■^^ %'^ ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I^|2j8 12.5 ■^ ^ 12.2 ** ISA iWB 1.1 11.25 1.4 il.6 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation // 4^ =1 23 WEST MAiN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716)872-4503 ''V- f the Assiniboine, and, walking on the ice, turned up Red River ; and on the Ihh reached Rat Brook, I mile up which v is the old N. W. Coy's House of Mr. Chaboillez. On March 14th, he reached the house of Mr. Charles Chaboillez, at the mouth of the Summer- berry or Pembina River, in Lat. 48® 55' 29", where he stayed till March 2Ist. He then continued up the Red River past a N. W. (/oy's House, kept by M. Roi, and turning into Red Lake River, ascended it to the mouth of Clear River • where th^re was a N. W. Coy's. Post, kept by Baptiste Cadotte. After trying for several days to proceed further on foot, h was obliged to return to this place and wait for the breaking up of the ice. He places this Post in Lat. 47^* 54' 21", Long. 97 '^ 45'. On the 9th of April he started up the Clear River with three men in a canoe, on the Ilth passed the mouth 0^ Wild Rice River; on the 15th, carried across to the Red Lake River, and reached Red Lake on the 17 th, at a point * which he places in Lat. 47^ 58' 15", Long. 96^ 30'. From here he turned southward, and after carrying over several portages and through small brooks and lakes he reached Turtle II 10 I Lake on April 27th, from which flows " Turtle Brook " which he states to be the source of the Mississippi, since it is from here that the river takes the most direct course to the sea. Thus to this indefatigable but hitherto almost unknown geogra- pher belongs the honor of discovering the head waters of this great river, about whose source there has been almost as much discussion as about those of the Nile itself. His course is well laid down on his " Map of the North-West Territory of the Province of Canada, made for the North-West Company in 1813-1814;" on a scale of about 15 miles to an inch, and now in the possession of the Government of the Province of Ontario. An excellent account of the early expeditions to the head- waters of the Mississippi is given by Mr. N. H. Winchell, in his Historical Introduction in the Final Report on the " Geology of Minnesota," 1884. In giving an account of Lieut. Pike's journey to Red Cedar (Cass) Lake in 1806, he there states that " Mr. Thompson's maps and papers never having been pub- lished, Lieut. Pike is to be accredited with the first authenticated examination of the Mississippi valley from the St. Francis River to Red Cedar Lake." The first who is stated to have travelled through the country north of Red Cedar Lake was J. C. Beltrami, an Italian gentleman, who accompanied Major Long's expedition as far as Pecjbina. He ascended Bloody (Red Lake) River to Red Lake and from thence followed Thompson's route to Turtle Lake, whence he descended the Mississippi to its mouth. This was in the summer of 1823, nine years after Thompson had recorded his discoveries on the above mentioned map, and twenty-five years after he had made the survey of his course. In a note at the end of this Historical Introduction however, it is stated that Neil in the 4tli edition of his History of Minnesota gives a short account of Thoippson's journey across the State in A.D. 1798, which appears to be approxim,ately correct. I have not been able to see a copy of this edition of, Neil's History and cannot speak further of it. From Turtle Lake, Thompson descended Turtle Brook to Red Cedar (('ass) Lake, on which there was a N. W. Coy's House, kept by Mr. John Saver, which he places in Lat. 470 27' 56"; Long. 95'^. Remaining here from April 29th to May 3rd, he again embarked and struck across to the head of the Mississippi River, down which he travelled, through " Winnipegoos" Lake to the mouth of Satid Lake River, where 11 he left the main stream and turned up Sand Lake River to Sand Lake, on which was a House of the N. W. Co., S. 14*^ E. 1^ mile from the head of the river, and in Lat. 46^* 46' 39". From this House he crossed the lake to the mouth of Savannah Brook, which he followed up to the Savannah Carrying Place, a deep bog four miles across. Crossing tliis portage to a small creek that flows into the St. Louis River, he descended the latter stream to Fond du Lac House, two miles and a half up the river from Lake Superior. He reached this Post on May 10th, 2 months and 18 days after leaving the mouth of the Sour is River. From here he surveyed the south shore of Lake Superior, arriving at the Falls of Ste. Marie on May 28th. Leaving here in a light car oe with 11 men, ho reached the Grand Portage on June 7th, and remained there till July 14th. The time was a very busy one at this, the central Post of the Company ; and he gives a very interesting account of the men who were almost daily arriving from and departing for many widely separated points throughout the west. On July 14th he started for the interior, reaching the Fort at the mouth of the Winnipeg River on July Slst, and on August 9th, the mouth of the Saskatchewan, having travelled along the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg. On the 18th of August he reached Cumberland House, where he states that Mr. Peter Fidler was stopping at the time. This gentleman was in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company and travelled and made extensive surveys throughout the No'rth-West. His journal has been stated to tc still in existence, and if made public, might be almost as absorbingly interesting as that of David Thompson himself. On August 19th he again set out, his destination being Lac La Biche or " Red Deer Lake." Ascending the Sturgeon-Weir River and passing through Beaver Lake he reached Missinippi River by way of the Trade Portage, on August 24th. He ascended the Missinippi to Lac La Ronge, on which he mentions an old House where Simon Fraser and Versailles wintered in 1795-96. He crossed the lake and came to a House kept by Versailles at the mouth of Rapi^ River, IJ mile beyond which is an English House. From here, ascending to Isle a la Crosse Lake, he reached the N. W. Coy's House on September 6th. Thence, travelling south, up Beaver River as far as the mouth of Green River, he ascended this latter stream to Green Lake, on which was a Post which he places in Lat. 54° 17' 9", Long. 107° 40' 35". There he took horses and ' 12 travelled westward to Fort George on the Saskatohewan, a short distance above the mouth of Moose Creek and close to the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort, Buck'ngham House. From here he again turned northward and reached the Beaver River at the mouth of Moose La^e Creek, from which point he ascended the Beaver River, and crossing the water-shed reached " Red Deer Lake " or Lac 1 Biche on October 4th. Here he built a House in Lat. 54'^ 56' 30", Long. 112'^ 12', and remained through the winter trading with the Indians. His journal states that he was here on March 14th, 1779 ; bu on April 4th he was at Fort Augustus on the North Saskat- chewan, and remained there till April 19th. On this date he set out with 3 men and 5 horses, and travelling north-westward, reached the Pembina River, Here a canoe had been built for him, so that, sending back the horses, he started down the river and reached the Athabasca on April 25th, down which he paddled to the mouth of Lesser Slave Lake River. He turned into this stream and surveyed it up to the lake, and then returning he continued down the Athabasca River to the Fort at the mouth of the Clearwater, where he remained for a few days. On May 10th, however, he again set out and ascending the " Methy Portage " (Clearwater) River, crossed the Portage, and descending through Buffalo Lake, reached Isle a la Crosse on May 20th. Here he was married on June 10th, to Charlotte Small, a young girl who had not yet entered on her fifteenth year. From September llth to the 28th he was at Fort George, and on March 25th of the following year, 1800, he started from this fort overland to Fort Augustus, travelling along the north side of the " Chain of Lakes." After staying iiere for a few days he set out on March 31st for Rocky Mountain House, travelling to the east of Bears Hill?, across two branches of Battle River, down the Wolfs trail and across Wolf Creek (Blind Man River), to a crossing of Clearwater River two miles above Its mouth, arriving at Rocky Mountain House on April 7tji. The old House of the Nortii-West Company was situated on the north bank of the Saskatchewan, a mile-and-a quarter above the mouth of Clearwater River. From here he had intended to cross over to the Red Deer River and descend it in a boat, but having been lamed in some way, he sent four men, Chauvette, La Gass^, Clement and Jacco Cardinal on this journey. As he records the fact that they started from Rocky Mountain House an^' that a boat had been built for them beforehand, and 13 as some of them at all events are afterv ards mentioned in his journal, it seems probable thnt these men successfully descended the Red Deer and South Saskatchewan Rivers, being in all probability the first white men to accomplish this journey. He himsnlf descended the North Saskatchewan. Five miles below the Elbow, where there are very high banks he " found the English encamped for building " at the mouth of a creek flowing in from the right which he calls Sturgeon Creek (Buck Lake Creek), and passing White Mud House, a fort of the North- West Company wi^h Mr. Hughes in charge, he reached Fort Augustus on May 9th, and on May 12th arrived at Fort George. On May 18th he again left Fort George and on May 2 1 St passed the Island House, a mile-and-a-half abov(^ the mouth of Birch Brook, and the next day passed Turtle River House, a mile-and-a-half below the mourh of Turtle Brook. On June 7th he reached the mouth of the Saskatchewan. From this time till the Autumn nothing id seen of him, but he evidently returned up the Saskatchewan to Rocky Mountain House ; as on October 5th he set out from this place on hctrse back with five men and three pack-horses, up the Clearwater River and over to the Red Deer River, which he ascended till he reached the mouth of William's Creek, a small brook in Lat. 51° 41' 41", Long. 1U° r.G' 40". There he pitched his camp for several days, and during the time he states that he rode 22 miles due west to the foot of the abrupt cliU's of the Rocky Mountains where some Kootanie Indians were camped. In- ducing them to return with him to the fort, he again reached Rocky Mountain House on October 19th. There he remained till November 17th, when, accompanied by Duncan McGillivray, and attended by four men, he set out from the above fort, and travelling on horseback southward along tl e trail up Clearwater River, he crossed Red Deer River and reached Bow River at a point opposite to where the town of Calgarry now stands in Lat. 51^^ 2' 56", Long. 113" 59'. From here he followed the north-east side of the river to a short distance below the bend, where he crossed it and went on to .the Spitchee or Highwood River, which he reached two miles above its mouth. From here ho turned a little west of south, and reached a camp of the Pikenows or Peikans in Lat. 50° 35' 30" ; probably on Tongue Flag Creek. After stopping here for a short time in order to establish friendly relations with the Indians, he turned iiorth- westward and again reached Bow River at a point which h I ■* ,. u I I I I he places in Lat. 61° 13' 57", Long. Il4° 48' 22", apparently a short distance above the mouth of Ghost River. From here he ascended the south side of Bow River to the Gap, which he places in Lat. 51^ 3' 4", Long. 115° 21'. From here he returned to his old camp on the Bow River, and crossing the stream, struck northward to Rocky Mountain House, vrhich. he reached on December 3rd. During the same year Duncan McGillivray is stated to have made a traverse westward from Rocky Mountain House, up the north side of the North Saskatchewan to the small lake at its head, three miles beyond which he crossed the centre range of the Rocky Mountains, beyond which he travelled four miles down a stream flowing towards the south-west, from which point he returned to Rocky Mountain House. His traverse is carefully laid down in Thompson's note book. During the winter of 1800-1801 Thompson remained at Rocky Moun lin House trading with the Indians, working out old observations and taking new ones, though the last record that I can find for the winter is dated March 1 8th. In June he made a "journey into the Rocky Mountains by land," which is found in his note books worked out by latitude and departure. Starting from a point on the Saskatchewan River in Lat. 52^ 27' 39", Long. 115° 30' 50", he travelled at first a little south of west, and then a little west of south, to a point in Lat. 5F 57' 24", Long. 116° 27' 64", from which point he returned to the fort. Between August 30th and September 2nd he travelled on horse-back from Rocky Mountain House to Fort Augustus, passing by the south end of Long (Gull) Lake. He is now lost sight of for a cojisiderable time, and it is not till November, 1802, that we find him travelling from the head of Lesser Slave River to the Fort on the west end of Lesser . Slave Lake, which he places in Lat. 55° 32' 36". By tiie beginning of the following year he has reached the Fort on the Peace River, five miles above the mouth of Smoky River,"which he places in Lat. 56° 8' 17", Long. 117° 13' 14", with a vari- ation for tlie compass of 23|° east. From January 18th to June 5th he kept a meteorological journal at this Post, jotting down at the same time many interest- ing notes, one being that he had measured the river opposite the fort and had found it to be 420 yards and 2 feet wide. On the latter date he states that a canoe of the X.Y. Company arrived and put up 100 yards above them where they are going to build. f 15 From June 5th to 24tli he was hunting, tfec, in the vicinity, and from June 25th to December 11th the meteorological journp' is kept up regularly. Between the latter date and December 29th he made a trip with dogs to Lesser Slave Lake and back. From this latter date to February 28th, 1804, he continued his meteorological journal. In it are many notices of the X.Y. men. On February 29th he started on foot with dogs and ascend- ing on the river reached Rocky Mountain House on March Hth. This house he places in Lat. 66° J 2' 54", Long. 120° 38' with a variation of tiie compass of 25° east. On March 13th he again arrived at the Forks, and on the 15th started down the river on the ice and reached. Horse Shoe House on the 20th. This House he placed in Lat. 57° 8', Long. 117° 39' 49", with variation 24° enst. On April 30th the ice had broken and he left Horse Shoe House in a canoe, passing Fort Vermilion on May 2nd, and descended the river to Lake Athabasca, on which Athabasca House was situated, in Lat. 58° 42' 60", Long. 111° 8' 30". He 'arrived here on May 12th, and leaving it on the 16th, cm- barked for Isle a la Crosse, keeping a survey to the Fort at the Forks of the Athabasca River, where he arrived on May 19th. From Isle a la Crosse he proceeded directly to Kaministiquia, afterAvard known as Fort William, to which place the North- West Company had lately removed its headquarters from Grand ' Portage. On July 25th lie again left Kaministiquia and proceeding , now through Lac Mille Lacs and Lac la Croix instead of down the St. Francis and Rainy Rivers, he reached the mouth of tlie Saskatchewan River on September 1st and Cumberland House on September 8th. From here, on September 10th, he proceeded through Sturgeon, Goose and Athapupuskow Lakes to Cranberry Portage. At the narrows in Cranberry Lake he left men to build a house. He himself went on thvougli Reed Lake, up the Little Swan River, and through Burnt-wood Lake, reaching the Missinippi on September 30th, down which he travelled for a short distance to an old fort, which was reached on October Ist. After provisioning a house here he set off down the river and arrived at Musquawegan on October 6th in Lat. 56" 13' 7", Long. lOO^ 25' 50", Var. 12° 30' east. He remained here till the following spring, and his journal during the winter is filled with remarks about the X.Y. and H.B. Companies and the fur trade generally. On May 27th and 28th, 1805, he made a journey to the II If 16 Post on Indian Lake, in Churchill River, which he places in Lat. 56° 48' 20". On June Jst he left Musquawegan an 36", and on November 21st in Lat. 63° 24' 42", Long. 116° 50'. On November 26th he left McLeod River, in Lat. 53 30' 39", and on Novendier 28th was at a brook in Lat. 63° 37' 54'. On December Ist ho reached Athabasca River, and on the 5th and 6th was at the depot in Lat. 63° 33' 33", Long. 117" 30'. From hero ho ascended the Athabasca River, and crossing the mountains by the Athabasca Pass reached the Columbia at the mouth of the Canoe River, where he spent the remainder of the winter, and. where the N.W. Co. had a Post, perha])H built by him- self after his arrival. From here, in the spring of 1811, ho ascended the Columbia River to its source, crossed McGillivniy Portage, and, descending the Kootanie River, was at the "Great Kootanie Road " on May lO, which road strikes up a stream from the south-east bend of the Kootanie Kiver. He crossed on this road, or on the '^ Lake Indian Road," north of the Pend d'Oreille Lake, to the Saleesh (Clark's Fork) Riser, and then on the " Sheetshoa Road," which runs north-west from Saleesh River, about ten miles below Pend d'Oroille Lake, to the " Sheetshoa " (Spokane) River, and on June 15th he was at Spokane House on this river, which house he places in Lat. 47° 47' 4". He then descended the Spokane River to the Columbia and ascended the Columbia to " Ilthkoyape " or Kettle Falls, near the present site of Colville, which he places in Lat. 48 37' 30"., Long. 117^ 65'. Here he remained for a few days, and then descendeil the Columbia to its mouth, where he arrived on July 15th or 16th. Alexander Ross and Gabriel Franchrre state that it was on the 15th, but Thompson's record of his ob- servations seems rather to point to the 16th as the date of his arrival. The "Pstcific Fur Company," under which the two gentlemen above named were clerks, had in the spring of this same year founded a fort at the mouth of the Columbia which they named Astoria, a name that was afterwards changed to Fort George, when it was sold to the North-West Company in the autumn of 1818. . mitta. Aa m m t wr tm g r* ' iLiMowtr wwfn— I ;1 r i After spending a few dnys with Mr. McDoucall, the hospitable fommantler of Astoria, Thompson started buck up the Columbia and on July 24th was camped in the mouth of the Willamette River, near the site of the present town of Portland. From here he continued his ascent of the Columbia (several observa- tions being given) to the mouth of " Shaupatin " (Lewis or Snake) llivor, which he ascended to Lac. 46° 86' 13", Long. 118° !>0\ where he was on August 8th and 9th. Hero ho says, ♦' we laid up our canoes," and he must then have crossed by land to Spokane House, where he was from Aug. I'ith to 16th. The trail that he probably took was not far from the present line of the Northern Pacific Railway. From Spokane House he fol- loweil the Spokane River to its mouth, after which he ascended the Columbia to Boat Encampment, at the mouth of Canoe River, and thus completed the survey of the stream from its source to its mouth. On October 4th he was at " Mr. Wm. Henry's Campment," at the head-waters of the Athabasca River in Lat. 52° 58' 24", Long. 118° 36'. From tliis date till the beginning of the following May all that we know of his whereabouts from his notes is that he re- cords two observations for longitude at Ilthkoyape Falls on April 21, ., 1812, so that it appears not impossible, that he win- tered either at that place or at Spokane House. On the 6th of May of this year he sot out on foot from Boat Encampment on the Columbia River, and travelling eastward by the Athabasca Pass crossed the height of land on May 8th, and on the 11th reached the liouse of Mr. Wm. Henry on the Atha- basca River, in Lat. 52° 55' 16". On the 13th he started down the river from here in a canoe, making his last survey in the North West Territories. On the 20th he reached the mouth of Lesser Slave River, up which he pushed to the house at its head. Descending the river again he left its mouth on May 24th, and on the following day reached the Red Deer or La Biche River, which he ascended, reachii.^ Red Deer Lake or Lac la Biche on May 27th. Crossing the portage from this late he descended the Beaver River at least as far as Lat. 54° 22' 14", Long. 110° 17', where the survey that we have been follow- ing is broken off. It is not certain by what course he travelled to Cumberland House, but below this he doubtless followed the ordinary trade route to Lake Superior. On August 12th he left Fort William and resurveyed the northern shore of Lake Superior to Sault Ste. Marie, where he arrived on the 24th of the same month. Before October 20th he had arrived at Terre- 23 bonne, in Lower Canada, whore ho took up his residence, an^ the two following years were spent in preparing a map of West- ern Canada for the North West Company, on a scale of about fifteen miles to an inch, from the obsorvntions and siirveyrt that he hml made diiring the previous twenty yenrs. Thin* map, which is in the possession of the Crown Lands Department of the Province of Ontario is entitled " Mnp of the North West Terri- tory of the Province of Canada, 1792-1812, embracing region between Latitudes 46" and 56", and Longitudes .^+' and Pi-t" ;" "Map made for the North West Company in 1813-1814." And now our not ce must be drawn to a close as miickly as possible, as the object of this paper is to trace Mr. Thompson in his travels through the North-west rather than to write a sketch of his life, though such a sketch would undoubtedly be of absorbing interest. From 1816 to 182G he was engaged in surveying and defining the Boundary Line, on the part of Great Britain, between Canada and the United States, being employed in 1817 in the St. Lawrence and, having proceeded westward around the shores of the great lakes, he reached the Lake of the Woods in 1825. In 1834 he surveyed Lake Francis. In 1837 he made a survey of the canoe route from Lake Huron to the Ottawa River, and a few years later he made a survey of Lake St. Peter. His last years were spent either in Glengarry County, Onta- rio, or in Longueil, opposite Montreal, where he died on the Uith of February. 1857, at the ripe old age of nearly 87 years. His wife survived him by only about three months, dying on the 7th of May of the same \ ear, and they are both buried in the Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal. He died in extreme poverty, and it was due to the kindness of some of his old friends that he received a Christian burial. H. H. Bancroft, who has collected very many interesting de- tails about the old travellers and traders in the west, but to whom the labors of this remarkable man have, up to the present, remained almost entirely a mystery, gives the following account of his personal appearance : " David Thompson was an entirely diff*erent order of man frDm the orthodox fur-trader. Tall and fine-looking, of sandy complexion, with large features, deep-set, studious eyes, high forehead and broad shoulders, the intellectual was well set upon the physical. His deeds have never been trumpeted as those of some of the others, but in the westward explorations of the North West (^'ompany no man per- formed more valuable service, or estimated his achievements more modestly." I '«--!■ I i | i| i j(in||p»»- 24 LIST OF FORTS AND TRADING POSTS, THE POSI- TIONS OF WHICH ARE GIVEN BY DAVID THOMPSON IN HIS FIELD NOTE-BOOKS. BELONGING TO THE HUDSON S BAY COMPANY. York Factory, on Hudson's Bay, in Lat. 67° 1' 26", Long. 92° 29' 20". Seepaywisk House, on Seepaywisk Lake, in Lat. 55° 3' 15", Long. 97° 41' 30", Var. of Compass (1792) 12° 30' east. Chatham House, on Chatham (Wintering) Lake, in Lat. 55° 23' 40", Long. 97^ 44' 34". Reed Lake House, on Reed Lake, in Lat. 54° 36' 17", Long. •100° 36' 50", Var. (1795) 101° east. Duck Portage House, on the south side of Duck Portage, in Lat. 55° 40' 36", Long. 102° 7' 37", Var. (1796) 15° east. Fairford House, on the Missinippi, one mile below the mouth of Deer River, Lat. 55° 33' 2«", Long. 103° 10'. Bedford House, on the west side of Deer Lake, in Lat. 57° 23', Long. 102° 58' 35". Cumberland House, on the south side of Pine Island Lake, in Lat. 53° 56' 44", Long. 102° 13', Var. (1790) 11° 30' east. South Branch House, on the South Saskatchewan River, (probably near Batoche). Lower Crossing of the North Saskatchewan River, Lat. 52° 57' 48", Long. 106° 30' 30". Upper Hudson's House, on the North Saskatchewan, 3 miles below the Lower Crossing, (in Sec. 32, Tp. 46, R. 3, west of the 3rd Initial Meridian). Lower Hudson's House, on the same river, 11|^ miles below the last named place. Manchester House, on the same river, 3| miles below the mouth of Horse Creek, and 25 miles above the mouth of Turtle River. Buckingham House, on the same river, about 4 miles above Moose Creek, in Lat. 53° 52' 7", Long. 110° 41' 7", Var. (1794) 18° east. White Mud Brook House, close to the N.W. Co.'s post of the same name on the North Saskatchewan river. Swan River'House, on Swan River, near the N.W. Co.'s house of the same name, Lat. 52" 23' 40", Long. 100° 36' 53". BELONGING TO THE NORTH-WEST COMPANY. • West of the Rocky Mountains. Kootanie Fort on the west bank of the Columbia River, 1 mile below the Lower Columbia Lake, in Lat. 50° 32' 15", Long. IIS'-^ 51' 40', Var. (Ib07) 24|^^ east. " Hoard," on the Columbia River in Lat. 50° 53' 34". Kullyspel House on the east side of Kullyspel or Pend d' Oreille Lake in Lat. 4>^^^ 12' 14". Saleesh House on the Saleesh River or Clark's Fork, in Lat. 47* 34' 85", Long. 115^ 22' 51". Boat encampment near the mouth of Canoe River on the Columbia, in Lat. 52'^ 8' 1', Long. 118^ 18' 18". Spokane House on the Spokane River, in Lat. 47 '^ 47' 4", Long. 117^ 27". Ilthkoyape Falls on the Columbia River in Lat. 4S^ 37' 30" ; Long. 117° 55'. East of the Rocky Moimtains. Rocky Mountain House on Peace River in Lat. 56*-^ 12' 54", Long. 120^ 38', Var. (1804) :25 ' east. Fort on Peace River 5 miles above the mouth of Smokj'' River in Lat. 56*^ 8' 17", Long. 117^ 13' U", Var. (1803) 23^"= east Horse Shoe House o'n Peace River in Lat. 57*^ 8', Long. 117^ 39' 40", Var. (1804) 24'^ east. Vermilion Fort on Peace River below Horse Shoe House. Athabasca House on Athabasca Lake in Lat. 58*^ 42' 50", Long, lll^ 8' 30". Old Athabasca House (by Mr. Turner) Lat. 58^ 38', Long. 110-' 26 J'. Wm. Henry's campment at the head waters of the Athabasca River in Lat. 52° 53' 24". Henry's House on the same river in Lat. 52*^ 55' 16". Depot on Athabasca River in Lat. 53'^ 33' 33", Long. 117° 30'. Lesser Slave Lake House at west end of Lesser Slave Lake in Lat. 55'=' 32' 36 '. Fort " on the west point " on Athabasca River at the mouth of the Clearwater in Lat. 56^' 44' C". Lac la Biche House on Lac la Biche in Lat. 54*^ o6' 30", Long. 112"^ 12'. I - '"V 2« Green Lake House in Lat. 54^ 17' 9", Long. 107^ 40';.'i5". T^le a la Crosse House in Lat. SS'' 26' 15", Long. 107""" 46' 40'. Versailles House on Lac la Ronge at the niouth of R^ipid River. ^ Eraser's House at the head of Deer's River in Lat. 56° 20' 22", Long. 103° 18' 47". Indian Lake House, Churchill River, Lat. 56° 48' 20". Musquawegan on the Missinippi (Churchill) River in Lat. 66° 13' 7", Long. 100" 25' 50'', Var. (1805) 12*^ 30' east. Rocky Mountain House on the north bank of the North Saskatchewan River, l-} mile above the mouth of Clearwater River, in Lat. 52^ 21' 30"; Long. 114° 52'. Boggy Hall on the same river between the mouths of Brazeau River and Wolf Creek in Lat. 53" 1' 19''. Muskako Fort on the same river, 4| hours journey below Wolf Creek. White Mud Fort on the north bank of the same river, at the mouth of White Mud Creek. Fort Augustus on the same river, a mile and a half above the mouth of Sturgeon River, in Lat. 53° 44' 52", Long. 113° 11 ', Var. (17U9) 20" east. White Mud Brook Fort on the same river, a day's journey below Ft. Augustus. Isle of Scotland or Island Fort, 3^ hours journey above Fort George. Fort George, close to the Hudson's Bay Company's establish- ment of Buckingham House. Fort Vermilion, 5 hours journey below Fort George. Fort de 1' Isle, a mile and a half above the mouth of Birch Brook, (apparently not far from Manchester House.) i Turtle River House a mile and a half below the mouth of Turtle Brcjk. Fort de Milieu, two and a half hours journey below a Crossing Place (Ft. Carlton). Hudson's House, two hours journey below the last, and 15 miles above Setting (Sturgeon) River. Fort St. Louis, three and a half hours journey below the Forks. Fort la Corne, three-quarters of an hours journey below the latter. Isaac's House, 38' Long, below the Forks. Nepoin House, 9| miles below Isaac's House. - 27 Hungry Hall, on this same river 14 miles above the mouth of Sturgeon River. Cumberland House, near the H. B. Co's. Post. Upper House on Red Deer River, Lat. 52° 47' 44", Long. 102^ 14'. Lower House on Red Deer River, 60 miles below the Upper House. Upper House on Stone Indian (Assiniboine) River, Lat. 51^ 46' 58", Long. 102^ 24' 55", Var. (1797) 14^ 40' east. Belleau's House on Snake Creek, half a mile north of Lat. 51° 51' 9". Swan Hiver House on the Swan River, 4| miles above its mouth, Lat. 52° 2 1' 5", Var. (1797) 9^ 47' east: Two other houses are mentioned on Swan River, one 33^ and the other 35^ miles above Swan River House. Fort Dauphin on Dauphin Lake. Grant's House on the east bank of the Assiniboine nt'ar the mouth of Little Boggy Creek, in Lat. 51° 26' 10", Long. 101^ 57' 3", Var. (1797) 'l 3° east. Thorburn's House, on Calling River a few miles above its junction with Assiniboine River, in Lat. 50*^ 28' 57", Long. 101*^ 45' 45". McDonald's House on the Assiniboine near the mouth of the Mouse (.^ 11' 7", Long. 110" 17' 8". (A very good result for so rough a method). Pine Fort, on the Assiniboine River, 16^- miles below the mouth of the Mouse River. Poplar House, on the same river, 53J miles below the last, and 5 miles above Portage la Prairie. Cheboillez's Old House, on Rat Creek, ^ mile up from its mouth, in Lat. 49^ 33' 58". Cheboillez's House, at the mouth of Summerberry (Pembina) River, in Lat. 48° 58' 29". Baptiste Cadotte's House, on Red Lake River, in Lat. 47° 5t' 21", Long. 97° 45'. Cadotte's old House, on Red Lake, in Lat. 47° 56' 15", Long. 95° 37'. Sayer's House, on Red Cedar (^.'ass) Lake, in Lat. 47° 27' ."»6", Long. 95°. ,■ - I 4' '*'.''. n Sand Lake House, on Sand Lake, in Lat. 46* 46' 89", Loijg. 93° 20'. Fond du Lac House, 2 miles up the St. Louis River from Lake Superior, in Lat. 46° 44' 2", Long. 92°. Mille Lacs Fort, in Lat. 48° 48' 37", Long. 90° 49' 31". Also a number of other forts between Grand Portage or Fort William and the mouth of the VVinnipeg River. Ottawa, February 25th, 188^. ' , ,''' . ;:^'» <* B f J -; -ii ■\, ,. i ■ ' ■ ■ , a, yy .v'K^ h ■ ^ i w . !, t; " ' .' ,-> -- >••*,/ -> V ••.'.», v'i. . I 'fi: *».:" ■- • ' ■' j( ■' -'-7; ^' *,, L !->^i-. SH 'k^ -•■■«). ', Loijg. er from or Fort