York Factory Express: Fort Vancouver to Hudson Bay, 1826–1849
The York Factory Express:
Fort Vancouver to Hudson Bay, 1826–1849
by Nancy Marguerite Anderson
$24.95
- February 2020
- print ISBN: 978-1-55380-578-6
- ebook ISBN: 978-1-55380-579-3
- PDF ISBN: 978-1-55380-580-9
- 6″ x 9″ trade paper, 30 maps and photos, 300 pages
- History
Every March between 1826 and 1854, the York Factory Express began its journey from the Hudson’s Bay Company’s headquarters on the Pacific Ocean, from which the express-men would paddle their boats up the Columbia River to the base of the Rocky Mountains at Boat Encampment, a thousand miles to the east. At Jasper’s House they were 3,000 feet above sea level. Their river route would then return them to salt water once more, at York Factory, on the shores of Hudson Bay. It was an amazing climb and an amazing descent, which they repeated on their journey home to the mouth of the Columbia.
The stories of the York Factory Express and of the Saskatchewan Brigades, which they joined at Edmonton House, are told in the words of the Scottish traders and clerks who wrote the journals. However, the voyageurs who made the journey possible are the invisible, unnamed Canadiens, Orkney-men, Iroquois, and their Métis children and grand-children, who powered the boats back and forth across the continent every year. But these men left no written records. If the traders had not preserved the stories the voyageurs told them, we would not know this history today — as it is portrayed in The York Factory Express.
“The York Factory Express provides a fascinating window into the lives of a distinct group of men who led daring, adventurous lives and who were the driving force behind one of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s least known yet most epic transportation ventures. Anderson peppers her story with thoughtful commentary that places the men’s experiences in the context of the times and invites thinking about the past in general.” – Canada’s History
“Therein lies both the charm and the value of this book, sympathetic story-telling grounded in primary documents, liberally quoted to keep the reader as close as possible to the words and experiences of those who worked and travelled the York Factory Express.” – BC Studies
“This commendable work is made admirable by its organization and attention to detail. The fascinating narrative is supported by excerpts from journals of six express leaders. The author skilfully interweaves extracts where various settings and their problems are described from different temporal perspectives. I love reading these accounts of earlier travellers on the historic river. – BC Review
