Charlot Birnie
It will shock the descendants of James and Charlot Birnie to know this: that on James Birnie’s return to the Columbia district in 1826 with the incoming York Factory Express,…
Read moreArrow Lakes
The Arrow Lakes, as they existed before the waters of the Columbia River were raised by the dams along its length, must have been a spectacular place, with its two…
Read moreJames Birnie and the 1826 York Factory Express
We, who are descendants of James Birnie of Spokane House and Fort Vancouver, have known he went out in the 1826 York Factory Express to Hudson Bay. What we did…
Read moreAemilius Simpson, his cousin George, and the birth of the York Factory Express
Aemilius Simpson was a very interesting young man, and one who kept a concise journal of his voyage across the North American continent, from York Factory to Fort Vancouver, Columbia…
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…
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