The Mountain

Lac des Roche

This is Lac des Roche, one of two beautiful and friendly looking lakes along the old Brigade trail over the Thompson plateau. Those hills in the background are what is called the “Mountain,” I suppose.

Why is the Mountain called “the Mountain?”

I’ve driven over the Mountain a few times, and have never understood why it was called “the Mountain.” Mountains are usually quite noticeable, right — so why wasn’t I noticing this one? So, on my trip up to Williams Lake, I was determined to discover why this un-mountainous territory was called “the Mountain.”

Well, its not exactly un-mountainous, I admit. Its rough and rugged and rocky and hilly, but there still is no mountain there, as far as I can see! So why did the HBC men of the time call this the Mountain?

The Mountain, in case you don’t know, is the rough and rocky landscape at the eastern edge of the Thompson Plateau, on the old brigade trails that leads down the east side of the plateau. There’s no mountain there, just rough, rugged terrain and a steep descent to the North Thompson River at Little Fort, BC. The mountain trail is the trail that the HBC men travelled in 1826, and (so far as I know) every year after until 1843, when they took their furs out over the new trail that led past Green Lake. 

So, anyway, we drove away from 100-Mile House and then followed Highway BC-24 east, to Little Fort itself. The road passes Horse Lake well away from its south bank, but the old brigade trail actually ran along Horse Lake’s northern shore.

After Horse Lake, the old brigade trail passes a number of small lakes (Fawn Lake, for example) and then runs along the north shore of Sheridan Lake — which is probably the HBC’s Salt Lake: or at least that’s what James Gibson believes. He is the author of The Lifeline of the Oregon Country: The Fraser-Columbia brigade System, 1811-47, and this book follows what we now call the Old Brigade Trail that led south from Fort St. James all the way to Fort Vancouver, on the Columbia River. At this point, the old Brigade Trail runs west to east some distance north of Highway 24, between the north end of Horse Lake to the north side of Bridge Lake.

Highway 24 passes Sheridan Lake, as I have said, running to the south side of Bridge Lake: the old Brigade Trail runs along the north side of that lake. Bridge Lake is its modern name, by the way. In the old days, when the brigades passed it, it would be called Lac Tranquile.

Next comes Lac des Roches, which carries the same name as it did when the Brigades rode past it. It is apparently named for the many rocky islands that litter the surface of the lake. Fortunately for us, both the old Brigade trail, and the modern Highway 24, follow its northern shore toward the east. 

Once we drive past Lac des Rochers, we approach the mountain. Not that you will see a mountain, but it is there! I drove this road several times, in spunky little cars that never noticed the slow hill — but drive it in a car that has no guts and you will notice the hill! That’s how I finally understood why this piece of ground is called the mountain. If you were travelling over it on horseback, you would notice the hill. So, too, would the packhorses: it is long enough, and steep enough, to tire them out.

But in a spunky car,  as I said, you will just drive over the road without particularly noticing the long slow rise in the land. You will pass the little sign that says “McDonald Summit,” and say, “what summit?” 

Now if you want to follow the old Brigade trail east, along a route that is closer to where the old Brigade trail actually ran, then find and follow Eakin Creek Road east. You have to know where it is: it’s just a gravel road that dives off Highway 24 and disappears into the brush. (Its probably better to follow it from its east end, which is easy enough to find). 

But a warning here — drive a truck or large car (perhaps) that has good tires — this country is full of gravel roads that will puncture your tires (especially if you are driving a rental car!) But if you have good tires, you can literally drive over gravel road that do follow the old brigade trail quite closely, all the way from Little Fort to 100-Mile House and beyond. It can be done. You just need good tires!

So, here, from the various brigade journals that exist before 1843, when the HBC men switched to the new trail through Green Lake, here is what all these men have to say of the part of the trail they call “the Mountain.”

Governor George Simpson’s 1828 Journal says this: “Wind and rain during the night. Started at usual time. First half of road, good, along a chain of small lakes, but the last part was hilly and rocky. Came to a small Lake half a mile long, and breakfasted. The lakes today seem still water. The afternoon journey was a gradual ascent on what is called the Mountain. Here we also passed several small ponds and a number o swamps, that must be “very bad going” in spring and very soft weather. Encamped at the height of a little Meadow [?] between two little lakes… Journey very pleasant.”

I can see, now, that the author (who is actually Archibald McDonald) is describing a slow and gradual rise in the land that would tire the horses, instead of an actual “mountain.” The next day they began what was clearly their descent of the height of land they called the Mountain. However, their descent was longer than their ascent, as they also descended the east side of the Thompson Plateau all the way down to the modern town of Little Fort, BC.

William Connolly’s 1826 journal describes the Mountain this way:

Pursued our route at the usual hour, and stopped at Lac du Rocher (which is also covered with Ice) to rest the Horses. In the afternoon we resumed our March and reached the foot of the Mountain at 5 o’clock pm when we Encamped.

When I first read this I actually thought that what he should have written here was not “Foot,” but Head, or Summit, or edge [of the plateau]. Obviously, my reaction was: “the Foot of the Mountain?” Yes, indeedy, it is the foot of the Mountain. There is a range of hills at the edge of the Thompson Plateau — or if it it is not a range of hills, it is a definite rise in the plateau. This is where the long, slow, upward hill that tires the horses begins. The HBC men could probably see the rise in the land from horseback, when we do not notice it while driving in fast cars. So now I understand. His journal goes on to say:

Friday. It being impossible to cross the Mountain in one day, and there being only one place, about midway, which affords food for Horses, we did not therefore leave our Encampment until twelve pm & just to have time to be able to reach the above place, which we did at about 7 o’clock. Our route was through Marshes & very deep snow, in the former of which the Horses Sunk in many places up to their bellies & were with difficulty extricated. This is the most fatiguing march they have yet performed, and they were entirely exhausted when they reached the swamp, which unfortunately afforded but very poor means of recruiting their strength. One of the poor animals was left along the way, being unable to proceed any further… At nine o’clock we reached the heights from whence we had a view of the North River. In our descent the Horses fatigued a great deal…

The heights, from when they had a view of the North Thompson River, was McDonald Summit (named, I am sure, for Archibald McDonald, who for a while worked at the Kamloops post.) Actually, that’s not true because, of course, the modern-day summit is on the highway, and not on the trail itself. 

And what does Peter Warren Dease have to say of the Mountain?

Stopped at Lac des Rochers where we saw some Indians…. The Country during this days progress being very rugged & Rocky, the [lost] Animal we recommended to the Old Chief to Catch & Keep until our Return, when he would be recompensed. Slept at Grand Muskeg, a Large Swamp, an Indian from our Breakfast place accompanied us to North River, having his Canoe there for Crossing our Baggage…

So Dease doesn’t have a lot of information on the Mountain in his journal, unfortunately. Nor does James Gibson, in his book Lifeline of the Oregon Country. However, I was interested to see just how high the mountain was, and so, out of curiosity, did a check on Google Earth. By going into Street View, one can measure the distance above sea level of any piece of country that is along the highlighted highways or byways. In this project we are following Hwy BC-24, or what Google calls either the Little Fort Highway, or the Interlakes Highway. Here goes:

Little Fort, the town, is 390 meters above sea level — that’s 1279 feet above sea level.

At Lemieux Creek Road, 442 meters or 1450 feet. 

At the eastern end of Eakin Creek Road at its junction with Hwy BC-24, it is 643 meters, or 2109 feet, above sea level. This is where the highway begins the steep climb on its way to the summit.

There are no more landmarks to take measurements from for quite a distance: At 1141 meters, or 3743 feet, we reach the end of the long, steep, upward climb west of Little Fort. The road is still climbing, but more slowly now. It reaches 1257 Meters (4124 feet) and then levels off for a bit. 

Then it rises again: 1260 meters; 1268; 1278; 1296; and finally 1312 meters, or 4304 feet above sea level. At this point the highway dips before continuing its long slow journey down the westward side of the Mountain toward Lac des Roches and Bridge Lake.

At Lynn Lake, near which the western part of the old brigade trail is found, Hwy BC 24 is 1252 meters above sea level, or 4107 feet. Lac des Roches (or the road that runs alongside it) is 1143 meters, and Bridge Lake 1146 meters (3766 feet) above sea level. But remember, that is the height above sea level on Hwy BC 24, not height above sea level on the old Brigade Trail itself: that can’t be measured by Google Earth, as not surprisingly, the Google Earth van (and its cameras) did not drive over the old Brigade Trail itself.

But anyway, even with those numbers not being the height along the brigade trail, I think they are pretty impressive. If small, low energy cars can consider this a steep climb, then I can see how the men on horseback, and the hardworking pack-horses themselves, considered this the “mountain.”

Copyright, Nancy Marguerite Anderson. All rights reserved, 2024.

I am at Vancouver, WA this weekend, giving a talk on the two journeys I write about. It’s Doctor McLoughlin’s birthday on October 19th, I understand. Happy birthday, Chief Factor John McLoughlin. It is an honor to be at Fort Vancouver on that date.

 

2 thoughts on “The Mountain

  1. S.Mason

    Another Excellent Read We have driven the Highway 24 From Little Fort To 100Mile House Many times Its A Beautiful Area For Sure All The Wonderful Lakes & Great Scenery Thanks Again For A Great History Account

  2. Ross Harvey

    You make many references to William Connolly (in this episode his 1826 diary) I assume this is the William Connolly of the Red River settlement and husband of Miyo Nipay and father of Amelia Connolly, later to become Lady Amelia (Connolly) Douglas. She is my 3x Great Grandmother ( Sir James Douglas is my 3x G grandfather). Making William Connolly my 4x G grandfather. This is all Ancestry I only recently discovered late in life. I do definitely enjoy your articles as I have been delving into my family history.