Journey to the Fraser River
In late 1824, a group of HBC men under Chief Factor James McMillan made a boat journey from Fort George [Astoria] to the Fraser River, to find a location for…
Read moreDescending the Columbia River
I thought that for this series on the Columbia River, I might be able to access and read Samuel Black’s journal of his descent of the river in 1825. He…
Read moreA Look-Back at James Birnie’s life
So, in 1846, James Birnie retired, a disappointed man, after 28 years of working in the fur trade of the North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company. How did…
Read moreFort Colvile Mill
My great-grandfather Alexander Caulfield Anderson built one of the many Fort Colvile mills that existed at that fort over the years between 1829 and 1851. However, I really have little…
Read moreThe men in the 1826 York Factory Express
Many of the men who travelled in the York Factory Express worked west of the Rocky Mountains for many years — some worked here for just a year or so.…
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