Impossible Journey
When I was doing research some time ago for another book (“The HBC Brigades”), I ran across one man who made an impossible journey through New Caledonia, heading north to…
Read moreFort Assiniboine
Fort Assiniboine was one of many posts along the Athabasca River west of the mouth of the Clearwater River, although most posts on the river were located in the Jasper…
Read moreJames Birnie Retires
James Birnie was a big man; a broad-shouldered and deep-chested man who stood six feet tall, according to Irene Martin, who wrote the book Beach of Heaven. He spoke in…
Read more1858 Brigade Trails
It is interesting to see how the packers who followed the HBC trails into the upper district travelled up and down what they called “the Old Brigade Trail” to…
Read moreBirchbark Canoes
From a book titled Canoe Crossings, I learned that what made birchbark canoes so special was that the grain of the bark that covered them was transverse rather than longitudinal.…
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