Fort St. James and New Caledonia

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As BC 150 celebrations highlight, modern British Columbia originated in the central interior, where Simon Fraser established the fur trade empire of New Caledonia. Today, only the restored Fort St. James trading post and ancient trails remain. This work presents the first comprehensive history of this significant chapter in over a century. Utilizing unpublished Hudson's Bay Company archival materials, Marie Elliott offers rare insights into the lives of early fur traders, portraying a vivid array of characters, including the notable Carrier chief Kwah, Nor'westers John Stuart and James McDougall, and a remarkable group of women like Miyo Nipiy, Governor Simpson's country wife, Margaret Taylor, and the tragic Elizabeth Pruden. The journey from Stuart Lake to Fort Langley, once taking fur brigades a minimum of four weeks, is now a scenic two-day drive, while the treacherous three-day canoe trip from Fort St. James to Fort George can be completed in just a few hours on modern highways. Elliott immerses readers in a time marked by the constant threat of starvation, challenging travel conditions, and the violent rivalry between the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company. Most poignantly, the narrative reveals the struggles of enduring long, isolated winters with limited rations and scant companionship. This work fills a previously silent record of daily life among those pivotal to British Columbia's history, making it a