tS CANADIAHiHISTORY'READEI^S [|Hi 1£Ik« '*•• m a - 111.. 4* r'i f r-jilff '•Hi^wnrii A 1 Hi4-r*^- cbc eBw« BIBXBMIIISB THE CANADIAN^ WEST D. J. DICKIE TORONTO M. DENT (Sf SONS LTD. J. ISdwcatioa f— c. OiT^ PUBLISHERS^ NOTE It has come to the notice of the author and the publishers that certain statements contained in this book are considered by the Hudson's Bay Company to be inaccurate, misleading and unfair to the Company. The author and publishers much regret that any such view is taken and entirely disclaim any intention of defaming the Hudson's Bay Com- pany or of misrepresenting facts. Any future edition of this book will be amended with the assistance of information kindly placed at the disposal of the publishers by the Hudson's Bay Company, LIST OF COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS The First Sale of Furs .... Frontispiece Building the First Fort . facing page 14 Sir Alexander Mackenzie 51 The Trapper • 62 ...... tj The Pack Train t) 129 The Selkirk Sei ti ers take Possession • t > 144 Threshing on the Prairies • >: In the Athabasca Valley • ti 172 . Chief Eagle Tail of the Sarcees . i , 227 Royal North-West Mounted Policeman . „ 238 Cowboy on Bucking Broncho . „ 259 The Coquahalla Valley 270 The! Dani ’Kwi^ Asto The The -Sev® The The \ Gove) 7 I. ,SiPaul The map of Western Canada has been specially drawn for this book by M. J. Hilton. 10 THE CANADIAN WEST GENTLEMEN ADVENTURERS The Charter which Prince Rupert and his friends obtained that memorable night from the easy-going Charles became the corner-stone of the Hudson^s Bay Company^ now the oldest corhmercial company in the world* The infant enterprise grew quickly* The noble gentlemen who had invested their money in it were willing^ for the most pare to leave its management to their partners^ the shrewd London merchants* In 1671 a meeting of shareholders was held at Whitehall with Prince Rupert himself in the chair; Sir John Robinson, Sir John Kirke, and Mr* Portman were appointed a sub-committee to carry on the business* At first the Company had only one ship, the Prince Rupert^ commanded by Captain Gillam; but they were soon able to buy two others* The committee attended personally to the fitting and lading of the ships* Each year, in May, Sir John or Mr* Portman travelled down to Gravesend, examined the vessel which was about to sail, superintended the taking on of the cargo, gave the men their orders and paid them their wages* During the first year or two the cargoes were small: 200 fowling-pieces with powder and shot; 200 brass kettles—these for the Blackfeet in far-off unnamed Alberta; 1000 hatchets; 12 gross of knives* But trade grew by leaps and bounds* Within a few years Mr* Portman was loading tobacco; glass beads and red lead to adorn the Indian beauties; looking-glasses to teach them vanity; pewter dishes and 6000 flints* About the first of June, the Company ship sailed out of the Thames* Northward she sailed, round the head of Scotland, II and out into the mists. No news of her could be looked for till she returned in October^ loaded to the gunwales with pelts. Fortune was kind; northern ocean and ice-bound wilderness suffered the intruders meekly. Year after year the ships of the Company sailed out and back in safety. Charles -Bailey was appointed the first governor on the Bay. He went out in 1671 to take charge of Fort Charles on Rupert River; with him went Radisson and Grosseillers. The two famous Frenchmen attended to the trading; Governor Bailey took the fort in hand. Fort Charles was a small stone building erected by Captain Gillam when on his exploring expedition of three years before. It was bare^ without defences or conveniences of any kind. Within a few hours of landings Bailey had his men at work. The small square within the walls was cleared of rubbish, a stout gate was constructed. They brought furniture from the ship into the bare rooms, and mounted guns upon the two forward-facing bastions. The Governor had the land cleared of underbrush for several rods in all directions. A road was made from the gate to the shore and a small landing-stage built. The-gargo was unloaded, sorted, and seLout in the store - mmn. of thp fr>rt^ ar)d_the Hudson's Bay_Com^ny was ready for bii<=iines«^ A second fort wasjuilt at Moose River and, before the summer was over, Bailey had sailed up the Bay to meet the Indians near the mouth of the Nelson River. Meantime Radisson and Grosseillers had not been idle. They had many friends among the tribes ; to these they travelled or sent word. From all directions came the Indian hunters, their canoes laden with the richest furs. At a kick the door flew open and the hunter strode into the narrow store-room. Silent, observant, eyes widening a little, he gazed at the gleam of brass, the flash of tin. Long he stood, only ' grunting in answer to questions; but next day he returned to lay his pack open on the counter. Elices_jmdoubtedly ^ypured the Company; skins worth hundreds ofpounds were exchanged for a gun or a brass kettle. Yet from the beginning the Company had to compete with_the French- Canadian traders! the Indians got better prices than one 13 might suppose, the largest gun cost twelve beaver skins; half a pound of powder, one beaver skin; half a pound of beads, one beaver skin; a laced coat cost six skins; a looking-glass and comb, one skin; while kettles were sold for one beaver skin per pound of kettle. August was the busy month at the fort . By this time trade for the season was well over ; the skins had now to be sorted, packed and loaded . Early in September the ships sailed for England, arriving ^ PojlsmD^uth--before-4b&-encl--of October. A~courier posted to London with letters, and one of the com- mittee hurried down to superintend the unloading of the precious cargo. by auction. If prices were low when the vessel arrived, the Company held their goods until the demand was greater. In those hospitable days an auction was a social function. It was held in the best room of an inn. Ye Stillyard.'' The Company ordered up dozens of bottles of sack and claret to wet the throats and open the hearts of the ** buyers. Dinner was bespoken for them also: 3. good dish of fish, a loin of veal, two pullets and four ducks.^^ Having been so sumptuously dined and wined, the customers could not in decency leave without buying. Ships and forts are expensive things; jt jwas fourteen years before -the Cnmnanv. having paid all its debts , declared a divi- dend. It was, however, a dividend worth waiting for; nothing less than hfdLper cent, upon the stock. In 1688. another divi- dend-o££fty-per cent, was declared and, in 1690, the equivalent of seventy-five ..per c^t. was paid to each shareholder. The this Company had, by time, two forts and three ships ; as much as £20,000 worth of skins were taken in a year; the great Company was well started upon its long and interesting career. 13 ; SCOTTISH RIVALS DTberville, the Canadian^ captured the Company forts on Hudson Bay in 1689, France gave them back to Britain in _i.7i3_atjhe same time she ceded Acadia both have been British ever since. The ''Gentlemen Adventurers"^ re-occupied their trading- posts at Rupert River^ Moose Factory^ and Albany; they opened a new one, York Factory, at the mouth of the Nelson. As they grew richer and richer, people in England com- plained of them. It was said that they had not tried to find the north-west passage into the Pacific, that they abused the Indians, that they ill-treated their servants, and allowed the French to trade in British territory. The Company did not believe that there was a north-west passage, but they sent out several expeditions to seek for one. Nothing much came of these voyages, and the other charges presently fell to the ground. The Company"s policy was, it is true, a sleepy one. The traders lived comfortably at their posts on the Bay. In July and August, the Indians, who had travelled two, four, and even six months, appeared with their canoe-loads of fur. The traders bought, sorted and packed the skins. In September the ships sailed for England, and the traders began again their nine months" holiday. It was an easy, if somewhat dull, life; but it was soon to be rudely disturbed. While the Company feasted and slept through the long winters on the Bay, La Verendrye and his sons explored the great plains; Canadian fur traders followed eagerly and set up their"-^sts far ~dut upoh"tEe prairies. Each year the trading season brought fewer Indians to the Bay;~fEe~ships carried home poorer cargoes. Still the Company do2;ed. Anthony Hendry, returning in 17*^'^ from long wandering with the Assini- boines in the country of the Blackfeet, was laughed at for 14 his pains. The Company refused to allow its officers to go inland seeking trade. New France .had-S.urrendered Acadie to the Hud Company, but the fur trade and the possession of the western half of the continent still lav in dispute between the French and British . In 1713 Montreal was already the centre of the fur trade. Ville Marie had grown to be a tidy village.