Written by Bernice Trick
Citizen staff
|
|
Monday, 29 June 2009 |
Author Marie Elliot showcases the early days of the province in ‘Fort St. James and New Caledonia: Where British Columbia Began.’ (Submitted photo)
The book, "Fort St. James and New Caledonia: Where British Columbia Began" is written by Victoria author Marie Elliott and offers rare glimpses into the lives and times of the first fur traders.
Her book is a step back in time to the days when starvation was a daily threat, travel was by water complemented by tough-terrain portaging of rivers, and rivalry and antagonism between the Hudson's Bay Co. and the North West fur trade companies sometimes led to murderous consequences.
One such grievous incident involved a double murder that happened right in our own neigbourhood at Fort George.
A chapter called "The Blood of My Children" tells the 1823 story of the murders of Batiste Beignoit and Belonie Dulante during the absence of John Stuart, Simon Fraser's second-in-command.
Stuart, who had fur-trading business elsewhere, had assigned charge of the fort to his clerk James Murray Yale. Stuart's orders to all fort clerks during his absence was to remain at their posts and refrain from bringing aboriginal women into the forts to avoid trouble.
But Yale disobeyed the orders, giving charge to the two victims while he went off to visit other New Caledonia forts. The bodies lay unburied and dog-mauled for several weeks until Yale returned.
The story is that after Stuart left, Yale "bought" the wife of a local Carrier and had taken her to live with him at the fort. During Yale's absence the woman's husband came to visit her, and when the two men in charge threatened that they would tell Yale about his visit, they were murdered.
The murderers cited were two aboriginal men, who were given protection by the great Carrier chief Qua, who seems to have been a constant thorn in the side of the fur trading company officials.
Readers will learn about such mysterious happenings as the lives swept away by the rapid Fort George Canyon and malaria, and come across familiar names like Tete Jaune, Metis-Iroquois Pierre Bostonais, known for his blond-streaked hair, Peter Warren Dease (Dease Lake) and Donald Manson (Manson Creek), who were both once in charge of Fort St. James.
The book fills in the record previously silent on the day-to-day activities of the people and companies integral to the history of B.C., and creating a valuable addition to the literature of the province.
Elliott will be in Prince George on July 7 to present a slide show and participate in a book-signing event. She will be at the public library from 7 to 8:30 p.m. where her book will be sold by Books and Co.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 29 June 2009 )
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
