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Fort Dallas – the Fort That Never Was

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Fort Dallas – the Fort That Never Was March 2010 420 Fraser Street, Lytton, B.C. Issue 11 Number 1 Fort Dallas – the Fort That Never Was The view in 2010 from the site of the old Hudson’s Bay Company Fort Dallas Photo courtesy Richard Forrest The fifty years between Simon Fraser’s When trade in an area was substantial, visit to Lytton in 1808 and the gold they built permanent forts, supplied rush in 1858 were quiet ones for what them with trade goods and staff and we now call Lytton. Except for another established routes to move the goods IN THIS ISSUE: exploratory expedition by Simpson into the forts and the furs (the main trade Fort Dallas - the Fort That Never Was .. 1 in 1828 and a few visits by the Hud- item of interest to the H.B.C.) back out Silk Trains ............................................. 4 son’s Bay Company traders from Fort to a shipping point for sea transport back First Fly Fisherman on the Thompson ... 6 Kamloops, there was little activity out to England. They also had to build a Nlaka’pamux Cultural Heritage Day .... 7 of the normal for the First Nations of relationship with the First Nations that Our Eleventh Tea and Talk .................... 8 “Tlcumjane” (one of the many spellings would allow them to trade peacefully attempted for the First Nations word for over the long term. ISSN: print 1923-1113 the joining of the rivers). It took a year from the time the H.B.C. online 1923-1121 The H.B.C. had been granted a Trading acquired a fur from a trapper until it Licence by the British Government, reached London where it was sold. This You can find us on-line and down- giving them an exclusive right to trade. time frame set the pace for all activity. load back-issues at: This meant, among other things, that the There was little urgency except to have Hudson’s Bay Company had the right to the fur brigades be on time for the an- www.lyttonmuseum.ca protect their territory by restricting ac- nual meeting in Fort Hope. All content is copyright © 2010 Free- cess to outsiders. Before the mid 1850s, dom Graphics except as noted and Sometime in the mid 1850s, this all may not be reproduced in any form this was easy to accomplish, as there changed. was little incentive for anyone to travel without written permission. into the interior. It is not recorded exactly when the This newsletter is published by Free- first flake of gold was brought to Chief dom Graphics for the Lytton Museum The trade rules also meant that the Trader Donald McLean at Fort Kam- and Archives. H.B.C. was able to think long term. Continued on page 2 … Page 1 … continued from page 1 mentioned that “we will take care to distance from the village at “the Forks” loops or exactly where it was discov- make all our arrangements on the most and had access to the Fraser River. Most ered. In fact it was not important as economical scale” because “We cannot importantly, two small springs in the the quantity of gold was very small. It however overlook the probability of mountains above the small flat supplied did, however, change the focus of Mc- other parties benefitting by our labours water all year-round. Lean’s trading with the First Nations and outlay, should the Company’s Trad- Unfortunately, things would change of the area. He instructed his men to ing Licence not be renewed…”. enquire about the yellow metal when dramatically for the H.B.C. in only a they traded, and when it was found, In less than four months, “the Forks” few months. they traded iron utensils to help extract had gone from a quiet First Nations The actual building of Fort Dallas did the gold. village to a place that the H.B.C. had to not go well. McLean was ordered to secure with a fort. Gold was found at several points along supply boats to Anderson and Lillooet Thompson’s River, but none approached Having made the decision to establish Lakes to help with the Harrison trade the richness of Nicoamen. At a point a fort, Douglas spared no time in send- route, as well as establish a fort on the ing McLean supplies and labour to east side of the Fraser near Lillooet. just downstream from the landmark we th now call “the Frog”, the First Nation carry out this plan. On February 9 , This new fort was named Fort Berens. miners had hit pay dirt. 1858, Douglas wrote McLean that he All of this certainly strained McLean’s had hired André Balthasar (sometimes resources. Headquartered in Kamloops In a letter to William G. Smith, Sec- spelled Balthasard) and Leon Morel and and supervising projects from Lytton retary, H.B.C., London, on September told McLean that he would send them to Lillooet to Pemberton, with no road st 1 , 1857, Chief Factor James Douglas to build a fort, if McLean was still in system, it is no surprise that both Fort wrote that he had received communica- favour. On March 10th Douglas wrote contracts soon were behind schedule. tion from McLean that gold had been Smith that he was building a fort and In July 1858, Douglas instructed Mc- found in considerable quantities in the proposed to name it Fort Dallas after District of Thompson’s River, that the Lean to turn over Fort Dallas to Mr. A.G. Dallas. Travaillot, who Douglas had appointed richest diggings were within twelve th miles of the confluence with the Fraser On March 13 , he wrote McLean to Assistant Commissioner of Crown River and that it would be advisable inform him that he was sending Baltha- Lands for the area from what is now to build a small trading establishment. sar and Morel to build Fort Dallas. His Lytton, through Fountain and Lillooet, Douglas also wrote that no decision on letter enclosed a copy of the contract which Douglas called the District of a fort had been made. and plans for the Fort. The contract and Fort Dallas. plans unfortunately have not survived. nd By October 1858, the H.B.C. had lost On October 22 , Douglas again wrote Douglas mentioned that McLean should to Smith, this time expressing that the its Trading Licence, and was fighting for “place the buildings in such a position as its survival in the new colony of British “moderate quantity of gold collected you may consider most convenient for would hardly warrant the expense of Columbia. Douglas had been appointed business and defence.” He also wrote Governor of the Colony and A.G. Dal- erecting a new establishment”. A let- that “the houses forming 3 sides of a ter from McLean, sent on October 19th las was promoted to Chief Factor of square will probably be the better form.” the H.B.C. from Thompson’s River, had not been Later he wrote to Smith that Balthasar received when Douglas wrote to Smith and Leon would build the Fort for a Dallas almost immediately put a hold th because, on November 27 , he again contract price of $3900 including all on construction at Fort Dallas and Fort wrote, this time entirely positive about labour and materials except for nails Berens, and attempted to get the new the prospects at “the Forks” and pro- and ironwork, which the H.B.C. was Government to grant land claims that posing that “a small compact trading providing. would protect the Company’s holdings Post” will be built when the “mineral in the colony. Dallas sent two men to se- character of the country becomes bet- The site of Fort Dallas was evidently left cure the building materials at Fort Ber- ter known”. to McLean. He chose a site that would ens and at Fort Dallas. Fort Berens was have been ideal, had the world around th in such a state that it was abandoned. A month later, on December 28 , Doug- him not been changing faster than he las wrote again stating that he received a could imagine. Fort Dallas faired a little better. At letter from McLean that describes “the least two buildings had been completed country as being highly auriferous” He found a small area of good earth, there. Neither fort was ever used by the [gold-bearing], and that he will prob- able to grow food for the Factor and feed Hudson’s Bay Company. ably establish a Depot there. He also for horses and oxen. It was a suitable Page 2 Excellency’s orders dated Langley 15 July 1858, it was handed over to Mr. Travaillot, Government Commissioner. Some of the window frames, doors &c were used for Government purposes. To this hour the post has never been used by the Company, nor is it likely ever to be. For the above expenditure all we expect to recover is the charge of $450 in name of Rent. Taking all circum- stances into account and the Services rendered by the Company’s Officers in the District, the charge is one which I think ought not to be disputed. A new post at Cayoosh (Fort Berens) was also at the same time ordered to be built, by His Excellency. On this there was expended about $13,000. This post has not yet been used by the Company, nor is it likely to be. The sum expended is a dead loss, consequent very much upon the neglect to which all the Company’s business was subjected, by the pressure of the business of the Colony.
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