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Hudson's Bay Company/North West CompanyTrading and exploration done through the HBC and the NWC established fur posts and formulated maps for trading routes. It also brought the New World into graphic detail for the Old World. The result of this was the seed of settlement being planted. Locations that were once forts or trading posts became communities, including Fort Yale.
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Governor George Simpson1857
Hudson's Bay Co
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Governor George Simpson1787-1860
The HBC's Leading Man
Simpson led the Hudson's Bay Company through the turmoil that marked its merger with the North West Company while laying the groundwork that made the HBC such a powerful and leading presence within America.
He started with the company at a relatively young age, being appointed the acting Governor-in-Chief of Rupert's Land when he was still in his early thirties. Prior to this appointment he worked at the HBC's London office.
Simpson had a keen mind; "he was described as cold hearted, but fair. He was good at making peace between the fur traders who had once been enemies. He was a strict businessman who did not want any waste."1
His presence and strength during the fur trading wars convinced the company to make him head of the entire Northern Department of Rupert's Land. Within this position he essentially reorganized the Hudson's Bay Company. Essentially, he reshaped and reordered the forts to become permanent entities, rather than nomadic. The first step was stationary forts, and then he ordered that all records and books be kept up to date, unnecessary staff were let go or retired, competing trading posts were closed and the officers were stripped of all luxuries they were previously entailed to.
He was referred to as the 'Little Emperor,' often making surprise visits to forts throughout his jurisdiction to ensure that his demands were being met. "Under Sir George's rule as Governor-in-Chief, the council of the Northern Department of Rupert's Land became the dominant governing body within HBC in Canada."2
He was knighted in 1841 by Queen Victoria in recognition of his outstanding achievements. Simpson was a man that held great ambition, both for himself and the company that he transformed. In 1826 he was given the appointment of Governor for the Northern and Southern Departments of Rupert's Land. In 1826 he also took a 'country wife,' a woman of native origin whose father was associated with the HBC. Simpson later remarried, leaving his first wife and their two children.3
Governor George Simpson died in 1860, and despite being around 70 years of age he was still very active in the affairs of the HBC. "The legacy of the 'Little Emperor' influenced the operations of the Hudson's Bay Company for decades after his death."4
We do not know if he ever visited Yale.
Written by Darla Dickenson
1- George Simpson (c1787-1860): Getting Down to Business. Exploration of the Fur Trade and Hudson's Bay Company, Internet: http://www.canadiana.org/hbc/person/simpson1_e.html
2- The Adventurers-George Simpson. Historic HBC. Internet: File://A:\GeorgeSimpson.htm Online:12/9/03
3- Van Kirk, Sylvia. Many Tender Ties" Women in Fur Trade Society, 1670-1870. Also from Taylor Ancestry, Internet: http://www.cyberus.ca/~quinto/taylor.htm.
4- The Adventurers-George Simpson
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David ThompsonThe Adventurer
Few history classes dealing with the 19th century fail to mention David Thompson for he was a man that had a flair for adventure, a passion that served him well as he surveyed and mapped uncharted areas of Western Canada for the North West Company.
David was born in London, England in 1770. His was not a life of royalty, titles, society or gentry. An already hard life was made all the more difficult with the death of his father at the age of two. But, his fortunes were not entirely forfeited, being sent to a charity school at seven and from there he was apprenticed as a clerk for the Hudson's Bay Company. He was sent to different forts for the next four years. True fortune did not smile upon him until he broke his leg in 1788.
While recovering from the broken leg in Cumberland House he learned the art of surveying and astrology from the HBC's astronomer. When his leg was mended he started forth with his newfound talent and explored the uncharted parts of Western Canada, including Northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Around 1793 David decided to trade sides, and joined up with the North West Trading Company. This change gave him the opportunity to explore and map mass quantities of land. The switch also brought him into contact with his future wife.
David married Charlotte Small, a Metis woman. They were together for sixty years and had thirteen children. At this time it was not uncommon for men to take native brides, however not all would remain with them. George Simpson, the esteemed HBC man, had a 'country wife' that he left in favour of a European woman.
David continued exploring in areas of B.C., Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. It was not until word reached the North West Company that the Americans planned to explore the mouth of the Columbian river that David's exploration of the area took on an urgent vein. Although he was too late to get there before the Americans', the maps that he had made from his explorations proved invaluable.
David headed to Lower Canada around 1812 and settled in Terrebonne with his family. The minute details of his life are largely unknown, but what we do know is that he is listed amongst the first, and very possibly the best, explorers and geographers. Despite starting out as a charity case at the tender age of seven he would prove himself invaluable to the British Empire.
The Thompson River is named for him.
Written by Darla Dickenson, edited by Irene Bjerky
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Simon Fraser Expedition, reenactment.1971
Fraser Canyon, B.C.
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Simon FraserScottish Canadian
HBC Explorer of the River that Bears his Name
Mention the name Simon Fraser to anyone in B.C. and they are bound to say, ‘Explorer, wasn't he?' Although an explorer, he was also so much more. Rising from the crumbled ruins of nobility into the struggling reality of a new world Simon would forever carve a name for himself out of the canyon walls.
His incredible journey through the Fraser Canyon peaked at Hell's Gate, where "we trod where no man should ever set foot", guided by the native people who had built the series of ropes and ladders that allowed them to pass across the steep cliffs.
Fraser was well recieved by the N'Laka'pamux people of Spuzzum and the Taits of Yale. He wrote extensively of his stops there, where he was well fed and cared for. At Spuzzum, after he noticed the burial house across the creek, Chief Pelek took him over to let him view them. He was impressed enough to go into detail about them in his diary.
"Seeing tombs of a curious construction at the Forks (the mouth of Spuzzum Creek) on the opposite (West) side, I asked permission of the Chief to go and pay them a visit. This he readily granted, and he accompanied us himself. These Tombs are superior to any thing of the kind I ever saw among the savages. They are about fifteen feet long and of the form of a chest of drawers. Upon the boards and posts are carved beasts and birds, in a curious but rude manner, yet pretty well proportioned. These monuments must have cost the workmen much time and labour, as they were destitute of proper tools for the execution of such a performance. Around the tombs were deposited all the property of the deceased."
That evening they feasted on berries and boiled and roasted salmon. As he was preparing to leave Spuzzum the next morning, a Spuzzum woman, Kesnen, sang her newly composed "Song for Simon Fraser" which was sung in Fraser's honour and for his protection as he left to go downriver into Tait territory and beyond.
They had to abandon their canoes several times through the sheer canyon, and had to trade for more when they got into Tait territory.
They had passed several small Tait villages on the way down, and after the 'Great Rock' which was Lady Franklin Rock, they were welcomed into the village of Puchil, now called Yale.
Here they noticed that some of the people wore garments woven from dog or goat hair, and they saw European knives that had been traded from downriver. They again feasted on salmon, roasted roots, and berries, which was a good thing, as they were not nearly as well fed or treated further down the river. A full account of his journey can be read in Charles Lamb's book, "Letters and Journals of Simon Fraser".
Simon Fraser was the first non-native to navigate the raging waters of the Canyon, but the path that got him there was almost as tumultuous as the rivers he passed through. The Fraser name in its originating Scotland is one of power, influence and standing - one of the oldest and distinguished names.
The man who dared the mighty Fraser River was a direct descendant of the Laird of Daldregan and the 14th Lord Lovatt, who was beheaded on Tower Hill. Simon's father, Simon Sr., brought his family to America and became part of the Loyalist party. This situation led to tension and the eventual death of Simon's father; he sided with the British Army, rose to the ranks of Captain and subsequently died of starvation and maltreatment in an Albany prison after having been captured by the enemy. Simon's mother was left with little income. Amidst growing tension among her neighbours due to her loyalist standing, she sold the farm and moved to Canada.
Times were not easy, forcing the family to make a difficult decision. Simon, the youngest of eight children, was apprenticed to the North West Company in 1792 at the age of 16. It would be a number of years later that he would be sent to find a trading route to the Pacific Ocean and travel down an unknown river that he hoped was the Columbia. The route he explored was north of the Columbia River. David Thompson later named it the Fraser River in honour of Simon Fraser. On this journey Simon traversed a rugged canyon, extending from Lytton to Yale. This geographic feature is now known as the Fraser Canyon.
Before embarking on the adventure through the Canyon Simon had been a clerk. In 1792 he became an apprentice clerk for the NWC of Montreal and learned this trade in Athabasca in 1703. By 1801 he was a partner and given the responsibility of conducting the extension of the NWC westward past the Rockies. Soon afterwards he established Fort McLeod in 1805, in 1806 he established Fort St. James; and Fort Fraser and Fort George in 1807.
In addition to the forts his job was also to secure trading relations with the native people in the Interior of B.C. It was in 1808 that he set out to find a route to the Pacific, and explored the Fraser River to its mouth and the village of Musqueam.
Simon left the fur trade in 1818 and moved to St. Andrews West, Ontario. Here he had family and here he would meet his future wife, Catherine MacDonell (also Scottish) They were married on June 7, 1820 and had eight children together. He was permanently disabled at the age of 62 after fighting on behalf of Canada during the rebellion and received a small pension for his troubles.
On August 18, 1862 Simon Fraser died at the age of 86. His wife of 42 years would pass away the following day. They are united still, buried in a single grave beneath the sod in St. Andrew's West. It is through his exploration of the Fraser River and the Canyon that he has etched his name into the psyche of British Columbia and Canada.
Written by Darla Dickenson and Irene Bjerky
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Map of the Boston Bar Trail1999
British Columbia
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Alexander Caulfield Anderson1814 - 1884
HBC Mapper & Explorer
The Tait people of Yale had nearly 40 years of peace and quiet after Simon Fraser's journey down their river, a river that was later named for him.
Aside from Simon Fraser's voyage in 1808, A.C. Anderson was one of the first white men to travel through what would become the trading post of Fort Yale, and later the village of Yale. He was a Hudson's Bay fur trader and explorer who was assigned to find a trading route after the 49th parallel was agreed upon as the U.S./Canada border; a border that could no longer be crossed without paying the U.S. government duty. Prior to this all fur traders had used the much easier Columbia River route to transport furs to Victoria and San Francisco.
Anderson began his journey at Kamloops in 1847, and attempted to make his way down the perilous Fraser Canyon. He met with daunting country, filled with mountain canyons and rushing rivers. When he finally reached Fort Yale, a brand new outpost on the Fraser River, he was exhausted. He really did not recommend this route to anyone who was not insane or desperate. He later found two other saner routes through Harrison Lake and the Similkameen and recommended these paths. However, we are looking at his trip to Yale, and a frightening one it was.
His trip through the Fraser Canyon went something like this: "On May 22nd, 1847, Anderson started on foot along the difficult path leading downstream through the Thompson River canyon to the confluence of the Fraser and the Thompson River. From here they were led by Pahallak, a First Nations Guide from around Fort Yale, south through the Fraser Canyon.
On the evening of May 25th, after a long hot day and 28 miles along the difficult trial, the party was mid-way through the canyon. Anderson wrote: "though I do not condemn these passages as impassable with horses, in the strict acceptation of that term, I decidedly think them quite impracticable for a loaded brigade, or loaded horses, however limited in number..."
May 25th, the party broke camp at 3 a.m. hiking down the Fraser canyon to reach the mouth of Squazowm (Anderson) River. By following this river south, they by-passed the worst stretch of the Fraser canyon, re-joining the Fraser at Kequeloose (a mile above the old Alexandra Suspension Bridge). Three miles further down (near Spuzzum), they crossed the Fraser at a point Anderson thought a brigade could ferry or swim across easily. Continuing south, they walked downstream emerging from the canyon at "The foot of the rapids," around Lady Franklin rock just north of Yale. From here the Fraser was navigable. Anderson's party paddled the rest of the way to fort Langley by canoe - a swift and easy journey after the difficult hiking of the Fraser Canyon."
In 1848 the Hudson's Bay fur brigades from Fort Kamloops, Fort Colville and the New Caledonia district made their way along Anderson's Brigade trail - then called the Hope Trail - to bring their furs to the shipping depot at Fort Langley.
Alexander Caulfield Anderson was born to British parents in India in 1814, and largely pursued his career with the Hudson's Bay Company in Canadian exploration. He did some of his service in Fort Colville, Fort Vancouver, and Fort Nisqually (all now U.S. territory). His importance stems from his exploration of Canadian territory, and his finding of routes through the Cascade Mountains to the HBC forts and trading posts of B.C.'s interior. He has a river, a trail, and an American island named for him. Anderson died in Victoria, B.C. in 1884.
Written by Irene Bjerky
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Yale Coat of Arms5 March 2004
Internet
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James Murray Yale1860
Hudson's Bay Co
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James Murray YaleHBC Fur Trader & Chief Factor
1784 - 1871
The little Gold Rush town of Yale was originally named Fort Yale, after the Hudson's Bay Company chief factor at Fort Langley, James Murray Yale. We can't confirm that he ever visited his namesake, but really, how could any person resist? He was only about 100 kilometers (60 miles) downriver, and it was only a two-day trip by canoe or steamboat. He must have visited it at least once in his lifetime.
The founder of Fort Yale in 1848, Ovid Allard and the HBC must have respected him to have named this new trading post after him. JM Yale was the Chief Factor at Fort Langley, which had been established in 1827. Yale had begun there as a clerk in 1829, and did such a good job of record-keeping that he was put in charge of Fort Langley in 1839, and appointed Chief Trader in 1844.
J.M. Yale was a true Canadian, born Back East and started his career with the Hudson's Bay Company as a Fur Trader in 1818. Normally a Canadian would have joined the Northwest Company, not the British-owned HBC, but Yale had a bad experience, being held prisoner by the Northwest Co. for a time. After this he was a very faithful employee of the HBC for more than 42 years, retiring in 1860.
During his first years at Fort Langley James became enamoured of the daughter of the Kwantlen Chief, and despite opposition from a colonial lady-friend, he married his love. Before the marriage his lady-friend, Mary Julia Mechtler wrote him a strongly worded letter against the marriage, which read:
"Continue to keep your good resolutions of not taking an Indian wife, on account of yourself as well as of the dreadful fate that generally awaits the Bois Brule offspring of such a connection. Reflect what every man owes himself. What apology can a white man make to his children for mixing and polluting his pure blood with that of a savage. How dare such a person pretend to principle and feeling! Fie upon him for a selfish monster! I hope, my dear James, you will never have such a reproach to make to your conscience."
Ignoring these biased words, James married the woman he loved, and as far as we know he had two daughters with her, Aurelia and Bella.
We know that his daughter Aurelia later married John Duncan Manson; and had the children Flora, Maria, Ann, and John D. Jr.
We know nothing about Bella Yale, but she is very likely the daughter Elizabeth who married Henry Newsham D'Lennie Peers, a fellow fur trader. Eliza, as she is called in the family genealogy, and Henry had James, Minna, Brenda, Elisabeth (Elise), and Maria.
Apparently JM's wife did not enjoy life in the Fort, and went back to live with her people. The Yale daughters were sent to a private school in Victoria.
Upon his retirement, James moved to a large home he built in Saanich, just outside of Victoria. Presumably his daughters joined him there.
His family had an active social life, judging from the photos in the B.C. Archives.
James Murray Yale died in 1871 of debilitating illness from a stroke he had in 1868.
"Yale suffered a stroke in 1868, and John Tod spent a lot of time at his bedside to take care of him. After a few months, he got a little better but was left partially paralyzed. Another stroke in 1871 resulted in his death.
In his memoirs, Tod describes Yale as "a small man in stature, but courageous, and having as the Indians say, a big heart" (John Tod)
Written by Irene Bjerky
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Hudson's Bay Company Store Chapman Family sitting on steps1886
Front Street, Yale
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Ovid Allard1817 - 1874
HBC Factor at Fort Yale
Ovid Allard is credited with building and naming Fort Yale and holding the position of Chief Factor there on and off for some years. The Hudson's Bay Co.'s presence at Fort Yale was spotty for about 10 years as shortly after it was built an easier trading route was found through Fort Hope, so Allard spent much of his time operating that HBC post.
He is said to have joined the HBC in 1834, and in 1847-8 supervised the building of the fort at Yale, which was a simple log structure without stockades. He named it after James Murray Yale, the HBC Factor at Fort Langley, about 60 miles downriver.
According to accounts, Allard operated Fort Yale for two years steadily before the Similkameen route from Hope was discovered, at which he then operated that post until the beginning of the Fraser River Gold Rush in 1858.
Allard was recorded as the 'Officer in Charge' at Yale during the Fraser Canyon War who refused to supply guns to the company of miners who wanted to march up the canyon and do battle with the warriors upriver. However, the men became more threatening, and Allard was forced to comply and give up a case of rifles. 1
He did make at least two trips to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, as he is recorded as being there in 1856, and living there with his family in 1860, supervising the native workers during a building project. His wife was from Vancouver Island, a daughter one of the Cowichan tribes.
Justine was Allard's second wife, and they had three children, Lucy, Jason Ovid, and Sara. Poor little Sara suffered a tragic death as a child. This story of her was found in a magazine article about Dr. Fifer, and was a distressing event for all of them.
"Another child patient was Sara, the youngest daughter of Ovid Allard, the clerk of the Hudson's Bay post. The little girl had been allowed on an outing across the river with her older sister Lucie (sic). While looking for wild strawberries, Sara had become lost and had fallen asleep under a scrub maple. She was awakened by the crackling of a miner's campfire. Cowering behind the bush, Sara observed the swarthy miner sitting by the glowing embers and taking from his shoulder bag a large potato. With his knife he cut it in half, scooping out a hole. Into the hollow space he placed a walnut-sized ball of a grayish, putty-like substance. He wired the two halves back together and placed the potato on the red-hot bed of coals. With two sticks he turned it often to bake it evenly. It was almost charred on the outside when he gently eased it off the fire and allowed it to cool. He removed the wire and opened the two halves. To Sara's amazement he took out a shiny piece of yellow gold from the centre and placed it into his poke. He kicked the potato to the side, and, whistling a tune, the miner went off toward Hill's Bar.
Sara came out of her hiding place. She had had nothing to eat since morning. The fragrance was mouth-watering and reminded her of the potato roasts at Fort Langley. Hungry as she was, the devoured the potato.
Later, at home, she collapsed. Her parents called Dr. Fifer, who was their neighbour across the back lane. The doctor was confused by the girl's incoherent story that she had eaten some baked potato. He suspected that she had fallen victim to an unknown miasma and administered tincture of opium, called laudanum, and a mercury compound, calomel. He decided to bleed her; though he would have preferred the gentle leeches, none were available, and he had to resort to the painful method of lancing. The treatment seemed to settle her and her cramps and diarrhea subsided. The doctor stayed at Sara's bedside continuously and watched as her face became puffy and her breath sweetish as a result of renal failure, and then he realized that her young life had slipped through his fingers. The mother was beside herself with grief over the loss of her youngest child and refused the laudanum Dr. Fifer offered for her distress.
On the following day Dr. Fifer was in his office. He was totally unprepared when Mrs. Allard stormed in and, in front of the patients, accused him of malpractice and blamed him for Sara's death. Then she attacked him, pummeling him violently, knocking the gold-framed spectacles off his nose and rendering him defenseless in his short-sightedness. He was not a tall man and disliked violence, and against a woman who was temporarily out of reason, he would not defend himself.
After she left, Dr. Fifer became concerned about the bad publicity that this incident might cause. To his chagrin the British Colonist printed a full account of the embarrassing assault in the following week's issue - by which time the mother and the doctor had become reconciled." 2
It seems likely that poor Sara died of mercury poisoning, as it was mercury that was used by the miners to separate the fine gold from the black sand. A freak accident that was not really anyone's fault. A tragedy at its most ironic, and a very hard event for both the Allards' and the doctor to accept.
Justine Allard was a strong personality and on more than one occasion had lived up to the fiery reputation of her people. Her son Jason gave this account in 1929 to historian Bruce McKelvie:
"The Indians of those days were numerous and warlike. Two years before I was born [in 1848], my father, Ovid Allard was in charge of the post at Fort Yale which he had built. There was no stockade about this post, because, so terrified of the savages were the men, who had accompanied my father and another clerk, named Robertson, to establish this post at the lower end of the Fraser Canyon, that they deserted before the pickets could be raised. He remained there, however, with his family, trading with the natives.
"One day Chief Spentlum and his band of warriors from higher up the river attacked the place. They captured the establishment and bound my father. My mother was at some distance from the place when she heard of the attack from a Kanaka servant. She ran to her husband's assistance, picking up a hoe from the field as the readiest weapon of offense.
"When she reached the store, it was to find my father bound hand and foot and the Indians ransacking the shelves. Chief Spentlum was bending over a bale of goods. She rushed at him, with hoe uplifted, and called out that she would cleave his head in two if he did not order the release of the captive. This the Indian did, and when my father was liberated my parents succeeded in driving the invaders from the (fort) and barricaded the door. Then my brave mother called out in the Indian tongue, threatening Spentlum with the vengeance of her people, the Cowichans, terror of the lower coast - if he and his warriors did not leave. Knowing well that he could not now capture the place without losing a number of his braves and aware that such a circumstance must sooner or later come to the ears of the great Chief T'shoshia, my mother's near relative and overlord of all the Cowichan tribe, Spentlum withdrew." 3
Ovid Allard retired to Langley, and died there on August 2, 1874. He is buried along with some of his children in the Fort Langley Pioneer Cemetery.
Written by Irene Bjerky
1- "British Columbia" Historical Volume IV, Howay & Scholfield, 1914
2- "Government Says No to Medicare (1858)" by Dr. Gerd A. Asche, MD; 'Back Page', p.365, BC Medical Journal - Volume 37, Number 5, May 1995
3- Jason O. Allard, as related to B.A. McKelvie, "Before B.C. was Born: First of a Series of Articles Narrating the Romantic Experience of a Pioneer Who Has Seen a Great Province Emerging from the Wilderness," MacLean's Magazine, May 1, 1929; reference cited by Dr. Andrea Laforet, "Spuzzum: Fraser Canyon Histories 1808-1939"
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Donald Manson1796-1880
Hudson's Bay Company Explorer and Chief Trader
Donald Manson was an adventurer and outdoorsman who's various positions with the HBC over the years suited his nature. Among his adventures was the testing of the Brigade Trail in 1849 with A.C. Anderson as their guide. The route proved perilous and Fort Yale would have been a welcome site for the exhausted travelers and their animals as they came down the last stretch of the trail. At the time of this expedition Manson was the HBC's Chief Trader and Superintendent of New Caledonia.
Manson started with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1817 at the age of 21. "An 1822 report noted that he was a 'fine powerful active young man [and a] tolerable Clerk & Trader." 1 Through his time with the HBC he most preferred exploring and active service; he explored the Nass and Skeena Rivers in 1831 and 1832, while in charge of Fort Simpson. During his term there he constructed Fort McLoughlin on Millbank Sound, which he heavily fortified against any possibility of a native invasion. Manson also built Fort George and Fort Langley on behalf of the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1837 he was promoted to Chief Trader.
With the title of Chief Trader usually came the position of Chief Factor, but due to his tendency towards brutality this advancement was continually withheld by Governor George Simpson until Manson discontinued his policy of 'club law.' Due to this clause, Manson was never promoted to chief factorship. "Any HBC officer had to be ready to look after himself in a rough world, but Manson seemed to find a positive pleasure in threats and beatings, and encouraged his subordinates to imitate his own brutality." 2 It was Manson's skill at getting the furs that kept his rank as chief trader despite his brutality.
In 1841 Manson took over the Kamloops Post, had a brief stint at Stikine before being moved to Fort St. James, New Caledonia in 1844. Manson retired in 1857, renowned for not only his temper but his skills as an outdoorsman.
He had married Felicite Lucifer in 1828 while stationed around Fort Langley. Donald Manson moved his wife and their eight children to a farm in Oregon after his retirement. Manson died on the farm on January 7, 1880. Felicite had predeceased him by 13 years.
Written by Darla Dickenson, edited by Irene Bjerky
1- The Dictionary of Canadian Biography, 1871 to 1880. Vol. X. Toronto, On: University of Toronto Press (pg 495-496)
2- Akrigg, Helen and G.P.V. British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871. Gold & Colonists. Vancouver: Discovery Press, 1977. Pg 69.
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