Athabasca Pass
In 1826, Aemilius Simpson came west with the incoming York Factory Express: otherwise called the Columbia Express for its destination on the Columbia River. This was his first time across…
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The posts on the North Saskatchewan River had a much more confusing history than those on the Saskatchewan, having to close or change locations many times over the years! Again,…
Read moreNorth Saskatchewan River
At Edmonton House, the York Factory Express joined the Saskatchewan Brigades, who were carrying their furs down the North Saskatchewan River to Hudson Bay. I had to learn about every…
Read moreBirchbark Canoes
From a book titled Canoe Crossings, I learned that what made birchbark canoes so special was that the grain of the bark that covered them was transverse rather than longitudinal.…
Read moreAurora Borealis
The Aurora Borealis was a familiar sight to all the Hudson’s Bay men, but no York Factory Express man, other than Aemilius Simpson, ever wrote about it. Where did he…
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