Farnham's Travels in the Great Western Prairies, etc., part 2, October 21-December 4, 1839: and De Smet's Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846Smet, Pierre-Jean de
History
Farnham's Travels in the Great Western Prairies, etc., part 2, October 21-December 4, 1839: and De Smet's Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846
Smet, Pierre-Jean de
Indians of North America -- West (U.S.); Oregon -- Description and travel; Overland journeys to the Pacific; Rocky Mountains -- Description and travel; West (U.S.) -- Description and travel; West (U.S.) -- History -- To 1848
[77] For Fort Fraser see _ante_, p. 56, note 68. Fort St. James, at
the outlet of Stuart Lake (latitude 54° 26′ north), was built in 1806
by Simon Fraser amid a large population of Indians, and has been
maintained continuously to the present. After the advent of the Hudson’s
Bay Company, Fort St. James was made the emporium of New Caledonia,
the residence of a chief factor. In 1828 it was visited by Sir George
Simpson, who entered in proper state with buglers and bagpipers, the
governor and his suite mounted, amid the welcoming discharge of cannon
and musketry (A. McDonald, _Peace River_, pp. 24, 25). For two views of
this post see Morice, _Northern Interior of British Columbia_, pp. 102,
110.
Fort McLeod is the oldest permanent post west of the Rocky Mountains.
Founded in 1805 by Simon Fraser, it has maintained a continuous existence
to the present. It was named for Archibald Norman McLeod, a colleague
of its founder in the North West Company. Located on a lake of the same
name, near the source of Finlay River, in latitude 55° north, it was
chiefly useful as a supply post on the route from Canada via Peace River.
Chilcotin was founded (about 1828) on a river of the same name tributary
to the upper Fraser, about latitude 52° as an outpost for Fort Alexandria
(see _ante_, p. 44, note 53). Difficult of maintenance because of the
troublesome character of the Chilcotin Indians, it was abandoned before
1850.
In addition to the posts mentioned, the Hudson’s Bay Company had in
Farnham’s time within New Caledonia, Forts Babine, Connolly, and
George—the latter on the upper Fraser, the two former on lakes of the
same name in the far north.—ED.
[78] All these posts have been before noted: Fort Thompson (Kamloops) in
our volume vii, p. 199, note 64; Kootenay and Flathead in notes 45, 46,
_ante_; Fort Hall in our volume xxi, p. 210, note 51; Fort Boise, in our
volume xxviii, p. 321, note 199; Fort Colville in De Smet’s _Letters_,
our volume xxvii, p. 330, note 166; Okanagan in our volume vi, p. 260,
note 71; Walla Walla in our volume xxi, p. 278, note 73.—ED.
[79] Usually known as Fort Umpqua, this post was founded in 1832 by John
McLeod, being situated about forty miles up the Umpqua River, on the
south bank, on a small prairie of about two hundred acres. It was usually
in charge of a French Canadian clerk, who needed to be vigilant because
of the treacherous nature of the savages. The post was attacked in 1840
by ten times the number of defenders, but the assault was repulsed. The
stockade having been burned (1851), the Hudson’s Bay Company declined to
rebuild, leasing the land to an American settler, W. W. Chapman.—ED.
[80] The idea of a transcontinental railway had not yet dawned. Farnham’s
plan shows, however, boldness of conception for these early days of
railway building.—ED.
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