John O’Brien
I have one man I keep stumbling across: his name is John O’Brien. I found him first when he was mentioned in Thomas Lowe’s York Factory Express journal of 1847.…
Read moreHappy New Year
We have learned from my last post that Christmas Day in the HBC fur trade tended to be quiet and restful, with little trouble from anyone. So let’s see what…
Read moreDescending the Hayes River
The York Factory Express left Fort Vancouver, 100 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River, in late March, and by mid-June were at Norway House, on Playgreen Lake. Their…
Read moreBeaver
So today I am going to write about the Beaver. Why? Because I now have two fur traders who are describing this animal to their London readers. Future London readers,…
Read moreCannibalism, again!
I seem to be writing a lot about cannibalism, and will do more — especially as this book I am working on now has just a little bit to do…
Read more