Packing in British Columbia
I am going to tell you a story. In 1859, when Royal Engineer Lieutenant Spencer Palmer rode across the Tulameen Plateau to Campement des Femmes with Angus McDonald of Fort…
Read moreTwo Canoes: North from Cumberland House
Here is the first of this pair of journals, as two sets of canoes are making their way west to the Columbia, by the old canoe route followed by the…
Read moreJohn Work’s Journey to the Columbia District, 1823
Three years before the York Factory Express existed, John Work travelled over much of their route, on his way from York Factory to Spokane House, on the Spokane River. He…
Read moreFabulous Sam Black
I know I have used the word “fabulous” before when I describe a fur trader. But some are fabulously interesting, and Chief Trader Sam Black is certainly a member of…
Read moreHBC Transportation Systems: the London Ships
Transportation of goods and furs was an important issue for the employees of the HBC, and their transportation systems West of the Rocky Mountains differed from those in the East.…
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