Indian Corn
It is late summer, and the season for corn. Hence, it is time to speak of corn in the HBC (and NWC) trade west of the Rocky Mountains. This post…
Read moreGeorge Stewart Simpson, son of Governor George Simpson
When my book was published in November 2011, I was also in the throes of writing a talk to be given in front of the Victoria Historical Society. In order…
Read moreShoes in the fur trade
It is often said that there were no shoes in the fur trade, but that is not exactly true. My 3x-great grandfather, James Birnie, was descended from generations of leather…
Read moreJames Birnie, 1826-1827
James Birnie traveled out with the 1826 York Factory Express, and he crossed the mountains with the incoming Columbia Express. He is mentioned in Aemilius Simpson’s 1826 York Factory Express…
Read moreFort Colvile to Boat Encampment
In his own York Factory Express journal, George Traill Allan, whose passage from Fort Nez Perces to Fort Colvile is covered in the last “chapter” of this series, wrote a…
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