Rivière a la Biche Poste
N 52° 49.156 W 102° 22.644
13U E 676721 N 5855389
Located in Hudson Bay Regional Park, near baseball diamond.
Waymark Code: WMQ9X2
Location: Saskatchewan, Canada
Date Posted: 01/18/2016
Views: 1
As the plaque reads:
Fur Trade Post-Rivière a la Biche
In 1670 the Hudson Bay Company was granted exclusive trading rights in the watershed of the the Hudson Bay. Initially Indians brought furs to posts located along the Bay. However, competition from the Northwest Company forced them to extend fur trading posts into the interior.
The Northwest Company was formed by independent "master pedlars" in 1784. They started direct trading with the Indians in the North Country.
In the late 18th century the Northwest Company established a fur trade post at the confluence of the Red Deer River (Rivière a la Biche)and the Etomami River, very near a historic ferry crossing. The post provided lodging for the winter and a place to store the trading goods and furs. The post would have been weather proofed especially against the cold of the Canadian winter.
Trees on the site were used to construct the post (aspen, spruce, birch). The design had to be able to cope with the dramatic shrinkage that would occur when using green wood as the construction material and to handle the changes in the dimension of the wood from the hot humid summers to the cold dry winters.
Alexander Mackenzie referred the Post as one of the Northwest Company's principal posts. When David Thomson visited the post in 1797, it was in the charge of Mr. Hugh McGillis, Thomson's placement was N52'48'10"-W120'11'14" which is 13km East Southeast of the actual location but quite close given technology available to him. Alexander Henry referenced the post in an 1805 journal entry. The post is actually at N52'48'10" W102'22'36".
Famed geologist JB Tyrell visited the site in 1890 and noted ruins of the post. This is the first scientific reference to the site.
Marker type: Plaque on steel square piping
Marker placement date: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
When entering a new log for visiting a waymark please provide a picture if there is not one added to the waymark. Please include any thoughts about the area and the history that the marker may represent.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|