Clerk James Douglas
James Douglas was a clerk when he took out the York Factory Express to Hudson Bay in 1835; although he returned to the Columbia District as a Chief Trader, having…
Read moreDescending the Columbia River
I thought that for this series on the Columbia River, I might be able to access and read Samuel Black’s journal of his descent of the river in 1825. He…
Read moreFort Assiniboine
Fort Assiniboine was one of many posts along the Athabasca River west of the mouth of the Clearwater River, although most posts on the river were located in the Jasper…
Read morePaul Kane leaves Edmonton House
“We remained at Edmonton till the morning of the 6th [October],” Paul Kane wrote, “preparing for the arduous journey which now lay before us.” Paul Kane was travelling west with…
Read moreThe Railway vs the Express
Everything ends. Even the York Factory Express, that ran for twenty-six years across the Rocky Mountains to Edmonton House, came to a sudden, crashing, end. Surprisingly, its death was caused…
Read more