Fort 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 moreImpossible Journey
When I was doing research some time ago for another book (“The Brigades”), I ran across one man who made an impossible journey through New Caledonia, heading north to the…
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 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…
Read moreJames McDougall
As I do my last *personal* edits of my York Factory Express book, I am attempting to determine which of the two McDougall brothers traveled west in the 1826 York…
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