By ROBERT CAMPBELL, F.R.G.S.
(_Former H.B.C. Chief Factor_)
_NOTE--Sir George Simpson expressed his satisfaction regarding
these explorations in a letter to Mr. Campbell, the author, and
spoke of the arrangement made by H.B.C. with Russia for a great
stretch of Alaskan territory. The letter follows:_
Red River Settlement,
16th June, 1839.
To R. Campbell, Esq.,
Fort Halkett.
Dear Sir:
I have much pleasure in acknowledging receipt of your letter of
17th September, and have to express my entire satisfaction with
your management in the recent voyage down the Pelly or Stickine
river, bearing ample evidence that the confidence reposed in you
was well placed.
I was always of the opinion that the Pelly and Stickine rivers were
identical, but many of my friends in this country thought
differently. You have at length, however, set the question at rest,
and your writing the note to our gentlemen on the coast was very
judicious.
I last winter concluded an arrangement for the Company with Baron
Wrangle, acting on behalf of the Russian-American Company, by which
we become possessed of the whole of the Russian mainland territory
(for a term of ten years) up to Cape Spencer. By that means we
become possessed of their establishment situated on Point
Highfield, entrance of Stickine river, immediately, and have access
to the interior country through all the rivers falling into the
Pacific to the southward of Cape Spencer.
This arrangement renders it unnecessary for us now to extend our
operations from the east side of the mountains or Mackenzie river,
as we can settle that country from the Pacific with greater
facility and at less expense.
Your services will now therefore be required to push our
discoveries in the country situated on the Peel and Colville rivers
and I am quite sure you will distinguish yourself as much in that
quarter as you have latterly done on the west side of the
mountains.
With best wishes, believe me,
Very truly yours,
(Signed) GEORGE SIMPSON.
The Yukon is the largest river that flows from the American continent
into the Pacific ocean. Rising as the Pelly in the Rocky Mountains on
the northern frontier of British Columbia, it maintains a westerly
direction for several hundred miles.
It crosses the 141st meridian, which forms the eastern boundary of
Alaska, and holding a northwest course for more than six hundred miles,
it is joined by the Porcupine river from the north. Up to this point it
is called the Pelly, but for the remaining 1200 miles of its course to
its embouchure in Behring Sea it is known as the Yukon.
After the failure of previous efforts to establish a Hudson's Bay
Company's trading post at Dease's Lake, I volunteered my services for
that purpose; and in the spring of 1839, after overcoming many
difficulties, I succeeded in my mission, and then crossed over the
mountains to the west side, where I struck the source of a rapid river,
which I ascertained from the hordes of Indians I met to be the Stikene
(afterwards the great highway to the northern gold fields of British
Columbia), a discovery which caused no small commotion and surprise at
the time among H.B.C. men, especially from the fact that a young man
with only a half-breed and two Indian lads had effected what had baffled
well-equipped parties under prominent and experienced Hudson's Bay
officers from both sides of the mountains. This led to part of the coast
being leased by the Company from the Russian government.
On returning to Dease's Lake, we passed a winter of constant danger from
the savage Russian Indians and of much suffering from starvation. We
were dependent for subsistence on what animals we could catch, and,
failing that, on "tripe de roche." We were at one time reduced to such
dire straits that we were obliged to eat our parchment windows, and our
last meal before abandoning Dease's Lake, on 8th May, 1839, consisted of
the lacing of our snowshoes.
In the spring of 1840 I was appointed by Sir George Simpson to explore
the north branch of the Liard river to its source, and to cross the
Rocky Mountains and try to find any river flowing westward, especially
the headwaters of the Colville, the mouth of which was in the Arctic
ocean, discovered by Dease and Simpson.
In pursuance of these instructions I left Fort Halkett in May with a
canoe and seven men, among them my trusty Indians, Lapie and Kitza, and
the interpreter Hoole. After ascending the stream some hundreds of
miles, far into the mountains, we entered a beautiful lake, which I
named Frances lake, in honor of Lady Simpson. The river thus far is
rather serpentine, with a swift current, and is flanked on both sides by
chains of mountains, which rise to a higher altitude in the background.
The country is well wooded with poplar, spruce, pine, fir and birch.
Game and fur-bearing animals are abundant, especially beaver, on the
meat of which, with moose, deer, geese and ducks, we generally lived.
The mountain trout are very fine and plentiful, and are easily taken
with a hook and any bait. About five miles farther on the lake divides
into two branches round "Simpson's Tower." The south, which is the
longer branch, extends forty miles. Leaving the canoe and part of the
crew near the southwest extremity of this branch, I set out with three
Indians and the interpreter.
Shouldering our blankets and guns, we ascended the valley of a river
which we traced to its source in a lake ten miles long, which, with the
river, I named Finlayson's lake and river. The lake is situated so near
the watershed that in high floods its waters flow from both ends down
both sides of the mountains towards the Arctic on the one hand and the
Pacific on the other.
From this point we descended the west slope of the Rocky Mountains, and
on the second day from Finlayson's lake we had the satisfaction of
seeing from a high bank a splendid river in the distance. I named the
bank from which we caught the first glimpse of the river "Pelly Banks,"
and the river "Pelly River," after our home governor, Sir H. Pelly.
I may mention, in passing, that Sir George Simpson in a kind letter
called them both after me, "Campbell's Banks and River," but in my reply
I disclaimed all knowledge of any such places. After reaching the actual
bank of the river, we constructed a raft, on which we embarked and
drifted down a few miles on the bosom of the stream, and at parting we
cast in a sealed tin can with memoranda of our discovery and the date.
Highly delighted with our success, we retraced our steps to Frances
lake, where we rejoined the rest of our party, who during our absence
had built a house on the point at the forks of the lake which we called
"Glenlyon." Returning, we reached Fort Halkett (on Liard river) about
the 10th of September, and forwarded the report of our trip by the party
who brought up our outfit.
[Illustration]
The Company now resolved to follow up these discoveries, and with this
view I was ordered in 1841 to establish a trading post on Frances lake
so as to be ready for future operations westward. In 1842, birch bark
for the construction of a large canoe to be used in exploring the Pelly
was brought up from Fort Liard with the outfit, and during the winter
was sent over the mountains by dogsleighs to Pelly banks, where the
necessary buildings were put up, and the canoe was built in the spring
of 1843.
Early in June, I left Frances lake with some of the men. We walked over
the mountains to Pelly banks, and shortly after I started down stream
in the canoe with the interpreter Hoole, two French Canadians and three
Indians. As we advanced, the river increased in size and the scenery
formed a succession of picturesque landscapes. About twenty-five miles
from Pelly banks we encountered a bad rapid--"Hoole's"--where we were
forced to disembark everything; but elsewhere we had a nice flowing
current. Ranges of mountains flanked us on both sides; on the right hand
the mountains were generally covered with wood; the left range was more
open, with patches of poplar running up the valleys and burnsides,
reminding one of the green braeface of the Highland glens. We frequently
saw moose and bear as we passed along, and at points where the precipice
rose abruptly from the waters edge the wild sheep--"big horn"--were
often seen on the shelving rocks. They are very keen-sighted, and when
once alarmed they file swiftly and gracefully over the mountain. When we
chanced to get one we found it splendid eating--delicate enough for an
epicure.
In this manner we travelled on for several days. We saw only one family
of Indians--"Knife" Indians--till we reached the junction of the Pelly
with a tributary which I named the Lewis. Here we found a large camp of
Indians--the "Wood" Indians. We took them by no ordinary surprise, as
they had never seen a white man before, and they looked upon us and
everything about us with some awe as well as curiosity. Two of their
chiefs, father and son, were very tall, stout, handsome men. We smoked
the pipe of peace together, and I distributed some presents. They spoke
in loud tones as do all Indians in their natural state, but they seemed
kind and peaceable. When we explained to them as best we could that we
were going down stream, they all raised their voices against it. Among
other dangers, they indicated that inhabiting the lower river were many
tribes of "bad" Indians--"numerous as the sand"--"who would not only
kill us, but eat us." We should never get back alive, and friends coming
to look after us would unjustly blame them for our death. All this
frightened our men to such a degree that I had reluctantly to consent to
our return, which under the circumstances was the only alternative. I
learned afterwards that it would have been madness in us to have made
any further advance, unprepared as we were for such an enterprise.
[Illustration: _DINNERTIME on the East Coast of Hudson Bay. H.B.C.
"tripping" party enjoying a snack at sixty degrees below--with gloves
on!_]
Much depressed, we that afternoon retraced our course upstream; but
before doing so I launched on the river a sealed can containing
memoranda of our trip.
I was so dejected at the unexpected turn of affairs that I was perfectly
heedless of what was passing; but on the third day of our upward
progress I noticed on both sides of the river fires burning on the
hill-tops far and near. This awoke me to a sense of our situation. I
conjectured that, as in Scotland in the olden time, these were
signal-fires and that they summoned the Indians to surround and
intercept us.
Thus aroused, we made the best use of paddle and "tracking-line" to get
up stream and ahead of the Indian signals. On the fourth morning we came
to a party of Indians on the further bank of the river. They made signs
to us to cross over, which we did. They were very hostile, watching us
with bows bent and arrows in hand and would not come down from the top
of the high bank to the water's edge to meet us. I sent up a man with
some tobacco--the emblem of peace--to reassure them; but at first they
would hardly remove their hands from their bows to receive it. We
ascended the bank to them and had a most friendly interview, carried on
by words and signs. It required, however, some finesse and adroitness to
get away from them.
Once in the canoe we quickly pushed out and struck obliquely for the
opposite bank, so as to be out of range of their arrows, and I faced
about, gun in hand, to observe their actions. The river was there too
broad either for ball or arrow. We worked hard during the rest of the
day and until late. The men were tired out, and I made them all sleep in
my tent while I kept watch. At that season the night is so clear that
one can read, write or work throughout.
Our camp lay on the bank of the river at the base of a steep declivity
which had large trees here and there up its grassy slope. In the
branches of one of these trees I passed the greater part of this anxious
night, reading "_Hervey's Meditations_" and keeping a vigilant lookout.
Occasionally I descended and walked to the river bank, but all was
still.
Two years afterwards, when friendly relations had been established with
the Indians in this district, I learned to my no small astonishment that
the hostile tribe encountered down the river had dogged us all day, and
when we halted for the night had encamped behind the crest of the hill,
and from this retreat had watched my every movement. With the exactitude
of detail characteristic of Indians they described me sitting in the
tree holding "something white" (the book) in my hand, and often raising
my eyes to make a survey of the neighborhood; then, descending to the
river bank, taking my horn cup from my belt, and even while I drank
glancing up and down the river and towards the hill.
They confessed that had I knelt down to drink they would have rushed
upon me and drowned me in the swift current and after thus despatching
me would have massacred the sleeping inmates of my tent. How often
without knowing it are we protected from danger by the merciful hand of
Providence!
Next morning we were early in motion and were glad to observe that we
had outwitted the Indians and outstripped their signal-fires. After this
we travelled more at leisure, hunting as we advanced, and in due time
reached Frances lake.
For a few years after this we confined our operations to trading between
Frances lake and Pelly banks; but during the summer we sent hunting
parties down to Pelly to collect provisions for our establishments; and
by this means we obtained accurate information respecting the Pelly
river, its resources and Indian tribes.
In the winter of 1847-8 we built boats at Pelly banks and, sending off
our returns to Fort Simpson, we started off early in June, 1848, to
establish a post at the forks of Pelly and Lewis rivers, which I named
Fort Selkirk. Ever since our discovery of the Pelly in 1840 various
conjectures were hazarded as to what river it really was and where it
entered the sea. Fort Yukon was, I think, established in 1847, from Peel
river near the mouth of the Mackenzie.
From the first I expressed my belief, in which hardly anyone concurred,
that the Pelly and the Yukon were identical. In 1850, having obtained
Sir George Simpson's permission, I explored the lower river, descending
a distance of about 1200 miles and by reaching Fort Yukon proved the
correctness of my opinion.
From Fort Yukon I directed my boat and party upwards into the Porcupine
river. I was accompanied by Mr. Murray, who was conveying the returns
and whose duty it was to take back with him the Yukon outfit from La
Pierre's house at the head of the Porcupine river, to which point
supplies were transported over the mountains in winter by dogsleighs
from Peel river. La Pierre's house duly reached, we left our boat there
and walked over the mountains to Peel river, about ninety miles; thence
by boat we ascended the Mackenzie river to Fort Simpson.
I thus performed a circuit of several thousand miles from my point of
departure on the Liard river. Great astonishment was felt by all my
friends and acquaintances when they saw me reach Fort Simpson by coming
up the Mackenzie river instead of descending the Liard, for no one
entertained a suspicion that the Pelly river had any connection with the
Yukon or that the Pelly was linked with the Porcupine, Peel and
Mackenzie rivers.
Thenceforward this new route, so unexpectedly found out, was made the
highway for the transport of outfits to, and results of trade from the
Pelly and all intermediate posts.
When I visited England in 1853 this vast stretch of country--until then
a blank on the map and untrodden and unknown of white men--was under my
direction correctly delineated on his map of North America by J.
Arrowsmith, Hudson's Bay Company's topographer; and hence it happens
that many of these rivers and places of note are named after my friends
or after the rivers in my native glens.
[Illustration: _CHIPEWYAN Indians returned to H.B.C. Post with a fine
bag of the great grey geese that flock in thousands over Lake
Athabasca._]
I may mention that in these explorations, which embraced a period of
fifteen years, we had to rely for the means of existence almost entirely
on the natural resources of the scene of our operations, however dreary
and barren a region it might be. We were once cut off from all supplies
and connection with our people, to the extreme peril of our lives, for
over two years--from May, 1848, till September, 1850--during which time
we received neither a letter nor supplies, and the opening up of
communication with the outside world was ultimately brought about by our
own unaided and determined efforts in the face of appalling obstacles.
The Pelly-Yukon is a magnificent river, increasing in size as it is
joined by the many affluents that swell its tide. It sweeps in a gentle,
serpentine course round the spurs of the double mountain range that
generally skirts each side of the valley. Of these twin ranges the more
distant is the loftier. Many of its summits are dotted with wreaths of
snow, while others wear a perpetual mantle of white.
At a distance of some forty-five miles from Yukon the mountains recede,
the river widens and for miles wanders among countless islands. Many of
the Pelly's tributaries are large streams--especially the M'Millan,
Lewis, White, and Stewart rivers.
Four kinds of salmon ascend the river in great numbers in their season;
and then comes a busy harvest time for the Indians, who assemble in
large camps along the river and handle their spears with great
dexterity. Large numbers of salmon are killed, some for present and some
for winter use. This fish has been seen and killed above Pelly banks,
which is more than two thousand miles from the sea.
Steamers from the Pacific have already ascended to Fort Yukon (twelve
hundred miles); and during the freshet they can ascend more than twelve
hundred miles further (to Hoole's Rapid).
The lakes all over the country abound in excellent white fish.
The fauna of the country is abundant and varied. It includes moose and
reindeer, bears (black and grizzly), wolves and wolverines, rats and
hares, the fox and lynx, the beaver, the mink, and the marten. I saw the
bones, heads and horns of buffaloes; but this animal had become extinct
before our visit, as had also some species of elephant, whose remains
were found in various swamps. I forwarded an elephant's thigh bone to
the British Museum, where it may still be seen.
The flora of the country is rich and diversified. I forwarded several
specimens of the vegetation to Sir William J. Hooker, director of the
Kew Gardens, I also sent him specimens of all the rocks from Yukon to
Pelly banks. The climate is more pleasant and genial than in the same
latitude on the east side of the mountains.