Simon Fraser (explorer)

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Simon Fraser

Simon Fraser (* 1776 in Mapletown near Bennington (Vermont) , † August 18, 1862 in St Andrews near Cornwall (Ontario) ) was a Canadian fur trader and explorer who mapped large parts of what is now the Canadian province of British Columbia . Fraser had been employed by the North West Company and from 1805 had been director of all business west of the Rocky Mountains . He was responsible for building the first trading post in the area and explored the Fraser River named after him in 1808 .

Life

Childhood and youth

The son of a Scotsman from the Highlands was born near Bennington in the later state of Vermont during the American War of Independence . He was the eighth and youngest child in the family. His father of the same name was a British officer who fell into American captivity and died during the Saratoga campaign .

After the war the family moved to Canada. With the help of Fraser's uncle, a judge on the Court of Common Pleas , the family settled in Québec , near Cadillac (now part of Rouyn-Noranda ). At the age of 14, Fraser went to Montreal to see his uncle and, after two years of schooling, received an apprenticeship with the North West Company . Two of Fraser's other uncles were in the fur trade, which was an important part of Montreal's economy at the time. In addition, the Frasers were related to Simon McTavish , one of the company's founders.

Between 1792 and 1805, Fraser appears to have been a trader in the Athabasca branch . Little is known about his exact activities. But he seems to have been very successful, as he became a partner in the company in 1801 at the age of only 25.

Exploring the West

In 1789, Alexander Mackenzie was hired by the North West Company to find a navigable river to the Pacific Ocean . The route he discovered in 1793, up the West Road River and down the Bella Coola River , opened up new areas for hunting fur animals, but proved too difficult for a trade route to the Pacific. In 1805, Fraser was given the task of expanding the area of ​​operations to the west of the Rocky Mountains . Mackenzie's expeditions had primarily been explorations, while Fraser, in addition to exploring trade routes, was given the task of establishing trading posts and taking possession of the land. Fraser was thus the pioneer of permanent European settlement in what is now British Columbia.

Establishment of trading posts

In the fall of 1805, Fraser headed for the Rocky Mountains, following the Peace River . He built the Rocky Mountain Portage House trading post (now Hudson's Hope ) just east of the Peace River Canyon. In winter, Fraser and his companions crossed the mountains, then followed the Parsnip River and the Pack River and built the Trout Lake Fort (later renamed Fort McLeod) at what is now McLeod Lake . This was the first permanent European settlement west of the Rocky Mountains in what is now Canada.

Fraser named this area New Caledonia , named after Scotland, the land of his ancestors. Further exploration by Fraser's assistant, James McDougall, led to the discovery of Carrier Lake , now known as Stuart Lake . The lake was in the center of the area that was inhabited by the Dakelh people. The lakeshore turned out to be a lucrative location for the fur trade, which is why the Fort St. James trading post was established there in 1806 . From there, Fraser sent his assistant, John Stuart, west to Fraser Lake . Later they both established another trading post, now known as Fort Fraser .

Delays and formation of Fort George

Fraser learned from the indigenous peoples that the Fraser River could be reached by following the Stuart River (on whose course Stuart Lake lies) and then down the Nechako River . Fraser had the idea to go down the entire river, later named after him, in boats. He was convinced that this was indeed the Columbia River , the mouth of which was discovered by Robert Gray in 1792 .

Originally, Fraser wanted to start the journey in 1806, but there was a lack of men and supplies; above that there was famine in the region. Fraser did not receive supplies until the fall of 1807, which is why the expedition could not leave until the following spring. To bridge the waiting time, Fraser had traveled to the confluence of the Nechako River with the Fraser River and established another trading post there called Fort George (now the city of Prince George is located there ). This post was later the starting point of the trip.

Along the Fraser River

On May 28, 1808, the group of 24 left Fort George in four canoes . The locals warned Fraser that further down the river was almost impassable. Even the portages proved extremely strenuous, and Fraser's people in some cases preferred to negotiate dangerous rapids in order to avoid even more dangerous or strenuous portages. Thirteen days after the start of the journey, Fraser left the canoes above what is now Lillooet , and the group continued on foot. Every now and then they borrowed canoes from tribes they met along the way.

Fraser knew how to build friendly relationships with the tribes. He sent messages further downstream to the tribes to inform them of the impending arrival and his good intentions. This tactic mostly proved effective. But further downstream, near the present-day city of Vancouver , he came across the hostile Musqueam . With the group being followed, all they could see was the Strait of Georgia or the ocean. The neighboring tribe of the Kwantlen also pursued the group and drove them inland to Hope . Fraser had now realized that the river couldn't be the Columbia River. The trip had taken a total of 36 days.

Returning to Fort George proved far more dangerous as the hostility now spread to the tribes on the upper reaches. The constant danger of death almost led to a mutiny in the group, as the other members of the group preferred to flee overland. Nevertheless, Fraser continued the return journey on the river and the group arrived in Fort George on August 6, 1808 after 37 days. The entire trip there and back had taken two and a half months.

Battle of Seven Oaks

Fraser left New Caledonia in 1809 and returned to the Athabasca branch, where he remained until 1814. Most of the time he was in charge of the Mackenzie River trading region . Then the management sent him to the valley of the Red River ; there he got into a conflict between the North West Company and Thomas Douglas , the main shareholder of the Hudson's Bay Company and founder of the Red River Colony .

The conflict culminated in the Battle of Seven Oaks in June 1816 , which resulted in the death of Governor Robert Semple and 23 other men. Although Fraser himself was not involved in the attack, Douglas had him arrested at Fort William . Fraser was taken to Montreal in September, where he was promptly released on bail. He returned to Fort William in 1817 when the North West Company regained control of this trading post. In 1818, Fraser and five other partners were acquitted of all charges related to the incidents at the colony.

Further life

In 1818 Fraser seems to have withdrawn from the fur trade. He settled at St Andrews near Cornwall , Ontario , and married in 1820. He had five sons and three daughters. He spent the rest of his life going about various businesses, mostly without much success. During the rebellions of 1837 he served as a sergeant in the Stormont militia. He died in 1862 at the age of 86, his wife the following day. Both were buried in a common grave in the Roman Catholic cemetery at St Andrews.

Places established by Fraser

Named after Fraser

literature

  • W. Kaye Lamb: The Letters and Journals of Simon Fraser, 1806-1808. The MacMillan Company of Canada Limited, Toronto 1960.

Web links

Commons : Simon Fraser  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Fraser, Simon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish-Canadian fur trader and explorer
DATE OF BIRTH 1776
PLACE OF BIRTH Mapletown near Bennington, Vermont
DATE OF DEATH August 18, 1862
Place of death St Andrews near Cornwall, Ontario