BC, built about 1890 to take the place of Toad River Post. It was called also Dease Post. Upriver from that is the Dease Lake Fort.

Dease Lake Fort. Hudson’s Bay Co. post at south end (head) of Dease Lake, B.C., source of Dease River. Built by Robert Campbell 1838. This fort was soon burned by Indians, but was rebuilt after the fire [Not rebuilt by Robert Campbell, nor was it burned down before he was forced to abandon it. The Tahltan First Nations literally starved him out.] Does not appear on the Company lists of forts later than 1856 until 1925, and appears to have been closed from about 1870 to 1910.

So, more historic posts in the west? At this point, we walk over the mountain range to the Stikine River valley. Fort Stikine is at the mouth of the river, of course, but there’s another HBC post upriver, and I have never heard of it! 

Fort Mumford. Hudson’s Bay Co. fort on Stikine River, B.C., on left bank near mouth of Shakes Creek or First South Fork, near present town at Telegraph Creek, sometimes called Glenora House. Established before 1800. [The HBC wasn’t in the territory until after 1821, so if this fort ever existed, it was built before 1900, not 1800. “Shakes,” by the way, was the Stikine Chief that drove Peter Skene Ogden away from the mouth of the Stikine River in 1834, and who also met and attempted to murder Robert Campbell in 1837.]

Fort Stikine. Hudson’s Bay Co. post on peninsula in Stikine Straits, BC, 4 miles distant from mouth of Stikine River. Originally established by Russian American Fur Co. and transferred to H.B. Co. about 1841 on a 10 years lease. Arrowsmith map 1857 No. 8 shows the settlement Stikine but not marked as a fort. [It was closed down by the HBC in 1851, and the men transferred to Fort Rupert.]

Fort Highfield. Hudson’s Bay Co. fort at north end of Wrangell Island (Alaska) opposite mouth of Stickeen [Stikine] River, B.C. Built by James Douglas for McLoughlin 1839-40 and called Fort Durham by Douglas [No, this is not where Fort Durham stood, see below.] It was afterwards known as Fort Highfield and is so named on Arrowsmith map 1857. [That was a Russian fort.] This name was changed to Fort Wrangell and its site was at the present settlement on Wrangell Island.  

So the post above, Fort Highfield, was not a historic post in the west — or at least not a French or HBC post. It was almost certainly Russian. But I noticed a dot on the map north of the mouth of the mouth of the Stikine River, and this is where Fort Durham actually stood!

Fort Taco (Taku). Hudson’s Bay Co. fort near Stephen’s Passage, B.C. coast, a landlocked harbour. Built in 1842. [Not true. First, Taku was Fort Durham. It had an excellent harbour, and was built in 1839-1840.]

I am often amazed by how little fur trade historians know about what happened on the west side of the Rocky Mountains. But also remember, this book was published in 1930, so it was a tremendous work of research in a time when research was really hard to do. So, anyway, we have done all we can do with the Stikine River, the Dease River, and must retreat to the Liard — most of which is on the east side of the Rocky Mountains. But there are a few more historic posts in the west… for example:

Black River Post. A small North West Co post on Black (or Turnagain) River, branch of the Liard River. It is named in the North West Co list of 1820. Probably of short duration and does not appear on lists after 1820.

There may actually have been a Black River post up there, but it does not mean it was on the Turnagain River, which Sam Black explored and named in 1824 while he was trying to find a way into the Liard — and if a post carrying that name did actually exist on what is now the Turnagain River, I think that was quite a coincidence! So I definitely take this one with a large grain of salt, particularly as you will see there is a Black River on the southern part of the Liard River, below the canyons of the Liard! So, let’s look for the next historic post in the west, while heading south down the violent Liard River…

Fort Halkett. Hudson’s Bay Co. fort on Liard River, left bank, about 126 degrees 30′ W at mouth of Smith River on west side. It was built soon after the union of 1821. It was abandoned about 1875 and a small post called Toad River Post was built near the mouth of Toad River on left bank of Liard River. This latter post was abandoned about 1890 and a post built on left bank, Liard, just above mouth of Dease River called Dease Post or Sylvester’s Lower Post, afterwards called Lower Post. [See above.]

Toad River Post. A small Hudson’s Bay Co. post on the left bank of the Liard River near mouth of Toad River, BC. Built in 1875 to take place of Fort Halkett. It was abandoned about 1890.

Fort Nelson (3). Hudson’s Bay Co. fort on the Nelson River, a tributary of the Liard River, on the right bank, 100 miles above the mouth [and on the east side of the Rocky Mountains.] Built about 1800. In 1825, the occupants of the fort, including Alexander Henry Jr., and 4 men and some women and children, were massacred by Indians and the post was deserted for many years. It was rebuilt in 1865. 

Fort Riviere-au-Liard. Hudson’s Bay Co. fort on Liard River near the mouth of Black River, 60 degrees 15′ N. It was built about 1800 and was the first fort on Liard River. Generally named Fort Liard on Arrowsmith maps. It has been in continuous operation to present date. The North West Company also maintained a post in the locality at the time of coalition, 1821. [This is probably where the French post named the Black River post, supposedly on the Turnagain River, was located.]

So now we have reached the Mackenzie River, which runs up the east side of the Rocky Mountains. The last two posts just mentioned were also on the east side of the Rocky Mountains — but all else, except for Frances Lake Post, were historic posts in the west: all were located on the west side of the Rockies, both in the Yukon and in Northern BC. Next I will start on the Peace River (most of which is on the east side of the Mountains), but the Peace is so important to those who came to the West side of the Mountains in the early years of our fur trade history. When I write this post, it will appear here: https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/historic-posts-peace-river/ 

Copyright, Nancy Marguerite Anderson, 2025. All rights reserved.

• ← Accident to the Beaver
• Historic posts, Peace River →