Samuel Black
Samuel Black was the oddest of all the HBC men. Black, born in 1780, was a young highlander of enormous size when he came to Canada and joined the fur…
Read moreFort St. James
Fort St. James was the centre of the fur trade in north-central British Columbia, and played an important role in HBC’s exploration history. It was also where the HBC Brigades…
Read moreThe New Caledonia brigades head up the Nechako River
So, in 1826 Chief Factor William Connolly and his brigades paddled by the temporarily closed Fort George [Prince George], heading upriver to Fort James. In 1831, Peter Warren Dease stopped…
Read morePeter Warren Dease travels north from Fort Alexandria
So it is now time for me to bring Peter Warren Dease north from Fort Alexandria to Fort George [Prince George]. Dease’s journals are usually quite brief: but I would…
Read moreTwo Canoes: Governor Simpson reaches the Fraser River
Governor Simpson has arrived at Fort St. James, and the first complaint he and his men have is about the provisions — or lack of them. As Archibald McDonald wrote…
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