_Heroic Sacrifice of R.N.W.M.P. Officer Led to His Name Being Given to
H.B.C. Landing_
FitzGerald, originally known as Smith's Landing, is at the end of the
Athabasca River navigation, approximately three hundred miles below
McMurray. It is an important point in the transportation system, as
cargoes are there discharged and portaged sixteen miles to Fort Smith,
where they are loaded into other steamers navigating the Mackenzie
River.
In 1910, a commissioned officer of the mounted police named FitzGerald,
along with three members of the force, left Fort McPherson for Dawson.
The party encountered severe storms, and lost their way in the mountain
passes. After wandering for several weeks, they decided to return, but
owing to lack of food and inability to procure game of any kind they
suffered great privation. Finally, they were obliged to kill their dogs
for food. One of the members of the party died and the position of the
survivors was desperate, as two of the remaining members were unable to
proceed. FitzGerald left these men with all the clothing and whatever
else they had that might benefit them and continued _alone_ in an
endeavor to get back to Fort McPherson and bring help. On reaching a
point about twelve miles of the Post--which was then actually in
sight--he was too exhausted to travel further and was frozen to death.
Meanwhile, the non-arrival of this patrol in Dawson caused the mounted
police to send out a search party from that end on the assumption that
FitzGerald's party might have been held up nearby, but the search party
had to continue within this short distance of McPherson before finding
the evidence of the tragedy.
FitzGerald was held in high regard by all the people in the Northwest
Territory in which he served and application was made to the authorities
at Ottawa to change the name of Smith's Landing to Fort FitzGerald to
commemorate his worthy but unfortunately unsuccessful effort to secure
relief for his party.
"Uplands," the Ancient H.B.C. Farm on Vancouver Island
_Onetime Natural Park and Grazing Ground Now Being Subdivided at
Victoria_