Stewart’s Journal 2
James Anderson’s Map of the Mountain Portage, from Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, used with their permission.
We are continuing with James Green Stewart’s Journal, as he makes his way north to the shores of the Arctic Sea. On Wednesday 30th of May, 1855, Stewart and his party of men “Arrived at Fort Resolution and found the ice in the Lake as hard as in Winter. Mr. [James] Anderson has not yet arrived nor has Mr. [Bernard Rogan] Ross got our canoe even made, though the wood is nearly ready and about all the bark which it is difficult to procure.”
There is nothing more written in James Green Stewart’s journal until June 22nd, 1855, when he writes:
Left Fort Resolution with three canoes & eighteen men about 11 a..m, camped at Isle de Pierre, Lat. 61 degrees, 11′ 30″. Flies thick & Weather warm.
As you know, Chief Trader James Anderson of Fort Simpson, NWT., and James Green Stewart of Carlton House, North Saskatchewan River, are ordered by Governor Sir George Simpson to travel North to the shores of the Arctic Sea by the Great Fish River (sometimes called the Back River), to search for signs of Sir John Franklin’s long lost men. Everyone knew that these men were four years dead. They were literally looking for journals and papers they might have owned, and they specifically looked for Sir John Franklin’s personal journal. And if you want to know how it all began, then go to this post: https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/james-andersons-journey/
I am not going to tell you what happened at Fort Resolution after Anderson arrived at the place on June 20th–two days before they began their journey north to the Arctic Sea. Stewart’s journal continues, as the party resumes their paddling journey across Great Slave Lake to the Mountain Portage on the north side of this massive lake.
Saturday, 22nd. Started at 1/2 past 5 a.m. and at 11 a.m. were stopped by northerly wind, course NNW 20 miles, remained all day.
Sunday 24th. Started at 4 a.m. and were again stopped by NW wind at Pointe des Roches, at 9 a.m. Nothing of any consequence happened.
Tuesday 26th. Yesterday and today we remained at our encampment not able to move with [hard] wind. We amused ourselves as we best could as HB men know how to do… We started at 4 a.m. [Wednesday 27th] with very little chance of crossing to the R… Sea running very high for our frail craft. [some words I cannot read.] Passed through Islands [Simpson Group] after accomplished the traverse and we camped on an Island to the Southward of Point Keith. Course today N. 50 Miles &c.
Thursday 28th. [Some words I could not read.] Started early, passed steep rocks and camped at the N. end of Tal, thet, a [Taltheilia Narrows, on an Island called the Bag, according to Anderson.] Cloudy with showers at intervals.
If you look at a map of Great Slave Lake, you will see a long point of land running west from the east shore of the lake. That is actually a group of steep-sided rocky islands, and Taltheilia Narrows is the narrow piece of water between the point and the north west shore of Great Slave Lake.
If you want to see James Anderson’s Journal of this journey north so that you can compare it with James Green Stewart’s Journal, go here: https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/james-andersons-journey-3/
Saturday 30th. Started late owing to the [temperature?] of last night having hardened the ice too much for our canoes. Made about 4 miles today and encamped at 5 o’clock. The scenery is nothing but barren hills, most part rocks covered here and there with moss, a little wood is also to be seen in the valleys, sufficient for cooking at any rate. The wind from the North this afternoon has started the ice, and perhaps we may get on a short distance tomorrow.
Sunday, 1st July. Working through ice all day and camped opposite Kahochella Peninsula or Rabbit Point [according to Anderson] at 9 p.m.
Monday, 2nd. Started early and after hauling through ice for a sort distance arrived at the portage which is to take us by a succession of small lakes to Lake Aylmer, which enables us to avoid all the Falls of Lockhart [Al-hel-dessy] River as well as Artillery and Clinton-Colden Lakes. Camped at the end of the first Portage in Latitude 63 degrees, 44′ 19″. Beautiful weather, wind north and strong enough to keep up the Thermometer [??].
If you want to follow them across the Mountain Portage, see the map at the top of the page. It begins at the top, Great Slave Lake, and follows down the page. They are heading north, so in this map, south is at the top of the page and north is at the bottom. In other words, ignore North and South.
Regarding the Lockhart river mentioned above in James Stewart’s Journal: There are two Lockhart Rivers in this story. The Lockhart or Al-hel-dessy River mentioned above is the violent river that flows down to Great Slave Lake from the west end of Artillery Lake: today there is a hydro-electric dam on that river which provides power to everyone in the region. The second Lockhart River is never mentioned in this story, because Anderson named it the Outram River. Both must be named after James Lockhart who is a part of this story, although he is not travelling north with Anderson and Stewart.
So they are now at the foot of the Mountain Portage that will lead them across the mountains to Lake Aylmer.
Tuesday 3rd. Started early, and carried [the canoes] most of the day, the Lakes being very small, our course is N.W. & through a most barren country–a few stunted & [word] had withered here and there among rocks which are principally [granite]. Four portages were made, the longest 3 miles in length and the shortest less than 1/2 a mile. The wind has favoured us much (though blowing S west), by blowing away the flies which would devour us, no doubt without the least mercy, seeing that it is not every day they get the chance of such a “meal.” The only living thing seen today was a whiskey John [Whiskey Jack/Grey jay?] who seemed so funny as every thing else does in this wilderness except the day, which was beautiful, making up a little for the monotony of ragged paths or rocks here and there covered with moss and we must now be awaiting above the land of blue Lake.
No, that makes no sense, and I might have made a mistake in transcription. But that is the way it is when you transcribe hand-written journals from faint photocopies. If you understand what Stewart is saying, let me know. To continue:
Wednesday 4th. Started at a little after 3 a.m., passed eight portages and camped at 7 p.m. Passed a Fall of above 30 feet today [Rae Falls]. There [is not any wood around it [word] spot, we must now be 1200 feet above the land of [Great] Slave Lake. Lat. S at 11, was 44 [degrees] 4′ 52″. Most beautiful weather, the distance from Slave Lake must be about 40 Miles.
Thursday 5th to 10th. Since former dates we have been employed in making portages from one small lake to another till we reached Lake Aylmer on the 7th, having passed [blank] Lakes. The 8th passed in making portages [along] the shore of the Lake, the ice being still strong with small intervals of open water in the bays. The 9th and 10th the [word] making very short distances in a direct line but considerable in reality by our being obliged to go around all the bays. The country exhibits but different shades of barrenness, nothing but rocks and moss & dreary wastes… The thermometer was 34 above 0 Fahrenheit [words] found during the night, for the last two days the weather has been cloudy and very cold and damp for the season, with showers of rain at intervals, though in this respect we cannot complain having had most beautiful weather since our leaving Athabasca Lake in May. Mr. Anderson and myself have not omitted a day without plunging in the water which is dreadfully cold though very refreshing, it helps to deaden the bites of the mosquitoes.
The season is mid-summer. Every once in a while there is a treasure to be found in these journals, and learning that Stewart and Anderson plunged into the freezing cold water to take a bath every day, while the men looked on, is just such a treasure.
But they have crossed the Mountain Portage and descended Outram [Lockhart] River to Lake Aylmer, and are now fighting their way across the still frozen lake. Stewart’s journal is a personal journal and not nearly so well written as Anderson’s, but it does help to fill in a few holes in the story–and fortunately, though it is hard to read, I can fill in a few details or words from Anderson’s journal. I did not use much of Stewart’s Journal in the book–only mentioning incidents such as arguments that Anderson did not mention in his own journal. To continue with Stewart’s journal:
Wednesday 10th. Left our encampment at 4 a.m. and crossed the bay through an opening in the ice, had the pleasure of seeing the Sandhills mentioned by Captain [George] Back…the portage to the headwaters of the [Great] Fish River, finding more open water on this side of the bay we continued on till we came to another [lead of open water] in which by the ice one of our canoes was nearly crushed.
July 11th. Cold. We came to the bottom of the bay and after examining the country from the top of one of the hills found that we had at last reached the [Great] Fish River, Sussex Lake, with its sandy point and rock island just as Captain Back described it. Mr. A & I walked across the portage and satisfied ourselves that we were correct…. From the point we left Great Slave Lake to the portage to [Great] Fish River the distance by this route is [blank] miles, principally in a Northerly direction… It being cloudy we were not able to take observations today but owing to the low state of the water we may have the opportunity tomorrow, as the portage is much longer than it must have been when Captain Back passed. The scenery here is a little diversified by the Sandhills and green colour of the moss, at a distance one would fancy it was grass. The Dwarf Birch too adds a little to the description–reindeer has as yet [not?] been seen, it seems nothing can remain here except mosquitoes, geese, deer….Our canoes have not yet suffered much though we have been a great deal in the ice, great care has been taken of them. 38 portages have already been made without damage. It is to be hoped they will stand the trip. Ice is our great enemy and we ought now to have passed it till we reach the sea.
And so, with their portage from Lake Aylmer to Sussex Lake, they have reached the waters of the Great Fish River, which they will follow all the way north to the shores of the Arctic Sea. In our next section of his journal we will be travelling on the Great Fish, and the rapids begin. There will be plenty of them, in fact. By the way, they are now out on the Barren Grounds. It is a place of rock and sand and reindeer moss and not much else: flat, intimidating, but the home of many interesting creatures such as Musk Ox, deer, wolves, Canada and other geese, and Inuit people. They are not quite yet in Nunavut, but they will be soon.
And for the Americans who follow this story (there are a few), what used to be the then-massive Northwest Territories was divided into two territories on April 1st, 1999. The Northwest Territories still includes the Mackenzie River, Great Slave Lake, Artillery Lake, Clinton-Colden Lake, Aylmer Lake, Sussex Lake, and the lower section of the Great Fish River. But once you reach Beechey Lake, you are in Nunavut! Nunavut is the result of a land claims agreement between the Inuit people and the Canadian government, in which the Inuit took over the enormous territory and governed it for themselves. Nunavut comprises a major portion of Northern Canada and most of the islands in the Arctic Archipelago. After Greenland (which belongs to Denmark), it is North America’s second-largest territory. Nunavut’s capital is Iqualuit–formerly Frobisher Bay, on Baffin Island. Its land mass is almost the size of Mexico, but in spite of its size it is the least populated region in Canada, with a population of 36,000 persons, more or less.
So we are not yet in Nunavut, but we will soon be there. I have given you a few interesting posts to look at. When I write the next post in this series, it will appear here: https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/whatever-i-call-it/
As you know, this book will be published in January 2027, and is now being designed. We haven’t quite come up with the finished title, but on social media, you will find me at #ThreeJourneysNorth
Copyright, Nancy Marguerite Anderson, 2026. All rights reserved.