Simpson’s rough notes

The prairies and grasslands that Governor Simpson is travelling through must have at some times looked like this. 

You will remember that last week I wrote a post about a mysterious file I found in the BC Archives, that was titled “rough notes.” Here it is: https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/rough-notes/

At the time I found it (and frankly, I only looked at it on a whim), I had no idea who it belonged to. But as I discovered, these were Governor George Simpson’s rough notes of his journey across the country, from Red River to the northwest coast, in summer and fall of 1841. Its not such an important find: he wrote a book based on these rough notes, titled An Overland Journey round the world during the years 1841 and 1842 [published by Lea and Blanchard in 1847].

But it is an interesting find! It has dates in it. These dates are not always correct, but in the places that are important to me and my story: absolutely correct! What a find!

So here’s the story. The Archives itself had no idea who wrote these rough notes, and at what time it was written. The only clue they discovered was that the envelope that accompanied the rough notes was addressed to Mr. James Green, of Bedford Street, Fox [?] Park? This envelope was time stamped in 1851. A friend, who does this kind of research, identified the address. It is: “Bedford St [modern name, Beaufort St], Toxeth Park, Liverpool.

You can order my books, The HBC Brigades, and The York Factory Express, through Amazon if you wish — at https://amazon.com/author/nancymargueriteanderson

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My new book, Working Title: Three Journeys North to the Arctic Sea, will be published in January 2027.

However, I realized that these rough notes mentioned the “American Mission of Whaspicam,” somewhere on the Columbia River east of Fort Vancouver and west of Walla Walla. Apparently the people who catalogued this mysterious “rough notes” did not know about the Wascopam Mission, which operated in that location from 1838 to late 1847. That was my first clue, and it established the years in which these rough notes could have been written.

But I still had no idea who wrote these rough notes. It was someone who had come through a mountain pass to Fort Colvile, rather than over Athabasca Pass. But who? James Sinclair? Peter Skene Ogden? Henry James Warre and Mervin Vavasour? Richard Lane [who accompanied PSO and Warre and Vavasour through that pass?] I had no clue at all — until I looked up James Sinclair, and stumbled on this article, titled: “Red River Metis. The First Large Settler Group in Oregon Territory: Sinclair Expedition to the Oregon Territory.” At the top of page two, the author wrote this: 

The emigration party, led by the “stout-hearted, part Indian James Sinclair,” the 35-year-old son of Chief Factor William Sinclair, left Fort Garry on 3 June 1841. They set out 28 days ahead of HBC Governor George Simpson, who was on the first stage of his round-the-world journey. Sinclair’s party reached Fort Ellice on 22 June. On his 16th day out of Red River, on 19 July, the speedy Simpson overtook the 23 Red River families near the Turtle River, in present western Saskatchewan, two days after they had left Fort Carlton…Simpson gave them a favourable report.

Simpson’s favourable report included these words, which I had copied from the rough notes: “19 July. Came up with the Emigrants — 23 families…All healthy and happy living in abundance.”

Twenty-three families? Well, that settled that! Now to prove it. To do that I looked at George Simpson’s book, An Overland Journey round the World, and compared what was in the rough notes with what appeared in the book. Here goes:

As my new road was to lie through the country of the Blackfeet, I was happy to obtain for the whole way to Fort Vancouver, the escort of Mr. [John] Rowand, who, having been in charge of the Saskatchewan for many years, had great influence among the tribes of the prairies. With that gentleman’s aid and a well appointed party of eighteen or twenty men in all, we had but little to fear from any Indians that we could meet. As the country was practicable for wheels as far as Edmonton, we resolved to relieve our horses by taking as much of our baggage as possible in light carts; and in order to save us a day, or perhaps more, in calling at Fort Pelly for a relay of horses, we dispatched three men about a week before our start, to have the requisite band of nags brought for us from that establishment to a conspicuous land-mark in the sea of plains, known as the Butte aux Chiens. Still farther to expedite matters, we sent off, about four days afterwards, three carts of heavy baggage, with six men and a few horses.

That paragraph is from his book. What he said in his rough notes is this: “3 July. Left Fort Garry Lat. 50 Long 97 Red River or Selkirk Settlement. Halt 20 miles to Breakfast — country clear and level. Encamped by a small lake.”

For his next day’s entry, Simpson wrote in his rough notes, “Forded the Champignon. Encamped on a ridge by an excellent stream.” Here’s what is in his book:

In the morning we forded the Champignon. The country generally bore the same appearance as yesterday, excepting that our path occasionally ran through a clump of trees. We also crossed the beds of many shallow lakes, which contain water only during the spring, brushing the luxuriant grass with our very knees; and on the hard ground, the surface was beautifully diversified with a variety of flowers, such as the rose, the hyacinth, and the tiger Lily…In the course, however, of our afternoon’s ride, the character of the country underwent a complete change. The plain gave place to a rolling succession of sandy hills, which were generally covered with brush; and now and then we passed through spots which looked like artificial shrubberies. This ridge, evidently one of nature’s steps from a lower to a higher level, may be traced from Turtle Mountain in the neighbourhood of the international boundary to the banks of Swan River in lat. 52 degrees 30′, and even round to the Basqua Hill on the waters of the lower Saskatchewan. It appears to have been, in former days, the shore of an inland sea, comprising, in one undistinguishable mass, Lakes Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Winipegos, with many of their feeders.

This ridge also crossed the Saskatchewan River at modern-day The Pas, Manitoba: and it was the shoreline of a large, ancient inland lake. It is interesting to see where its southern boundary ran: also interesting to notice how even in these early days, the HBC men recognized it for what it was.

So, on July 6, Simpson commented on a “Beautiful salt lake.” Here’s the story about that lake:

About eight in the morning we came to a large lake, where we were prevented from attempting to breakfast, by the experience of Mr. Rowand. While coming to meet me at Red River, in the spring, that gentleman, attracted by the beauty of the situation, had encamped for the night with his kettle bubbling and steaming all comfortably about him, when, lo and behold, the first sip of the welcome beverage revealed the horrible truth, that the lovely lake was no better than it should be, being filled with salt water. We therefore jogged on for another hour, having to wait for our heavy carts until eleven at night, a delay which induced me to threaten, in case of a repetition, the stopping of the drams of the delinquents.

In his notes he writes for the next day: “Crossed the Shoal Lake in a hilly & well wooded district. Encamped at a stagnant lake.” The book says:  

In the morning we crossed the end of Shoal Lake, lying in a hilly and well wooded district. Our guide, George Sinclair, having volunteered to conduct us to a fine encampment on Bird-tail Creek, we urged forward our jaded cattle till nine in the evening; but being still at fault, we were obliged to stop at a stagnant lake, swarming with mosquitoes, and yielding very bad water.

From the rough notes: “8 [July]. After an hours ride over hilly rugged ground [cross] Bird-Tail creek, a tributary of the Assiniboine. Antelopes. Cross the river in a batteaux and arrive at Fort Ellis about noon (also called Beaver Creek). Cross Qu’Appelle or calling river and encamped at 6 pm for water.” From the Book:

At this post, commonly known as Beaver Creek, from the name of the brook on which it stands, we obtained tidings of a large body of emigrants, who had left Red River for the Columbia a few days previously to our arrival from Montreal. They had reached Fort Ellice on the twenty-second of June, and started again next day. As these people were pursuing the same route as ourselves, and would beat a good track, we resolved, as far as practicable, to follow their trail.

Those emigrants were, of course, the members of James Sinclair’s Expedition to the west side of the Rocky Mountains and the Oregon Country. It wasn’t yet Oregon Territory: On August 14, 1848, the act that created Oregon Territory would be signed into law by the Congress of the United States.

The rough notes read, “9 [July]. Through prairies. Lodges of Saulteaux, a very remarkable knoll — an excellent mark 300 feet high. Swamp and [word]. Encamp in a hollow.” The book read:

While we were encamped on a mound at breakfast, we observed some fires on the plains around us, while a solitary savage was seen firing signals. Our fears, or perhaps our discretion, immediately identified these symptoms with the Cree warriors, whom we were expecting to find in our path. Our people were quickly on the alert, answering the signals and preparing for the reception of the enemy, who, so far as we could discern, turned out to be three poor Saulteaux, two men and a boy on their way to Fort Ellice. In the vicinity of this mound there was a very remarkable knoll, known as the Butte a Carcajar, which though not exceeding three hundred feet in height, is yet a conspicuous landmark in these generally level and open prairies.

It is likely that Carcajar does refer to the Cracajou, or Wolverine, which are now not found on the prairies. But in those days, they were there. His book continues:

In our afternoon’s march we passed through a swampy country, which was beset by underwood. The old fellow who had undertaken to guide us to the Dog Knoll, was several times at fault; and our compass was a very unsatisfactory substitute in the matter, inasmuch as our route was constantly winding, like a river, round the extremities of lakes and swamps. At night we made our beds in a small hollow, where, in order to cheat, if possible the renowned horse-stealers of the neighbourhood, we did our best to conceal our fires and cattle from view.

I was for a while a little confounded by the cattle Simpson mentions. Are they driving cattle to, say, Carlton House? No. It referred to the oxen that hauled their wagons. 

On July 10, the rough notes read: “Hard & open prairie. Broken arm river. Swamp & circuitous route.” The book itself says: “On reaching the Broken arm river, we were obliged, by reason of an impassible swamp on either side, to lose a few hours in going round its sources.”

A whole week later, on July 17, Governor Simpson’s party reached “Fort Carlton, Saskatchewan. Navigable for boats. Long 115 Lat 98. Buffalo plentiful. Panorama.” The book reads:

A smart ride of four or five hours from the Bow River, through a country very much resembling an English park, brought us to Fort Carlton, on the [North] Saskatchewan, where we found every soul in the establishment enjoying a siesta with open gates — conclusive proof either of the carelessness of our people, or of the peaceable disposition of the neighbouring savages.

At Carlton we took up our quarters for a couple of nights. We had accomplished about six hundred miles in thirteen days — a very fair rate of traveling, considering that many of our horses had come the whole distance heavily laden. This fort stands in lat. 53 degrees north; it is in the form of a lozenge being surrounded by wooden stockades of considerable height with bastions at each angle and over the gateway. In the immediate vicinity there are large gardens and fields which produce abundance of potatoes and other vegetables; but wheat, though it has sometimes succeeded, has been far more frequently destroyed by the early frost of autumn, which, even on the Red River, occasionally blight the hopes of the less active among the settlers.

Governor Simpson is calling this the Bow River, but its actually today’s South Saskatchewan River. For July 18, the rough notes read: “Thirty joining.” I believe these are the men and wagons that were following behind Governor Simpson’s party. The combined parties must have  all left Carlton House the next day, as Simpson writes in his rough notes: “Encamp by a large lake, 19 July. Came up with the Emigrants — 23 families…All healthy and happy living in abundance.”  The book reads: 

Since we had fallen upon the trail of the emigrants, we could observe, by the number of their encampments, that we were marching at three or four times their pace; so that, though they had started twenty-eight days before us, they were overtaken by us next morning after we had been out exactly sixteen in all. From the information of Indians we were looking out for these people; and accordingly, about two hours after starting, we gained a view of their lengthened cavalcade, winding its course over the plains…Each family had two or three carts, together with bands of horses, cattle, and dogs. The men and lads traveled in the saddle, while the vehicles, which were covered with awnings against the sun and rain, carried the women and the young children. As they march in single file, their cavalcade extended above a mile in length; and we increased the length of the column by marching in company. The emigrants were all healthy and happy, living in the greatest abundance, and enjoying the journey with the highest relish.

When I write the next entry in this journal, it will appear here: https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/simpson-edmonton/ 

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

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