Saskatchewan River fur trade


Saskatchewan River fur trade The Saskatchewan River was one of the two main axes of Canadian expansion west of Lake Winnipeg. The other and more important one was northwest to the Athabasca Country. For background see Canadian canoe routes (early). The main trade route followed the North Saskatchewan River and Saskatchewan River, which were just south of the forested beaver country. The South Saskatchewan River was a prairie river with few furs.

Overview

The Saskatchewan River was a natural highway for furs going east and trade goods going west, to and from the Hudsons Bay. The forests north of the river provided beaver and other animal pelts. The prairies and parkland to the south provided buffalo for meat and pemmican to feed to voyageurs in the food-poor country to the north. Pemmican was often more important than beaver pelts. In 1700s most was sent downriver to Cumberland House, Saskatchewan then sent northward From 1790 some was sent overland to Green Lake, Saskatchewan and on to the Athabasca Country.
The Saskatchewan River has no significant portages between the rapids at Rocky Mountain House and its mouth at Lake Winnipeg. Eastbound canoes with that winter's catch had the advantage of the spring meltwater. Westbound trade goods in the summer and fall had to deal with low water. Poling and tracking was used on the upper river. The Hudson's Bay Company built the first proto-York boat on the river at Manchester House in 1788, but the North West Company seems to have preferred north canoes. In the La Montee country west of Prince Albert, "bosses" would borrow horses and go buffalo hunting to feed the regular voyageurs who stayed with the canoes and rowed or paddled upstream. When speed was required, horses might be used on the trails that ran parallel to the river.
Fort Edmonton, established in the centre of today's City of Edmonton in 1812, became a hub of trails. Around 1825 a horse track was cut from Fort Assiniboine, Alberta on the Athabasca River to Edmonton. The easiest route from the Pacific was through Athabasca Pass to the Athabasca River. The transfer to the North Saskatchewan river at Edmonton meant a straighter route and the use of York boats, built at Fort Edmonton. The Athabasca River route, using the Methye portage, was indirect and required smaller north canoes for numerous portages to avoid rapids on the Athabasca River.)
From the 1870s the slaughter of buffalo, smallpox and the appearance of settlers disrupted Native life. In 1876 an ox-cart road was built from Fort Carlton north to Green Lake. In the mid-1800s, The Carlton Trail, running along the north bank of the Saskatchewan River, was gradually developed connecting Winnipeg to Edmonton.
The first steamboat on the river was the Northcote in 1874.
In 1891 the Calgary & Edmonton Railway was completed to the Edmonton area. In 1905 the Canadian Northern Railway, following the route of the old Carleton Trail, reached Edmonton from Winnipeg.
The boreal forest region to the north was inhabited by Cree who had migrated northwest as middlemen in the fur trade and, in the early and middle 19th century, Saulteaux. Immediately south were the Plains Cree and Assiniboines with the Nakoda (Stoney) near the mountains. To the south were the Gens du large or Plains Indians or First Nations:
Gros Ventre in Saskatchewan,
Blackfeet in Alberta and
Piegan Blackfeet near the Rocky Mountains. Across the mountains were Kootenays.
Since the Cree and Saulteaux had beaver-skins to trade and the First Nations on the prairies had little more than buffalo and wolf skins, the northern peoples got most of the guns. They used them to expand south. This made the plains Natives hostile to the traders since they seemed to be allies of the more northern tribes. Further, many of the voyageurs were part-Cree and knew the language. In the west the Blackfoot often hurt the fur trade. They did not trade where there were many Cree and tried to keep the Kootenays from getting guns.
Despite the antagonism of the Blackfoot and other prairie Natives, the trading posts were too well fortified to be easily attacked and were only destroyed when the traders were away. In the east the Gros Ventres destroyed South Branch House and Manchester House in 1793–94. Fort Sturgeon was burnt in 1780 and Rocky Mountain House in 1860. Fort Pitt and Fort Carlton were burnt during the 1885 North-West Rebellion.

Exploration and early fur trade

Map and table

Most of the posts lasted less than ten years because the area became depleted of beaver and because the wooden stockades tended to rot. The major or permanent posts on the North Saskatchewan River were Cumberland House, Fort Pitt, Fort Carlton, Edmonton and Rocky Mountain House. Especially in the east there were a number of minor temporary posts that left few or no records. Until 1811, fur traders affiliated with the NWC and HBC maintained very amicable relations to the extent that the rival posts were often enclosed within the same palisades for mutual protections. After 1811, however, competition between the HBC and the NWC became increasingly intense..
In the table below locations are given by longitude and approximate straight-line distance from the post or landmark to the east. The straight-line distance from Lake Winnipeg to Howse pass is about 1,200 km or 750 miles. For Pedlars see Pedlar (fur trade). For the XY Company see North West Company#Organizational history.
longitudedistancepostyearsownernotes
099.25W0Fort Bourbon#11741Frenchmouth of the river at Lake Winnipeg
100.66W+100 km NWFort Paskoya#11741Frenchmouth of the river on Cedar Lake
101.75W+90 km WSaskatchewan border
102.30W+35 km WCumberland House, Saskatchewan1774HBCDepot, on Cumberland Lake, gateway to the Athabasca Country
104.02W+130 km SWNipawin, Saskatchewan1768-1795?Pedlar
104.80W+55 km WFort de la Corne1753French
???.??W?Fort La Jonquière1751Frenchthe westernmost French fort, location unknown
105.08W+20 km W-- Saskatchewan River Forksthe only significant fort on the South Saskatchewan was South Branch House
105.86W+50 km WFort Sturgeon1776-1780Pedlarfirst post on the North Saskatchewan. La montee begins 40 miles west of Prince Albert
106.49W+55 km SWFort Carlton1810-1885HBCDepot
107.39W+75 km SW--southernmost point on river
109.07W+150 km NWPine Island Fort, Manchester House1786-1793Pedlar,NWC,HBC
109.75W+60 km NWFort Pitt (Saskatchewan)1829-1890HBCDepot
110.00W+15 km WAlberta border
110.34W+20 km WPaint Creek House, Fort Vermillion1802-1816HBC,NWC
110.76W+35 km NWBuckingham House, Fort George1792-1800HBC,NWC
111.16W+30 km WSWFort de l'Isle1800-1808XY,NWC,HBC
112.23W+80 km NWFort Edmonton#3, Fort Augustus#31810-1812HBC,NWCnorthernmost point on the river
113.17W+70 km SWFort Edmonton#1, Fort Agustus#11795-1801HBC,NWC
113.50W+33 km SWFort Edmonton#2,#4, Fort Augustus#2,#41795-1915HBC,NWCDepot, at Edmonton, Alberta; road north to Fort Assiniboine, Alberta
114.92W+160 km SWRocky Mountain House, Alberta, Acton House1799-1876NWC,HBC-
116.75W+135 km WSW--Howse Pass1807over the Rocky Mountains, rarely used, the main route after 1825 was Athabasca Pass, Fort Assiniboine, Edmonton