Fort Victoria Murderers
I wonder how many people today know that Fort Victoria was built, in part, by a group of five murderers from Fort Stikine? Let me tell you the story. There…
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 moreJoe Burke
In his outgoing York Factory Express journal of 1847, Thomas Lowe lists the passengers who are travelling up the Columbia River with him. This is what he wrote: Wednesday,…
Read moreThomas Lowe sails north
The ship Vancouver, in which Thomas Lowe is sailing, has now reached the Pacific Ocean and is heading north toward Fort Vancouver, where he expects to begin his employment in…
Read morePaul Kane’s “Big Hill”
So in 1846, Paul Kane and the few remaining men of the incoming York Factory Express spent their night trying to keep warm at their encampment on the shores of…
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