FORT WILLIAM
Fort William was the Mecca of the traders and voyageurs who served the
North-West Company. It was the divisional point and the warehousing
centre of sixty trading-posts. No less than five thousand persons were
engaged in the trade which centred at Fort William. During the season
from May to September the traffic carried on at the fort was of the
most active character. A flotilla of boats and canoes would arrive
from Lachine with multifarious articles of commerce for inland barter.
These boats would then set out on their homeward journey laden with
peltry gathered from far and near. Every season two or three of the
principal partners of the company arrived at the fort from Montreal.
They were 'hyperborean nabobs,' who travelled with whatever luxury
wealth could afford them on the express service by lake and stream.
[Illustration: Fort William. From an old print in the John Ross
Robertson Collection, Toronto Public Library.]
{117}
At this time Fort William had the proportions of a good-sized village.
Its structures were of wood and were of all shapes and sizes. One
commodious building near the centre of the fort, fronted by a wide
verandah, immediately caught the eye of the visitor. It contained a
council-hall, the mercantile parliament-chamber of the Nor'westers.
Under the same roof was a great banqueting-hall, in which two hundred
persons could be seated. In this hall were wont to gather the notables
of the North-West Company, and any guests who were fortunate enough to
gain admission. Here, in the heart of the wilderness, there was no
stint of food when the long tables were spread. Chefs brought from
Montreal prepared savoury viands; the brimming bowl was emptied and too
often replenished; and the songs of this deep-throated race of
merchantmen pealed to the rafters until revelry almost ended in riot.
At one end of the room stood the bust of Simon M'Tavish, placed so that
his gaze seemed to rest upon the proprietors and servants of the
company he had called into being. About the walls hung numerous
portraits--one of the reigning monarch, George III, another of the
Prince Regent, a third of Admiral Lord {118} Nelson. Here, too, was a
painting of the famous battle of the Nile, and a wonderful map of the
fur-bearing country, the work of the intrepid explorer David Thompson.
[Illustration: Simon M'Tavish, Founder of the North-West Company. From
a water-colour drawing in M'Gill University Library.]
The unexpected appearance of Lord Selkirk in the vicinity of Fort
William found the Nor'westers off their guard and created a great
sensation. It was a matter of common knowledge among the Nor'westers
that Selkirk was on his way to the Red River with a squad of armed men,
but they understood that he would follow the route leading past their
fort at Fond du Lac. There is evidence to show that a plot to compass
Selkirk's death or seizure had been mooted some weeks before. John
Bourke, on the road to Fort William as a prisoner, had overheard a
conversation between Alexander Macdonell and several other partners of
the North-West Company. This conversation had occurred at night, not
far from Rainy Lake. According to the story, Bourke was lying on the
ground, seemingly asleep, when the partners, standing by a camp-fire,
fell to discussing their recent coup at 'the Forks.' Their talk
drifted to the subject of Lord Selkirk's proposed visit to Assiniboia,
and Macdonell assured the others {119} that the North-West Company had
nothing to fear from Selkirk, and that if extreme measures were
necessary Selkirk should be quietly assassinated. 'The half-breeds,'
he declared, 'will take him while he is asleep, early in the morning.'
Macdonell went so far as to mention the name of a Bois Brule who would
be willing to bring Lord Selkirk down with his musket, if necessary.
Bourke told to his fellow-prisoners, Patrick Corcoran and Michael
Heden, what he had overheard. It thus happened that when Heden now
learned that the founder of Assiniboia was actually camping on the
Kaministikwia, he became alarmed for his safety. Though a prisoner, he
seems to have had some liberty of movement. At any rate, he was able
to slip off alone and to launch a small boat. Once afloat, he rowed to
the island where Chatelain and his voyageurs had halted on the way to
Fort William. The water was boisterous, and Heden had great difficulty
in piloting his craft. He gained the island, however, and told
Chatelain of his fear that Lord Selkirk might come to harm. Heden
returned to the fort, and was there taken to task and roughly handled
for his temerity in going to see one of Lord Selkirk's servants.
{120}
On August 12 the second section of the contingent arrived with the
experienced campaigners. From the moment they raised their tents Lord
Selkirk began to show a bold front against the Nor'westers. Captain
D'Orsonnens was entrusted on the day of his arrival with a letter from
Selkirk to William M'Gillivray, the most prominent partner at Fort
William. In this M'Gillivray was asked his reason for holding in
custody various persons whose names were given, and was requested to
grant their immediate release. M'Gillivray was surprisingly
conciliatory. He permitted several of the persons named in the letter
to proceed at once to Selkirk's camp, and assured Lord Selkirk that
they had never been prisoners. John Bourke and Michael Heden he still
retained, because their presence was demanded in the courts at Montreal.
Acting as a justice of the peace, Selkirk now held a court in which he
heard evidence from those whom M'Gillivray had surrendered. Before the
day was over he had secured sufficient information, as he thought, to
justify legal action against certain of the partners at Fort William.
He decided to arrest William M'Gillivray first, and sent two men as
constables with a warrant against {121} M'Gillivray. On the afternoon
of August 13 these officers went down the river to the fort. Along
with them went a guard of nine men fully armed. While the guard
remained posted without, the constables entered the fort. They found
M'Gillivray in his room writing a letter. He read the warrant which
they thrust into his hand, and then without comment said that he was
prepared to go with them. His only desire was that two partners,
Kenneth M'Kenzie and Dr John M'Loughlin, might accompany him to furnish
bail. The constables acceded to this request, and the three
Nor'westers got into a canoe and were paddled to Point De Meuron.
The officers conducted their prisoners to the Earl of Selkirk's tent.
When Selkirk learned that the two other partners of the North-West
Company were also in his power, he resolved upon an imprudent act, one
which can scarcely be defended. Not only did he refuse his prisoner
bail; he framed indictments against M'Kenzie and M'Loughlin and ordered
the constables to take them in charge. A short examination of William
M'Gillivray convinced Lord Selkirk that he would not be going beyond
his powers were he to apprehend the remaining partners who {122} were
at Fort William. To accomplish this he drew up the necessary papers,
and then sent the same constables to make the arrests. Twenty-five De
Meuron soldiers under Captain D'Orsonnens and Lieutenant Fauche were
detailed as an escort.
[Illustration: William M'Gillivray, a partner in the North-West
Company. From a photograph in the M'Gill University Library.]
When the constables strode up the river bank to the fort to perform
their official duty, they found a great throng of Canadians,
half-breeds, and Indians gathered about the entrance. D'Orsonnens and
the bulk of the escort remained behind on the river within easy call.
Near the gateway the officers saw two of the partners whom they were
instructed to apprehend, and immediately served them with warrants. A
third partner, John M'Donald, made a sturdy show of resistance. He
declaimed against the validity of the warrant, and protested that no
stranger dare enter the fort until William M'Gillivray was set free. A
scramble followed. Some of the Nor'westers tried to close the gate,
while the constables struggled to make their way inside. When one of
the constables shouted lustily for aid, the bugle blew at the boats.
This was by prearrangement the signal to Captain Matthey at Point De
Meuron that the constables had met with opposition. The signal, {123}
however, proved unnecessary. In spite of the angry crowd at the
entrance, Selkirk's men pushed open the gate of the fort. They seized
M'Donald, who struggled fiercely, and bore him away towards the boats.
The soldiers marched up from the boats, and, in a moment, Fort William
was in their possession. Before further help arrived, in response to
the bugle-call, the struggle was over. Six partners of the North-West
Company were taken to the boats and carried to Lord Selkirk's
encampment. These were John M'Donald, Daniel M'Kenzie, Allan M'Donald,
Hugh M'Gillis, Alexander M'Kenzie, and Simon Fraser, the last named
being the noted explorer. Captain D'Orsonnens stationed a guard within
the fort, and himself remained behind to search the papers of those who
had been arrested.
By the time Lord Selkirk had finished the examination of his fresh
group of prisoners the hour was late. He did not wish to keep any of
the partners in confinement, and so he arranged that they should go
back to their quarters at the fort for the night. The prisoners
promised that they would behave in seemly fashion, and do nothing of a
hostile nature. There is evidence to show that before {124} morning
many papers were burned in the mess-room kitchen at the fort. Word was
also brought to Lord Selkirk that a quantity of firearms and ammunition
had been removed from Fort William during the night. In consequence of
this information he issued another warrant, authorizing a 'search for
arms.' When the search was made fifty or more guns and fowling-pieces
were found hidden among some hay in a barn. Eight barrels of gunpowder
were also found lying in a swampy place not far from the fort, and the
manner in which the grass was trampled down indicated that the barrels
had been deposited there very recently. When Selkirk learned of this
attempt to remove arms and ammunition, he felt justified in adopting
stringent measures. He ordered what was practically an occupation of
Fort William. Most of the Canadians, Bois Brules, and Indians in the
service of the North-West Company were commanded to leave the fort and
to cross to the other side of the river. Their canoes were
confiscated. The nine partners were held as prisoners and closely
watched. Selkirk's force abandoned Point De Meuron and erected their
tents on ground near Fort William. The hearing was continued, and it
{125} was finally decided that the accused should be committed for
trial at York and conducted thither under a strong guard.
Selkirk had not exceeded his authority as a justice of the peace in
holding the investigations and in sending the partners for trial to the
judicial headquarters of the province. But he had also seized the
property of the North-West Company and driven its servants from their
fort, and this was straining his legal powers. The task of taking the
nine partners to York was entrusted to Lieutenant Fauche. Three canoes
were provisioned for the journey. Indians regularly employed by the
North-West Company were engaged as canoemen and guides. On August 18
the party set out from Fort William. At first the journey went
tranquilly enough. On the eighth day, about one o'clock in the
afternoon, the party drew up their canoes on Isle au Parisien, in
Whitefish Bay, to take dinner. A heavy westerly breeze sprang up, but
they were on the leeward side of the island and did not notice its full
strength. Lieutenant Fauche had misgivings, however, and before he
would resume the journey he consulted his prisoner, William
M'Gillivray, who was an expert canoeman. M'Gillivray was confident
that {126} the 'traverse' to Sault Ste Marie could be made in safety if
the Indian guides exercised great caution. The guides, on the other
hand, objected to leaving the island. Their advice was not heeded, and
the three canoes put out. Very soon they were running before a squall
and shipping water. The first canoe turned its prow in the direction
of Isle aux Erables, lying to the left, and the other two followed this
example. Near Isle aux Erables there were some shoals destined now to
cause tragic disaster. In attempting to pass these shoals the leading
canoe was capsized. The others, so heavily laden that they could do
nothing to rescue their companions, paddled hurriedly to shore,
unloaded part of their cargoes, and then hastened to the spot where
their comrades were struggling in the stormy waters. But it was too
late. In spite of the most heroic efforts nine of the twenty-one
persons belonging to the wrecked canoe were drowned. Kenneth M'Kenzie,
of the North-West Company, was one of those who perished; six of the
others were Indians; the remaining two were discharged soldiers.
Another canoe was procured at Sault Ste Marie. The party continued its
journey and reached York on September 3. Fauche at once sought the
{127} attorney-general, in order to take proper legal steps, but found
that he was absent. The prisoners meanwhile applied for a writ of
habeas corpus, and Fauche was instructed to take them to Montreal.
This was to take them to the home of the Nor'westers, where they would
be supported by powerful influences. On September 10, when the
partners arrived in Montreal, they were at once admitted to bail.
Meanwhile, Lord Selkirk continued to exercise full sway over Fort
William and its environs. He had himself no misgivings whatever with
regard to the legality of his treatment of the Nor'westers. In his
view he had taken possession of a place which had served, to quote his
own words, 'the last of any in the British dominions, as an asylum for
banditti and murderers, and the receptacle for their plunder.' During
the ensuing winter he sent out expeditions to capture the posts
belonging to the North-West Company at Michipicoten, Rainy Lake, and
Fond du Lac. In March he commissioned a part of his followers to
advance into the territory of Assiniboia to restore order. The
veterans whom he sent artfully arranged their journey so that they
should approach 'the Forks' from {128} the south. The Nor'westers in
Fort Douglas were wholly unaware that a foe was advancing against them.
On a blustering night, amid storm and darkness, Selkirk's men crept up
to the walls, carrying ladders. In a trice they had scaled the
ramparts, and the fort was in their possession.
On the first day of May 1817 Lord Selkirk himself went forward to the
west from Fort William, taking with him the bodyguard which he had
procured at Drummond Island. He followed the fur traders' route up the
Kaministikwia to Dog Lake, thence, by way of the waters which connect
with Rainy Lake, on to the Lake of the Woods, and down the rushing
Winnipeg. After a journey of seven weeks he emerged from the
forest-clad wilderness and saw for the first time the little row of
farms which the toil of his long-suffering colonists had brought into
being on the open plains.
{129}