Thomas Lowe at Fort Vancouver
On June 15, 1843, Thomas Lowe arrived at Fort Vancouver, about ninety miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia, after having served both at the northwest coast post of…
Read moreJohn McLoughlin in 1841
Fort Vancouver’s Chief Factor, John McLoughlin, had little to do with the building of Fort Victoria, and nothing at all to do with its management, in spite of the fact…
Read moreThe building of Fort Victoria
In summer 1843, Fort Victoria was built on Camosun Harbour or Inlet, on the southern end of Vancouver’s Island. Although it was at first sometimes called Fort Albert, that name…
Read moreFort Durham’s Closure
Clerk Thomas Lowe finally arrived at Fort Durham (sometimes called Fort Taku) in April 1842, and his letters now tell the story of what happened at this turbulent northwest coast…
Read moreFort Durham Dustup
What stories the HBC men had to tell of Fort Durham dustups, or conflicts with the First Nations people that surrounded it! It seems that every HBC man who…
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